Fermented beets are easy to make and a great way to add extra nutrition to your diet. But they can be a little boring. Spice up your ferments with this lacto-fermented spicy beet recipe.

Summer is a bountiful time of year. Whether you are growing your own vegetables or buying from a grower or farmer’s market, you may experience ‘produce glut’.

What I mean by that is you have more fresh produce on hand that what you can reasonably use before said produce begins to spoil. This is especially true for crops such as beets that tend have the entire planting ready at the same time. Making fermented beets during the summer is a great way to ensure you have beets all year long.

Lacto-fermentation can be applied to just about every vegetables out there which means you can preserve your bounty to enjoy later. Lacto-fermentation is one of the oldest ways of preserving food. It allowed our ancestors to preserve food long before the days of refrigeration. And for many people, Lacto-fermented foods is what fed them through the long winter months.

While beet kvass is probably the most popular way of fermenting beets but it’s not the only way. One of our favorite ways to ferment beets is to make this spicy, lacto-fermented beet recipe.

Lacto-fermentation can be applied to just about every vegetables out there which means you can preserve your bounty to enjoy later. And in this case; specifically, I present to you, Lacto-fermented spicy beets.

Lacto-fermentation is one of the oldest ways of preserving food. It allowed our ancestors to preserve food long before the days of refrigeration. And for many people, Lacto-fermented foods is what fed them through the long winter months.

What is Lacto-Fermentation?

While certain yeasts are used to create fermented foods and/or beverages (sourdough bread and beer anyone?), lacto-fermented foods are created from bacteria. In this case, these natural bacteria are really good for you and your immune system. They turn your favorite vegetables into probiotic foods.

The main bacteria species responsible for Lacto-fermentation is Lactobacillus. This bacteria is capable of converting sugars into lactic acid. (One word of advice: just because it is Lacto-is in the name it does not mean that dairy products are used in this form of fermentation).

In a nutshell, lacto-fermentation is the process of preserving food, such as raw produce, through the growth of beneficial microorganisms in an anaerobic environment (an anaerobic environment is one without oxygen), resulting in a tasty and easy-to-digest food. Foods and beverages that are lacto-fermented will have a slightly tangy flavor but not a harsh vinegar flavor like sour pickles do.

Types of Fermented Food

• Kimchi
• Yogurt
• Sauerkraut
• Pickles (not vinegar pickles)
• Kombucha
• Beet Kvass
• Kefir
• Pickled vegetables including but not limited to: cucumbers, cabbage, onions, garlic, radishes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and grape leaves
• Naturally fermented sauces (nonpasteurized)
• Sourdough breads

Benefits of Lacto-Fermentation

There are health benefits and money saving benefits when you consume fermented foods on a regular basis. Some of those benefits include…

• provides a great source of probiotics which are beneficial bacteria.
• increases the digestibility of the preserved food
• increase certain nutrients in the food (depends on the food that is preserved, for red beets nitric oxide is increased)
• can help reduce blood pressure, stabilize blood sugar, and have anti-inflammatory properties.
• inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria
• does not require an expert level of preserving … a beginner can do lacto-fermentation
• does not require freezing or refrigeration
• prevents surplus produce from going to waste
• preserves more nutritional content of foods compared to traditional canning methods such as pressure canning or water bath canning

Items Needed for Lacto-Fermentation

Food grade container – Traditionally vegetables are fermented in large crocks. But today many people use wide mouth mason jars to ferment small quantities of vegetables. A quart jar is the most common, but a pint, half-gallon or gallon jar can be used depending on how much you are fermenting. The jar needs to be large enough to allow some space between the vegetable and the top of the jar.

Fermentation weight – The weight will keep all the vegetables under the brine to create the anaerobic condition the ferment needs so that it doesn’t mold. Glass weights are really handy and fit perfectly inside mason jars. Traditional crocks usually come with a weight.

Covering – The container needs to be covered to keep out insects. You can use cheesecloth and a rubber band or airlock lids.

Salt – Lacto-fermentation happens in a salt-water brine. You need salt that is non-iodized and does not have anti-caking agents added to it.

Water – The water for the brine should be non-chlorinated as the chlorine will inhibit the good bacteria growth. If you have city tap water, it would be best to use bottled water or let the water sit out for a day to let the chlorine evaporate before using it. If you have well water that has a lot of minerals in it, know that some of those minerals can cause the vegetables to get mushy. That being said, I use well water and have never had that happen.

Produce – While any vegetable can be fermented, some are better than others. Root vegetables make really great ferments as do cabbages, you can even make a red cabbage sauerkraut with red cabbage. If you want to make delicious pickles that don’t have that strong vinegar flavor, fermented cucumbers are the way to go.

Herbs – You can make very plain ferments with just the vegetable and a salt water brine, or you can spice them up with your favorite herbs. Some of the herbs that create our favorite flavors of ferments are garlic cloves, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves and coriander seeds.

General Kitchen Tools – You will also need a cutting board and knife, a mandolin, or grater. Plus a stainless steel bowl to combine ingredients in.

The first thing you’ll need to do is sterilize the fermentation container, weights, and airlock lid (if using). To ensure success, use recipes from trusted sources and/or books like The Rootsy Guide to a Year of Fermented Foods. After you gain confidence in your skills, the process, and what lacto-fermentation looks like, you can then begin to experiment with recipes such as changing out spices for something different or adding other types of fresh produce to the mix.

Recipe for Lacto-Fermented Spicy Beets

Ingredients:

• 4 medium organic beets
• 1/2 large onion
• 1 large jalapeno
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/2″ fresh ginger
• 3 sticks of cinnamon (broken in half)
• 1 tablespoon cloves
• 2 tablespoon. fennel seeds
• 4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon of salt. + 1 teaspoon salt

Remove the beet greens from the beetroot. Wash and peel the raw beets. Cut off the top and root end. Uniformly slice on a mandolin directly into a bowl; this will help save the beetroot juice. Or use a knife.

Cut onion into uniform slices using a mandolin or knife.

Wash and slice the jalapeno. If you wish to have less heat, remove as many seeds as possible.

Peel the papery skin from the garlic. Cut into fine slices.

Combine water and salt in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve the salt.

Place all vegetable slices into the clean jar or small crock. Add the spices. Pour in the brine (water/salt mixture). If the brine does not cover the vegetables, create more brine at a ratio of 1 teaspoon per 8oz. cup of water.

Place a weight on vegetables to keep them submerged. Top the jar with an airlock lid.

Leave the container out on the kitchen counter or table so you check the fermentation process. Allow the batch to sit at room temperature for at least four days.

Taste your ferment on day five. Not tangy enough? Allow fermenting at room temperature for another few days. Beets have a relatively high sugar content so most will be ready within a week.

After that, replace the lid with airlock with a solid lid and set the container in a cool place such as a refrigerator or root cellar to slow down the fermentation process.

Tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. We always appreciate your feedback. You can also save the recipe for later by pinning it or clicking on the heart in the lower right hand corner.

Other lacto-fermented vegetables

In a world where sauerkraut is king of the lacto-fermented foods, it is great to have variety. Some of our favorite fermented foods recipes are…

Fermented Red Onions

Vegan Kimchi Recipe

Fermented Cherry Tomatoes

Thanks for sharing!