Spicy Pineapple Beet Kvass

This unique and flavorful kvass recipe comes to us from Fiery Ferments: 70 Stimulating Recipes for Hot Sauces, Spicy Chutneys, Kimchis with Kick, and Other Blazing Fermented Condiments, by Kristen and Christopher Shockey, who call this recipe “…light, carefree, and spicy like an early summer day.” It looks the part, being one of the more beautiful ferments we have made, all golden beet and red-goji colored, sparkling with warm jewel tones. It’s a boon to digestion, as all kvass is, and is especially beneficial for the blood, liver, and kidneys. While red beets would work as well in this recipe, the color of the golden beets is really something special, and their milder flavor lets the pineapple notes shine.
 

Directions

Prepare the vegetables. Wash the beets well, and slice into 1/2 inch chunks.
Slice the ginger and turmeric thinly, leaving the skin on.
Cut the dried pineapple rings into segments.

Combine the beets, ginger, turmeric, dried pineapple, goji berries, and peppercorns in a half gallon or 1.5-2-liter bail-top jar.

Prepare the brine, stirring vigorously to dissolve the salt into the water. Fill the jar with brine, leaving at least a 2” headspace. Secure the jar lid.

Set aside to ferment for 5-21 days. Burp the jar every few days to allow any built-up CO2 to escape.

Taste the kvass beginning on day 5, and continue to ferment until it develops a nicely acidic, bubbly flavor. In cooler weather, this may take a few weeks; in the summer, one week may be all that is needed to reach the best flavor. The Shockeys recommend moving this ferment to the fridge after a week in warm weather and allowing it to infuse there for another week before straining. Follow your tastebuds!

When it is ready, store the kvass in the refrigerator. It can be strained all at once or left to infuse and strained just before serving.
The fruit and beet sugars in this kvass make it particularly sparkly. In the refrigerator, the kvass will keep its effervescence for a few weeks. As a flatter tonic, it will keep for 6 months.

Over to You

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