Fermented Ginger Beets
These easy fermented ginger beets are a great way to use up beets. All you need is beets, salt, ginger, and a few days to let them ferment. The flavors magically transform as fermentation proceeds.
Beet season
Late winter is special in Upstate New York. As all the snow melts away, you can feel the energy start moving again from the thawing ground. The maple sap starts rising in the trees and the waterfowl migration brings all kinds of ducks and geese passing through the region on the way back to their northern breeding grounds. This time of year also means I’m trying to use up the root vegetables that have been hiding and accumulating the the very back of the refrigerator all winter. This year I couldn’t keep up with all the beets we got from our winter CSA, so it was time to make fermented ginger beets.
One of the things I love about fermenting is how flavors and textures drastically change through the fermentation process. You really have to taste your way through the recipe and see what you like. I added 1 tbsp salt and 2 tbsp grated ginger for 2 lbs of shredded beets. This isn’t so much ginger that it will overwhelm, but gives a more interesting flavor than beets alone. After letting sit at room temperature for about an hour, it tasted bitter, sharp, and generally not good. But the salt level was just right- salty but not overwhelming. As long as the salt level is about right at the start, the flavors will magically transform leaving you with a tasty jar of fermented ginger beets.
Botanically beets
Beta vulgaris is part of the Amaranth family, along with chard (a close relative), spinach, amaranth, and quinoa. In addition to the taproot, the leaves are also edible. Young leaves can be eaten raw and more mature leaves can be cooked similarly to spinach.
Beetroots get their bright red color from betalain compounds. In contrast most other red/purple vegetables get their color from anthocyanins (purple cabbage, purple carrots, purple cauliflower, etc).
Beet benefits1
Beets contain impressive amounts of key vitamins and minerals, especially folate, manganese, and copper. Beet’s main health benefits come from two classes of compounds: nitrates and betalains.
NITRATES
- Our bodies convert dietary nitrates into nitric oxide, which dilates blood vessels and temporarily reduces blood pressure
- Lowered blood pressure allows for more efficient flow of blood, nutrients, and oxygen through the body and to major organs including the liver and brain
- Important in intracellular signaling in brain and nervous system
- Increase cardiovascular and athletic performance- nitrates increase the body’s energy production by improving mitochondria efficiency. Consume beets or beet juice 2-3 hours before training for improved athletic performance.
BETALAIN
- Anti-inflammatory
- Antioxidant
- Provides detoxification support to liver
- Gives beets their red color
More beet recipes
Fermented ginger beets
Equipment
- 1 quart jar
- 1 air-lock lid or a rubber band and clean washcloth
Ingredients
- 2 lb beets peeled and trimmed
- 1½ tbsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp ginger peeled
Instructions
- Shred beets on the large holes of a box grater. Grate ginger on microplane grater. In a large bowl, mix together beets, ginger, and salt, massaging the salt into the beets. Let sit at room temperature for about an hour.
- While beets are sitting, clean a 1-quart jar with hot soapy water.
- After the beets have set for an hour, taste the beets and add more salt as needed- you want the beets to taste salty, but not overwhelmingly salty. Pack beets into the clean jar, pressing beets down to expel any air bubbles. Pour any accumulated juice into jar. If the beets are not fully submerged, add enough filtered water until they are covered, while leaving 1/2 inch of headspace at the top of the jar.
- Place a fermentation weight or the trimmed top of a beet in the jar- this will keep the beets submerged. Cover the jar with airlock lid or rubber band a clean washcloth over the jar's mouth. Place jar in a dish, in case it bubbles over.
- Leave in cool, dark spot. If beets start to foam, remove cover and scoop foam out of jar (mine bubbled and foamed like crazy for 4 days) and replace cover
- Taste every day until desired sourness is developed (fermentation will occur faster in warmer temperatures, slower in cooler temperatures), then replace fermentation lid with regular lid, and store in fridge. I let this batch ferment for 8 days.
I tried these fermented beets and they are exquisite!
Glad you enjoyed them!
Can you do this same thing with Golden Beets?
Yes, any type of beets would work!
Will have to try this recipe next fall!