Fermenting, more about Beets

Pickled or sour beets are a traditional fermented, probiotic food that improves digestion by stimulating stomach acid and bile, and supports your immune system by replenishing the beneficial bacteria in your gut. They are easy to make and hard to keep around!

Simple Pickled Beets Recipe

(Makes 1/2 gallon or 2 liters)

Tools

You will need a fermenting crock, an air-lock fermenting jar or a latch-lid type canning jar to make this recipe. 

Ingredients

• 5 pounds beets, peeled (red, golden or striped. Don’t use golden or striped beets with red ones unless you want all the beets to turn red)
• 3 Tbsp. sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. caraway seeds

Directions

1. Thoroughly clean and sterilize the container and utensils you will be using.
2. Wash, drain and then cut your beets into halves or quarters.
3. Grate, shred or chop the beets into a non-metal bowl. You can do this by hand or with a food processor. Pieces should be about the size of a quarter, or smaller. I prefer a coarse shred.
4. With a wooden spoon, mix the grated beets with sea salt, to taste. (Metal and fermentation don’t mix!)
5. Add caraway seeds either whole or crushed. Crushed caraway seeds give a more intense flavor.
6. Pack the beets firmly and evenly into a clean crock, glass jar or enamel container until liquid comes out of the beets freely. Leave 2 inches of room at the top of a jar or 4-5 inches of room at the top of a crock.
7. Make sure juice covers the beets completely! Once beets are immersed, place a plate on top of the beets (if using a crock) and a large freezer bag filled with water on top of the plate. (I use 2 large bags, one inside the other so that if the bag breaks, it will not water down the beets into a tasteless mess.)
8. If you are using canning jars, place a couple small, heavy rocks (boil them first) into 2 doubled-up sandwich bags, and use that to weigh down the beets inside the jar. Latch or screw the lid down loosely.
9. The beets must be completely submerged so no air can get in and contaminate the them with unwanted yeasts or molds!
10. Put jar or crock in a cool area where the temperature will be around 75 degrees. Fermentation will begin within a day, depending upon the room temperature. If temperature too high or too low, the beets may not ferment and could spoil!
11. Cover the container with a clean towel and check after 2 days, releasing some of the carbon dioxide that has built up inside. Scoop any scum off the top (it is harmless), and repack. Check every 3 days and repeat as necessary.
12. After 2 weeks, sample the beets to see if they taste ready to eat. The flavor will continue to mature for the next several weeks. Refrigerating the beets will extend their shelf life.
13. Enjoy!

These colorful root vegetables contain powerful nutrient compounds that help protect against heart disease, birth defects and certain cancers, especially colon cancer. Beets are an excellent source of the B vitamin, folate, and a very good source of manganese and potassium. They are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus. Beets are also regarded as an excellent liver cleansing, detoxifying, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory food.

Original article at: http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/pickled-beet-recipe#ixzz2TfMAb4vh 
© 2013 Small Footprint Family™ | All rights reserved.