Kvass is a traditional, fermented Russian beverage made from fresh beets. Beets are a nutritional power house; however, some people have concerns about the high levels of naturally occurring sugar in beets. Fermenting is a game changer for beets. The naturally occurring sugars in beets become food for the beneficial bacteria during the fermentation process; thereby, increasing the health benefits and decreasing the sugar.

Colorful beets are loaded with beneficial photonutrients that have powerful anti-cancer properties, reduce inflammation, and help to lower blood pressure. Beets are also a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Fermenting beets preserves all the benefits of raw beets, while making them more bioavailable with beneficial bacteria and enzymes that occur naturally during fermentation.

Beet kvass is an excellent tonic that can be enjoyed to boost immune health, cleanse the blood of metals and toxins, and improve digestion. I love the tangy flavor and bubbly texture. I often add sparkling water to make a refreshing drink.

As much as I enjoy beets, I wanted to change up the recipe by adding berries to the mix. You can use a culture starter or kombucha to improve the fermentation process. Once you have made a batch and are ready to enjoy it, I suggest starting with 1oz daily and working up to 8 oz daily.

You can use this kvass recipe with golden beets and add peaches; or skip the berries and just make traditional kvass. Once you get the hang of it, you will want to make sure you always have a bottle in your refrigerator. Remember to ALWAYS use organic beets and berries. You can reuse your beets to make a second batch but toss the berries after the kvass is done fermenting.

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Beet and Berry Kvass

Kvass is a traditional, fermented Russian beverage made from fresh beets. Beets are a nutritional power house; however, some people have concerns about the high levels of naturally occurring sugar in beets. Fermenting is a game changer for beets. The naturally occurring sugars in beets become food for the beneficial bacteria during the fermentation process; thereby, increasing the health benefits and decreasing the sugar.

Course beverage

Keyword beet, berry, kvass

Servings 2 quart mason jars

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Komboucha or 1 pack Body Ecology Culture Starter dissolved in 1/4 warm water.
• 1 tsp. Sea salt
• 3 lbs organic beets scrubbed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 cup organic blackberries blueberries or raspberries
• 4 cups filtered water

Instructions

1. Fill Mason jars with beets and berries.
2. Combine kombucha or culture starter with water and salt and pour over beets and berries. Top off with extra filtered water as needed. Beets need to be completely submerged.
3. Seal jars and let sit at room temperature for a week to ferment. Burp jars every 2 days to let air out to preventive carbonation.
4. You can strain and enjoy kvass after 5 days, but I usually wait 7.
5. Store fermented kvass in the refrigerator. Keeps for a year.

Find the Body Ecology Culture Starter here.

Kristen Coffield

I am a passionate advocate for food as medicine, life navigator and culinary coach. This is my space for sharing what excites, inspires and motivates me to live my best life. It began as a recipe blog for nourishing, simple, weekday meals and has become something much bigger… a guide to resilient wellness. I am excited to share my knowledge of how daily habits can cumulatively help you to live like you mean it and age like you want to.