beet kvass fermenting question, when is it ready

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brandy
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beet kvass fermenting question, when is it ready

Post by brandy »

I think a couple of people are fermenting beet kvass and I started a batch on Saturday afternoon. (I'm almost at 48 hours.) I used the Wellness mama http://wellnessmama.com/9087/beet-kvass-recipe/ recipe and for the starter I used some of my left over homemade fermented dill pickle juice as the starter.

I tested I yesterday and it tasted like salty dill pickle juice.

I tested it today and it is more of a neutral flavor. There is some fermenting going on and I scooped off the growth with a strainer.

How long do you typically ferment the beet kvass for? Wellness Mama says 48 yours. Your thoughts?

Brandy
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JFR
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Post by JFR »

Mine takes about 72 hours. It really depends on temperature, the warmer the temperature the shorter the ferment. I only use beets, water and salt.

Jean
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ldubois7
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Post by ldubois7 »

Brandy,

I have fermented about dozen jars now, and it's been delicious! I use organic beets. I do not peel them, just scrub them to remove loose dirt. I cut them into about 1" chunks. I place them in mason jars with 1/2 TB himalayan pink salt in each jar. I fill the jars with filtered water, and shake it around a bit to dissolve the salt.

I place mine in my basement for 6-7 days. Then, place them in the refrigerator.

I combined a few recipes to come up with this one, and it has worked for me.

I have not had an issue with any funky stuff growing on top. My kvass has a slight fermented kick, but not too much. It's earthy and yummy.
Linda :)

LC Oct. 2012
MTHFR gene mutation and many more....
brandy
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Post by brandy »

Hi Jean and Linda,

Thanks for the info! I've been tasting my kvass every day. Yesterday was the first day it tasted beet like. I'll test it again late in the afternoon which will put me at 5 days.

Linda do you keep the lid on your jar when making kvass or lid off? I wasn't sure about this. Wellness Mama says to use cheesecloth but Sandor is big on lids.

Jean do you use a crock or jar when fermenting kvass? Lid on or off?

I'm using a Hirsch fermenting crock (the smallest one) but there are times I'd like to have a second fermenting vessel going with a different vegetable, either jar or a very small crock.

Linda, I always seem to get a growth on top whether I am making dill pickles, sauerkraut or now the kvass. I'm thinking it must be a southern climate thing. I take a mesh strainer and scrape off the growth.

Sandor Katz's Art of Fermentation book is great! Before I got his book I had some epic sauerkraut failures. I was using the German--put it in a celler or cool place timetable recommendation which is a month----this was way too long. Cellars don't exist in FL and we don't have "cave environments." Sandor got me to start checking/ testing my sauerkraut and dill pickles daily. Jean--so true that a warmer climate =faster fermentation. My 1" diameter dill pickles were done in a week and the 1-1/2" diameter dill pickles took two weeks.

Anyways, thanks for the help! I had no idea what Kvass was supposed to taste like and I'm glad I didn't stop at two days!
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ldubois7
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Post by ldubois7 »

Brandy,

I keep the lid on, as Sandor does. You just reminded me that I have a batch to check!
Linda :)

LC Oct. 2012
MTHFR gene mutation and many more....
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