Root to Stem: Fermented Beet Greens
In this edition of "Root to Stem," I share a quick, simple, delicious and truly nutritious recipe that's good for you gut and good for the environment
I do everything I can to limit waste in my kitchen, both at home and at Abadir’s. And while I’m not quite a zero waste kitchen, I do believe I ‘m doing my absolute best, and that’s really what matters. It’s not about perfection.
One way I work to limit waste is by ensuring all parts of the vegetable gets used, and there are many ways you can go about doing that. If I can’t do one thing on the list, I focus on another. Life is busy. Sometimes time is limited or I’m just feeling exhausted and food scraps get tossed into the compost pile out back, which is just fine. It’s impossible to do everything all the time and composting those food scraps is OK! Your gardens will love it.
This year, I’ve become slightly obsessed with fermenting parts of the veggies that normally get tossed out, like beet greens, for instance. Normally I cook my beet greens, giving them a good braising on the stove. Braising is always the solution. Amiright?Classic cooked greens style, but sometimes I don’t want to eat a pot of greens. Feeling inspired by one of my favorite restaurants Apteka, an amazing vegan polish restaurant in Pittsburgh, who uses fermented beet greens in one of their sandwiches, I decided to give this process a go.
The recipe is simple. It uses the same process as making sauerkraut, which involves chopping up your veg to your liking and massaging it down with salt until it begins to sweat. You then stuff it into a jar with its liquid and let nature run its course.
The look and flavor
If done correctly, the greens will go from vibrant to kinda drab. But a beautiful, rich drab. Like a deep, dark green brown. And they’ll still hold a bit of crispness. After fermentation, the greens have an almost black tea like taste, which I love.
Let’s get to fermenting!
Here’s what you’ll need:
clean, sterile jar(s) (preferably one without a metal lid or rim as the salt will cause it to rust)
a large glass bowl
salt (I use fine Himalayan pink salt)
bunches of beet greens (I usually collect mine in the fridge until I have lots of stalks. It’s OK if they’re a little sad and limp.)
cumin seeds (optional. If using, try 1 Tbsp per bunch of beet greens, a bunch being roughly 10-15 stalks)
And now for the directions:
First things first. Make sure you jar(s), bowls, and working surface are nice and clean.
Give your greens a good washing and allow to dry a bit.
After drying, chop your stems and greens. I like a nice fine chop for my beet greens as the flavor is somewhat different, so little bites are preferred over big chunks of leaf. Just a personal opinion. Chop them however you like!
Place chopped stems and greens into your bowl. Add your salt. I don’t like overly salty things, so I don’t use much. Probably about 1-2 Tbsp. per bunch of greens.
Using clean hands, massage the salt into the greens. They’ll begin to sweat and the greens will begin lose their shape. Keep on rubbing that salt into the leaves and stems until you have plenty of liquid in the bowl. (About 5ish minutes? It doesn’t take very long.) Toss in the cumin seeds (if using).
Stuff the greens along with its liquid into your clean jar. Using a cloth or paper towel to wipe the lip (of the jar) and seal tightly with the lid.
Store in a cool dark place for 2 weeks. You’ll want to “burp” the jars every so often. Start doing that around day 4 as gas begins to buildup in the jar (yay for fermentation!).
To burp the jar: just release a little pressure by unsealing the lid a bit. No need to open the jar all the way. Just a slight release is all you’re looking for. I recommend doing it in a sink because beet green juice may or may not burst out of the lid! Just a heads up.
How to use fermented beet greens…
Now that you have a beautiful jar of delicious fermented greens, you may be wondering what to do with them. How do you even consume this extra special concoction? Here are some yummy and simple ideas:
Toss a few spoonfuls to a nice chopped salad
Use as a topping for your tacos! But not ground beef + season packet tacos. I’m thinking more along the lines of a spicy chicken taco or grilled/crispy fish tacos!
Add a layer to your sandwich: good bread, hummus, fresh crispy greens, some cucumber slices, fermented beet greens. Just a *suggested* combo. Test out your own!
Soba noodle bowls or vermicelli bowls with a spoonful of beet greens! Something bright, cool and crisp.
Eat it by the spoonful for a little nutritional boost for your gut!
