Ingredients
Enough beets and carrots to fill a 32 ounce jar (about 3 medium beets and 3 carrots)
2 teaspoons of whole cloves
1 teaspoon of whole mustard seed (yellow or brown)
2 cups brine (2 cups water, 4 teaspoons sea salt)
(You could also add some cinnamon stick. I'll try that on the next batch.)
1 cabbage leaf
Directions
1. Add the cloves and mustard seed to the jar.
2. Cut up the beets and carrots (about 1/8" to 1/4" thick). You can leave the skins on or peel them off. It's up to you. I left them on for this batch. I peeled the first batch I made.
3. Add the beets and carrots to the jar. Pack the jar tight to reduce empty space.
4. Add the brine all the way to the top. Try to agitate the jar to get all the air bubbles out.
5. Fold the cabbage leaf and stuff it into the top of the jar to keep all the beets and carrots under the surface of the brine.
6. Put the lid on the jar (not too tight). Put the jar in a casserole dish and put somewhere out of the way (like the top of your fridge). Give it about a week (though it could take as little as four days or as long as two weeks depending on the temperature in your home). Taste a beet or carrot every day to check for "doneness" (that's up to you - I like my ferments nice and sour).
7. When you're happy with your fermentation, toss the cabbage leaf in the compost and put the jar in the fridge.
Enjoy!
