Looking for recipes and tips for kvass and beet kvass

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone,

I'm the Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader for Vancouver, B.C.

Canada, and I'm so happy that this group was created!

I haven't made kvass or beet kvass yet. I would like to have input

from experienced fermenters about recipes, etc.

[Guest guest]

>

> Hello everyone,

>

> I'm the Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader for Vancouver, B.C.

> Canada, and I'm so happy that this group was created!

>

> I haven't made kvass or beet kvass yet. I would like to have input

> from experienced fermenters about recipes, etc.

>

>

I too would like to hear about kvass techniques. Kvass is one of my

all-time favorite fermented food!

A big thank-you to Mike for setting up this group. It holds great promise!

Tom

[Guest guest]

@@@@@@@

> > I haven't made kvass or beet kvass yet. I would like to have input

> > from experienced fermenters about recipes, etc.

> >

> >

>

> I too would like to hear about kvass techniques. Kvass is one of my

> all-time favorite fermented food!

>

> A big thank-you to Mike for setting up this group. It holds great promise!

>

> Tom

@@@@@@

Hi Tom,

As I well remember you as " the cool guy from Wisconsin " and WI is so

close to two areas I associate with kvass in my mind, Canada and

Chicago, due to concentrated Eastern European populations (but I'm not

really sure about that), I have to ask you whether kvass is something

you see around in stores a lot in your area? I've never gone

kvass-hunting around here, but I have a local Amish farmer friend who

produces and distributes a variety of NT-friendly foods, and he gets

" authentic kvass " in 2 liter plastic bottles from All Stars Bakery in

Ontario, Canada. I've tried some in small samples, and it's pleasant

enough, but I'm something of a teetotaller, so I've never swug enough

to get intimate with the flavor. I've never tried beer before, so

would you say the flavor is similar? I was thinking about trying to

share some of that kvass with friends for their fun and possible entry

to consumption of a healthy food. I'm wondering if it would go over

well with gourmet beer types? It's quite inexpensive. This local

guy sells the 2 liter bottles for $3 I think.

I've made beet kvass a few times following the NT recipe, using whey,

but only a fraction of the salt recommended because I'm in the " NT is

too salty " school of thought despite using Celtic Sea Salt for

everything. It seemed to be a very easy ferment to succeed with, and

it was a pleasant flavor, but not something to get excited about. I

did get the white mold on the top one time though. I remember folks

on one of the lists reporting success making beet kvass with no whey

and no salt, just chopping up the beets and putting them in the water.

I guess that takes a little finesse just like salt-free sauerkraut.

I always kick myself for not making beet kvass more often when beets

are in season, because it's so darn easy!

Has anyone ever tried putting other stuff in beet kvass to make the

flavor more appealing? Maybe spices like cinnamon? That could be an

area for fun experimentation.

Mike

SE Pennsylvania

The best way to predict the future is to invent it. --Alan Kay

[Guest guest]

> I too would like to hear about kvass techniques. Kvass is one of my

> all-time favorite fermented food!

>

Me three, : -)

I have some beets I grew some beets this year, I have never tasted beet kvass

though.

I have heard that it tastes mostly like beets.

Bruce

[Guest guest]

Anton wrote:

> Hi Tom,

> As I well remember you as " the cool guy from Wisconsin " and WI is so

> close to two areas I associate with kvass in my mind, Canada and

> Chicago, due to concentrated Eastern European populations (but I'm not

> really sure about that), I have to ask you whether kvass is something

> you see around in stores a lot in your area? I've never gone

> kvass-hunting around here, but I have a local Amish farmer friend who

> produces and distributes a variety of NT-friendly foods, and he gets

> " authentic kvass " in 2 liter plastic bottles from All Stars Bakery in

> Ontario, Canada. I've tried some in small samples, and it's pleasant

> enough, but I'm something of a teetotaller, so I've never swug enough

> to get intimate with the flavor. I've never tried beer before, so

> would you say the flavor is similar? I was thinking about trying to

> share some of that kvass with friends for their fun and possible entry

> to consumption of a healthy food. I'm wondering if it would go over

> well with gourmet beer types? It's quite inexpensive. This local

> guy sells the 2 liter bottles for $3 I think.

Nope, you can't buy kvass in stores here. Wisconsin is mostly German, Irish,

Norwegian, and Polish in ancestry but there aren't a lot of Polish-Americans

around here. The only place I've seen it is at my farmer's

health-food-store-in-a-barn and it's the same All Stars stuff. So that's the

extent of my gastronimic encounters of the kvass kind.

Kvass! What a cool word! I presume that All Stars Bakery's kvass is fairly

authentic because of all the Cyrillic on the label. I LOVE the taste, which I

would describe as midway between a good pilsner and Coca-Cola®, and the

sweetness is also midway between the two. A little too sweet for me, but that

could easily be changed if one made the kvass oneself. I love the floating puffy

raisins and the gentle fizz. All Stars's is prohibitively expensive at $4 (my

farmers have to drive a long way to get it) per 2L except as an occasional

treat. So it is for cost reduction and taste customization reasons that I want

to make my own kvass.

Regarding alcohol, I was not aware that kvass was alcoholic. OK, I knew it

probably had a little, but compared to beer it's nothing (and I consider beer to

be barely alcoholic). Maybe All Stars's is 1% or so. Hardly a concern even for a

teetotaler. May I ask why you are a teetotaler, out of curiosity?

> I've made beet kvass a few times following the NT recipe, using whey,

> but only a fraction of the salt recommended because I'm in the " NT is

> too salty " school of thought despite using Celtic Sea Salt for

> everything. It seemed to be a very easy ferment to succeed with, and

> it was a pleasant flavor, but not something to get excited about.

NT is too salty for your taste or for your dietary beliefs? I'm a salt fiend,

loading up many of my dishes with unrefined sea salt.

Tom

[Guest guest]

@@@ Tom:

> Kvass! What a cool word! I presume that All Stars Bakery's kvass is fairly

> authentic because of all the Cyrillic on the label.

@@@

That's unassailable logic and the same I used! :-)

Yeah, awfully cool word, but I imagine the Russians don't use a schwa like us!

> I LOVE the taste, which

> I would describe as midway between a good pilsner and Coca-Cola®, and the

> sweetness is also midway between the two. A little too sweet for me, but

> that could easily be changed if one made the kvass oneself. I love the

> floating puffy raisins and the gentle fizz. All Stars's is prohibitively

> expensive at $4 (my farmers have to drive a long way to get it) per 2L

> except as an occasional treat. So it is for cost reduction and taste

> customization reasons that I want to make my own kvass.

When I have been around people who drink socially at bars and things,

I am shocked at how much people freely spend on alcohol, so that's why

the kvass seemed dirt cheap to me.

@@@

> Regarding alcohol, I was not aware that kvass was alcoholic. OK, I knew it

> probably had a little, but compared to beer it's nothing (and I consider

> beer to be barely alcoholic). Maybe All Stars's is 1% or so. Hardly a

> concern even for a teetotaler. May I ask why you are a teetotaler, out of

> curiosity?

@@@

You know, I think you're right. Most casual internet references say

less than 2% for kvass, and I know I've probably made kefir that's got

up to 1% or so from extended secondary fermentation. My mental image

was inaccurate, because kvass smells like beer to me and it's made

from grains and yeast. Numbers aside, for all practical purposes it

seems to be widely considered a " non-alcoholic " beverage.

I don't have any particularly compelling reason to be a teetotaller,

just an assortment of fairly insignificant reasons, and I'd cite a

general disinclination towards recreational drugs in general if there

was a dominant reason, although I do use tea and coffee in moderation,

the latter primarily in rare cases of sleep-deprived driving and

deadline scrambles. I don't think twice about the low levels of

alcohol in my kefir or other foods; I'm not a purist or extremist. I

just wish more people would enjoy traditional artisanal alcoholic

drinks with more nutritional value, like palm wine, pulque, etc with

their important contribution of B-vitamins, and perhaps more nuanced

flavors, instead of junk alcohol. That way it can be more integrated

into a balanced social fabric, instead of our McAlcohol binge culture.

Of course, it would be nice if more people ate ogi instead of

supermarket cereal, and sourdough bread instead of bagels, and so on,

so it's not a unique case...

@@@ Mike/Tom:

> > I've made beet kvass a few times following the NT recipe, using whey,

> > but only a fraction of the salt recommended because I'm in the " NT is

> > too salty " school of thought despite using Celtic Sea Salt for

> > everything. It seemed to be a very easy ferment to succeed with, and

> > it was a pleasant flavor, but not something to get excited about.

>

> NT is too salty for your taste or for your dietary beliefs? I'm a salt

> fiend, loading up many of my dishes with unrefined sea salt.

@@@

That's a great question! I guess the answer is dietary beliefs,

though possibly both, but I've never tried the full-out versions to

actually know my taste! I find the typical salted Middle Eastern

yogurt drinks too salty for my taste, but I generally like salty food

as much as the next guy. Sometimes when I snack on dried anchovies it

gets to be a bit much after a small handful. My diet generally

contains zero refined salt and I tend to use Celtic Sea Salt in my

kimchi and sometimes kraut and sparingly or not at all elsewhere.

When I serve guests I tend to add a " dash " of Celtic SS to stacks my

odds of garnering gastronomic gratitude. I do however use fairly

copious amounts of sea veggies like kelp, which are high in sodium

(and presumably in an excellent form), in my daily foods, primarily

stocks/infusions. I just feel that the NT attitude towards salt is a

little too reckless for me, and I've never seen any convincing

arguments for either side. I don't really buy into the " if it's

unrefined sea salt, then you can't overdo it " viewpoint. I mean, you

can overdo potassium if you eat too many veggies! My understanding

is that the essential issue is mineral ratios, not absolute

quantities, and I have little confidence in the overall mineral

balance of most current dietary options, because our soils have been

abused under the NPK paradigm. Salt is certainly one of the topics I

hope we can probe on this group as opportunities arise, because it

factors into so many decisions about fermented foods (the old " to miso

or not to miso " , etc).

Mike

SE Pennsylvania

The best way to predict the future is to invent it. --Alan Kay

[Guest guest]

@@@ Tom:

> So it is for cost reduction and taste

> > customization reasons that I want to make my own kvass.

@@@

Tom,

In my last message I should've mentioned this wonderful link (which is

also in the " links " section of this group, accessible from the

homepage) that I'm guessing will prove useful to you as you experiment

with your kvass-making. Downright charming content.

http://www.florilegium.org/files/BEVERAGES/kvass-msg.html

Allow me to use this email to squeeze in a " thank you " to everyone

who responded to my announcement of the group today. Over 100 people

have joined since I made the announcement less than 24 hours ago! I

have a feeling this will be a tremendously focused learning experience

for all of us, synthesizing our individual experiences and interests

in various aspects of fermentation. I plan to work on compiling

FAQs, summary posts, and other useful documents for the " files "

section as we go along and cover various topics, to help compensate

for the limitations of the archive interface. I would also

encourage folks to look into using an email program that organizes

messages into threads based on the subject line instead of a big list

of individual messages. It makes it a thousand times easier to stay

organized and not feel overwhelmed. The difference has been dramatic

in my experience.

Mike

SE Pennsylvania

The best way to predict the future is to invent it. --Alan Kay

[Guest guest]

>

>In my last message I should've mentioned this wonderful link (which is

>also in the " links " section of this group, accessible from the

>homepage) that I'm guessing will prove useful to you as you experiment

>with your kvass-making. Downright charming content.

>http://www.florilegium.org/files/BEVERAGES/kvass-msg.html

-------------------------------------------------

Along the lines of the kvass/bread/malt discussion in said link,

the same argument has been made about Egyptian beer ... it

was made from bread like kvass but was also said to be

pretty strong.

http://www.thekeep.org/~kunoichi/kunoichi/themestream/egypt_alcohol.html

Broadly speaking, the established view of ancient Egyptian brewing, drawn from

tomb scenes, is as follows. Beer loaves were made from a richly yeasted dough.

Malt may or may not have been used. This dough was lightly baked and the

resulting bread was crumbled and strained through a sieve with water.

Ingredients like dates or extra yeast might have been added. The dissolved

mixture was fermented in large vats and then the liquid was decanted into jars

which were sealed for storage or transport.

http://www.thekeep.org/~kunoichi/kunoichi/themestream/egypt_beer_japan.txt

According to Kirin researchers, it has long been the accepted theory that the

Egyptians produced beer by baking bread from barley, breaking it into pieces,

adding water and allowing the mix to ferment naturally with the aid of yeast in

the air. However, Kirin said that its researchers have come up with a theory

that the bread was only partially baked, and that the Egyptians added yeast,

possibly from such plants as date palms. With the aid of Yoshimura and his team

of Egyptologists, an attempt will be made to prove this notion, company

officials said. An oven-maker has been invited from Egypt to build a kiln to

bake bread specifically for the project. The oven was unveiled to the media

Tuesday at Kirin's plant in Yokohama. The brewery and researchers plan to start

baking bread later this month and produce Old Kingdom Beer at its plant in the

town of Takanezawa, Tochigi Prefecture, by September, the company said. Kirin

said it has not decided whether it will market the beer, but added that it would

next attempt to brew beer representative of the Middle and New kingdoms of

Egypt, which made the beverage differently.

I've been experimenting with making beer using molasses and kefir

grains and homegrown hops ... not at all Russian or Egyptian, but

it tastes good!

Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

" " I would also

encourage folks to look into using an email program that organizes

messages into threads based on the subject line instead of a big list

of individual messages. It makes it a thousand times easier to stay

organized and not feel overwhelmed. " "

Any suggestions on a good program....I am STUPID when it comes to these

computer thingy's.....I am getting quite a large " pile " of messages from the

various groups I'm on! TIA!

--

Steve

[Guest guest]

I highly recommend Mozilla Thunderbird. Easy, free, and you're

supporting open-source software by using it (as opposed to Micro$oft).

http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/

It does everything Outlook does, I think, and better.

Tom

> " " I would also

> encourage folks to look into using an email program that organizes

> messages into threads based on the subject line instead of a big list

> of individual messages. It makes it a thousand times easier to stay

> organized and not feel overwhelmed. " "

>

>

> Any suggestions on a good program....I am STUPID when it comes

to these

> computer thingy's.....I am getting quite a large " pile " of messages

from the

> various groups I'm on! TIA!

>

> --

> Steve

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi! I make NT's beet kvass with about 1/4 or less of the salt she recommends

with great

success! I am in the process of learning the grain kvass--will share more as I

gain

confidence.....

> >

> > Hello everyone,

> >

> > I'm the Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader for Vancouver, B.C.

> > Canada, and I'm so happy that this group was created!

> >

> > I haven't made kvass or beet kvass yet. I would like to have input

> > from experienced fermenters about recipes, etc.

> >

> >

>

> I too would like to hear about kvass techniques. Kvass is one of my

> all-time favorite fermented food!

>

> A big thank-you to Mike for setting up this group. It holds great promise!

>

> Tom

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Would you share your recipe for beet kvass?

Thanks, Jerome

moonbeamedin74 <jessterx@...> wrote:

Hi! I make NT's beet kvass with about 1/4 or less of the salt she recommends

with great

success! I am in the process of learning the grain kvass--will share more as I

gain

confidence.....

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