I hate wasting things that can be used... so I was wondering if anyone saves the juice left over from boiling and pickling beets for anything? I know you can use it for a dye, but I don't have anything to dye at the moment. Are there any recipes that would take the beet juice?
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes." - Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world." - Charles Dudley Warner
Elizabeth, Kvass, which is a fermented beet juice drink is usually made from fresh beet juice. I don't know if the liquid from left from boiling beets has enough of the sugar found in the whole root or juice to work or what cooking the liquid will do for the culturing abilities, but here's a simple recipe. Peel and coarsely chop 3 large beets. Place in sterilized 2 quart container with boiled and cooled water to make 2 quarts. Stir in 1/4 cup whey from yogurt with active cultures or from making cheese with a culture and 1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt. You want salt without added iodine or anti caking ingredients. Seal container and let sit at room temperature for 2 days. Refrigerate then drink. Obviously, if it works with beet cooking liquid, you are only going to like this if you are already like fresh sauerkraut or like drinking kombucha. I suppose you could use the liquid for making hard boiled eggs and they would turn a pretty pink. You could make pink pickled hard boiled eggs by adding a little vinegar and sugar to the liquid and immersing hard boiled eggs in it for a couple days. Linda Linda
"There is no faith which has never yet been broken except that of a truly faithful dog." Konrad Lorenz
beet juice
Posted - Aug 01 2010 : 08:35:24 AM
