Cultured Beet Juice – Kvass

Based on Nourishing Traditions cookbook by Sally Fallon. Photo by Manon Gaudreau

• 3 medium beets, peeled and chopped coarsely (do not grate)
• 1/4 cup of homemade whey
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• filtered water to fill a 2-quart jar (not chlorinated)

Put beets, whey and sea salt in a 2 quart glass jar. Add water to fill the jar and stir. Cover securely. Keep at room temperature for 2 days before transferring to refrigerator.
When most of the liquid has been drunk, fill with water again & repeat. The second brew will be less strong. After the second brew, discard the beets. You may reserve some of the liquid to use as an inoculant for a next batch instead of whey.
Drink a half cup of this cultured sour juice twice a day as a blood tonic, to promote regularity, aid digestion, alkalinize the blood, clean the liver and prevent kidney stones. This juice may also be used as a substitute for vinegar in salad dressings and to flavor soups and turn them into live cultured soups (add to warm but not boiling soup and do not heat the soup after adding the juice as heat destroys the culture). Read more about beets.