Fermented foods have a long history of being healthy, and they also taste great. Try this simple recipe if you’re fortunate enough to have a large crop of beets.n Once fermented, beets can be kept for up to three months in the refrigerator.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Additional Time: | 9 days |
| Total Time: | 9 days 30 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 2 jars |
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beets, peeled and cut into chunks
- 4 cloves cloves garlic, peeled
- 6 peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups water, boiled and cooled
- 1 tablespoon salt
Instructions
- Distribute beet chunks between two jars with lids. Add 2 cloves garlic, 3 peppercorns, and 1 bay leaf to each jar.
- Combine water and salt in a bowl to make the brine; stir until salt is completely dissolved. Pour enough brine into the jars to completely cover the beets.
- Screw on lids and let jars sit at room temperature until foam starts to appear on top, about 1 week. Transfer jars to a cool place (50 degrees F, 10 degrees C) for 2 to 3 days after foam appears. Store in the refrigerator.
- You can also put beets into 1 large jar. In that case only use 2 cloves of garlic, 3 peppercorns, and 1 bay leaf total.
- The number of days for fermenting will depend on ambient temperature.
Reviews
Great recipe, the beets turned out beautifully, thank you
Used this recipe as a guide for spicy fremented beets. Used a few other raw veggies. Carrots, onion, shallots, jalapeños, diakon radish and Chipotle peppers. Came out with the spice level intended. Used peppercorn mix that I cook with (white, green, and black peppercorns). Also bay leaf, rosemary, cloves, allspice and ginger. The warm spice notes pair well spicy kick in the background.
I like these a lot and they ARE easy! The only trick is using the right kind of beets. Detroit reds hold their color well but I think chioggia beets should only be eaten young and raw or they fade to gray and become less visually appealing. If you’ve let your chioggias get big and old and lose their color, you can still ferment them. They’ll taste fine but not be beautiful jewels on your plate.
Easy recipe, beets came out good.