I don’t know who needs to hear this right now, but here goes.

Life is upside down. Kids, work, family, health, finances–everything.

Even as life-long homeschoolers, with kids who have never known a school routine in their 17 and 13 years, our usual schedule has been shredded.

Even as a family who rocked work-at-home for almost a decade, we’re a hot mess with work-life balance. Even as a family that is used to “doing it all” in many regards, it feels like we’re hardly getting anything done.

In the past two weeks (since our family began to shelter-at-home), we have yet to have a normal homeschooling day. Not one day of “table time” or math, Spanish or typing, history or the rest. No rhythm; no normalcy.

Let me say that again: We have yet to find our rhythm, and school at home is what we have always done.

Since we brought our work home, it has seeped into every aspect of our family and life, caused tension and hours of time lost before our screens, and yet it feels somehow like we’ve gotten nothing done.

Let me say that again: as experienced home-business owners, we’re falling behind.

But instead of taking ourselves to task for sucking at this new normal we’ve all tumbled headlong into, we’re baking cookies. We’re cooking down maple sap. We’re playing board games. We’re making art and walking in the woods. We’re getting by, just as best as we can.

It’s messy, it’s not ideal, but it’s us.

This is an imperfect time. So what if instead of trying to get it all done, we reach instead for leaning in with as much grace, forgiveness, and compassion as we can possibly muster? What if we make space for our and our children’s and our partner’s messy, difficult emotions, and simply take this moment to hold one another while we weep, or rage, or tremble?

What if instead of striving for perfection, we simply reach for love?

What if simply being together, validating one another’s fears, and reaching for grace is enough?

Need a happy, healthy, nourishing diversion from day-to-day pandemic woes? Don’t we all.

How about something beautiful, delicious, and probiotic? Something liver-loving, detoxifying, gut-flora feeding, and full of life? That sounds like what most of us could use at the moment.

Well, at long last, my beet kvass tutorial is here. And just in time for this global pandemic! So grab some beets if you’ve got ’em, and let’s do this. Our gut-flora are counting on is.

Homemade Beet Kvass

A past Herbal Retreat participant got me hooked on beet kvass. Originally from Poland, she grew up drinking kvass, and her own kids are now doing the same. She credited kvass with some serious health benefits, and being a fan of both nutrient-dense and detoxifying beets and probiotic foods, I could believe it.

While our family has long made a habit of eating probiotic foods each day, adding beet kvass to our routine was a welcome change from kraut, kimchi, and ginger carrots.

And since I would wager that all of us could use some probiotic love these days (now more than ever, as healthy gut flora has systemic health benefits that we could all utilize at the moment, for both mind and body), I thought it was time to dust off this blog post that I meant to share back in November and bring it to you now.

This recipe is so quick and easy to throw together, it literally takes under 5 minutes to assemble. It does the rest on its own and requires very little babysitting. And right now, that’s my kind of kitchen project.

Are you ready to make some kvass? Then grab beets, salt, and a mason jar and let’s do this.

Because this is pandemic preparedness at it’s most vibrant.

Homemade Beet Kvass

Ingredients

• 2 medium, organic beets
• 2 tsp non-iodized sea salt
• 1 quart filtered water, spring water, or well water

Instructions

• Gently wash your beets, but do not scrub or peel (the probiotics live in the peels, so we want to preserve those for the fermentation).
• Cut off the leaves (if attached) and the top (the coarse end of the beet, where the leaves attached), and compost or discard.
• Cut beets into approximately 1″ cubes.
• Place the beet cubes into a clean quart-sized mason jar.
• Add salt to the jar.
• Top with water to fill just beyond the shoulders, to the narrowest part of the jar.
• Tightly lid and shake gently to dissolve the salt.

• Place your jar on a plate or in a bowl on the kitchen counter (out of direct sunlight). Allow to ferment for 7-10 days, “burping” daily by unscrewing the lid to release any pressure. After a few days you’ll begin to see small bubbles rising to the surface, especially during burping.
• After day 5, open the jar fully, and remove any scum or mold that has formed. (If you’re freaking out, scroll to the bottom to talk mold with me.) The color will be rich, deep, red, and nearly opaque. Taste the kvass! When the flavor is strong enough for you (salty + sour + earthy + yum), it’s time to strain.
• After de-scumming the surface, pour your kvass through a colander. Transfer the liquid to a clean jar, and return the beets to your fermenting jar. Add a second round of salt and water, and repeat for a second batch from the same beets. (How thrifty we are!)
• Repeat the process above with your second round of brine, then compost the remaining beet chunks, or better yet, add them to a beet-friendly recipe, like soups, stews, or roasted veggies.
• Store finished kvass in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
• Drink your kvass by the shot glass daily, diluted with fizzy or regular water, or add to salad dressing.

You have questions. I have answers! A few notes are below…

Beet Kvass Q+A

Afraid of the mold or slime? We get it. Mold can be scary. But here’s a fun fact: due to the salt content of the brine, the mold can not grow in the liquid or in the submerged beets, so there is no risk of food poisoning if you added the suggested amount of salt.

Seriously. Just toss that funky stuff and drink the kvass. Everything is going to be fine.

Beet Brown kvass? I find that (on occasion) the second batch of kvass looses its vibrant color after sitting in the fridge for a couple of weeks. This is normal, and the flavor is still amazing, even if the color is brown crossed with meh.

Beet kvass will stain. Keep this in mind when handing a tumbler-full to your two-year-old.

Oh, poo. For some, beet kvass will cause loose bowels. (Again, consider yourself warned if giving copious amounts to a toddler.) Start slow, and consider a serving to be 1/4 cup or less until your body is accustom to it. We normally pour a shot glass full for everyone in the morning.

What if I hate beets? Then why are you making beet kvass, I ask? It tastes like beets crossed with live-fermented sauerkraut, so if you like both of those things, you’re golden. However, if you’re in the “beets-taste-like-dirt” camp, perhaps homemade ‘kraut is more your speed.

What’s happening in your kitchen these days, friends? Share your favorite links below! 

Good morning, loves. Can we take a moment and check-in? Are you weighed down with anxiety, worry, or fear? You are not alone.

How is your breathing? Quick, shallow, stressed? Close your eyes and draw a deep, breath through your nose, deep into your belly, then slowly release. Good. Do it again. And again.

How is your heart? Place both hands over your heart, palms toward your body, and breathe again, this time into your heart-space. You may feel emotions shift and rise. Let them flow. If you have any rose remedies (flower essence, tincture, tea) savor some now, with gratitude. If you don’t have any, picture an opening rosebud in your mind, and imagine its scent, its beauty, its medicine.

Are you feeling fearful; anxious; powerless? Place your hands over your belly and breathe into your power. Repeat, repeat, repeat. If you have tulsi (tea, tincture, elixir) enjoy some now to support a calm, eased mind. Picture a towering pine tree dancing in a wind, flexible but unbreaking, its roots woven deep into the Earth.

Good. You’re finding your center again… your own deep and stable roots.

What else can you do? So many things. Here are a few that came to mind…

Go off-line. The internet is a powerful source of information and connection, but also misinformation and fear. Press pause. You can catch up tomorrow.

Cultivate laughter, alone or with your loves.

Read aloud. Create something beautiful. Make a family collage on an old piece of plywood.

Sing. Dance. Laugh. Go outside. Look at the moon. Listen to the birds.

Power clean. Kitchens, bathrooms, basements await.

Knead bread dough with love and strength until you are breathless, in tears, or both.

Do something kind. If you have the means, buy a gift certificate from your favorite small, local shop, to throw them a lifeline during lean times. Take a hot Epsom bath. Smell something made with lavender. Massage your feet. Massage your love’s feet. Call someone you care about to offer support.

Make a pot of soup. Brew a pot of tea.

Make medicine. Make magic. Make love. Make peace.

Plant seeds.

And repeat the words in your mind, “This too shall pass.”

We’re all in this together.

Breathe.

Love,
Rachel