Fermenting Beetroot

I always used to hate beetroot as a kid as I'd only ever tried it 'pickled' in vinegar. But it's the only root vegetable that seems to like our soil and climate and I'm becoming a convert now I know how good it can taste. I was very pleased to discover this article from Permaculture Magazine - click here.

"Preserving your abundant crops allows a taste of summer throughout the winter. Annie Levy show how to ferment beetroot simply to create a miracle of aliveness, enzymes, and renewed and accessible vitamins".

I'm rubbish at growing beetroot
Every year I choose a plant I can't seem to grow well and try to learn how.
This season, it's beetroot and basil.
Maybe I'll get good enough to have enough to ferment!

Just a little protip: with extra sweet vegetable ferments (carrots and beets, but also ginger bugs), the natural wild process sometimes produces a bunch of dextran a week or two into the fermentation. Dextran is this thick viscous sugar compound that's reminiscent of mucous and really off-putting. Many people can't handle pulling food out of it and eating, just because of the snottiness. But take heart! It's pretty common for your microbes to just metabolize the dextran away if you give it another week or two. So, if you get snotty beets, don't freak out, just leave it alone and try later.