Fermented Beets With Orange and Ginger

By Vegiegail

Adapted from a recipe at Saveur.com

Ingredients

• 4 medium beets, peeled and sliced into 1/8"-thick rounds
• 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
• 1 tsp whole allspice berries
• 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 tsp whole cloves
• 2 sticks cinnamon
• 1 " piece ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• Peel of 1 orange, cut off in wide strips
• 2 Tbsp water kefir
• 2 Tbsp agave
• 3 cups warm filtered water, warmed
• Kosher or sea salt, to taste

Details

Servings 1

Preparation

Step 1

Bring a 4-quart saucepan of salted water to a boil, and add beets; cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water, and let sit for 2 minutes to chill. Drain and place beets in a sterilized 1-qt. glass jar along with mustard seeds, allspice berries, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and orange peel. In a medium bowl, stir together kefir, agave, and filtered water; pour over beets until covered. Pour any remaining brine or water into a resealable plastic sandwich bag, and place bag on top of beets to keep them submerged.

2. Drape a large kitchen towel over the jar, and let sit at room temperature (ideally 70°–75°) until beets have cured to your taste, about 1 week. Once beets are cured, season them with kosher or sea salt to taste, cover jar with lid, and refrigerate for up to 1 week.