beetroot smell of chlorine

[Annemieke]

When I ferment beetroot, whatever system I use, fermenting them raw or
cooked, they end up smelling unpleasantly like chlorine. I end up
throwing them out, and I don't do that easily at all!
I know beet contain chlorine, but I never notice this when I use them
normally, cooked or grated raw.
We have our own water supply and this does not have chlorine in.
Everyone else seems to happily make beet kvass, or whatever: what do I
do wrong?

[kurt]

Hey Annemieke - it would be easier for others to comment if you post
exactly what you do...

I've had good luck w/beets: shredded + salt (like kraut) and added
chilis. Nothing fancy or complicated...

Kurt

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[Cathy Smith]

Annemieke --

I don't have this problem with beets, but I have it when I try to ferment
carrots by themselves. I just threw out another batch of them yesterday so
I know exactly what you mean by that chlorine smell.

I wonder if the whey you're using isn't strong enough? Could you use more
and see what happens? Or I wonder if the inoculation brine you're using
(like if you're trying to get them started with sauerkraut or pickle juice)
isn't sufficient? Try more?

I'm experimenting, too. I don't have this problem when I ferment carrots
with other ingredients (like in kimchi), and I am learning that some
vegetables really really want to be fermented and others need some coaxing.

-cathy in Oregon

[Jay Bazuzi]

One thing to remember is that beets and carrots both have a lot of sugar in them. Sugary ferments are more likely to produce alcohol, while cabbage for example produces more acid. 

I've read that shredding makes more of the sugar available, so you might try a coarser shred or even slicing.

A chemist could probably comment more intelligently on this topic.

-J

[manumanu]

i Think fermetting only beet is difficult, i would recommend to
inoculate your beets with sourcrout juice as a starter. This will give
it a nice direction in wich to start to ferment.
I agree with Jay it's why i think it's more difficult to ferment by
itselff. The thing too is that you have less surface of contact
exposed of the carrot compared to cabage with all it's
leafs ,espacially if you peel any of these, so there is less natural
yeasts. it's why i recommend inoculating.
But if it's a success it's really good!!! And now is time to preserve
beets.

manu

[Annemieke]

Right. I have made:
Katz p. 44 SOUR BEETS, and Fallon p. 710 BEET KVASS. Also:
BEETROOT KWASS - 450g uncooked beet, sliced, 1 litre water, 1 crust of
rye bread. Put beet in a large bowl. Boil water, leave to cool. When
it's lukewarm [hand hot] pour over beetroot. Add crust of rye, cover
bowl, leave to ferment warm for 5-6 days. Skim foam off surface,
strain. Throw beet in compost.
BEETS – quartered and sliced. For each jar you need: 1 cup of water
with 1 tblsp salt and 4 tblsp whey, additional water. Prepare beets.
Mix, fill jars, press down well. Mix salt and water and whey, add
1-1/4 cups to each jar. Top off with water to cover. Put lids and
bands on, tighten. Leave for 3 days at 72 degrees.
BEET FERMENT - 500g beets, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp kefir. Grate beets medium
fine, cook. Allow to cool to room temperature. Add salt and kefir,
mix. Pack into jar. Fill bag with water, place on top. Set in warm
place for 48 hours.

Every recipe turned out to smell of chlorine, so I ditched them,
though the last one least, so I'm eating that ignoring the slight
whiff.
I've never fermented carrots as we don't grow enough. While beet come
out of our ears, every year.
And I've never mixed the beet with other stuff, as I'm afraid they'll
spoil the lot.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Are your beets organic? And ... this seems like a long shot and I have no idea where I am going with it it,but what kind of salt are you using?
Elizabeth

[Cathy Smith]

Those are my questions for Annemieke, too, Elizabeth.  Also:  are the beets supremely fresh, with fresh greens still intact?

 

FWIW, here is a link to the recipe that I use now:  http://growingcurious.typepad.com/growing_curious/2009/10/beet-kvass.html  And I have found it easy to substitute pickle juice for the whey in even amounts.

 

-cathy in Oregon

[Cathy Smith]

Also, Annemieke, I know Sally Fallon and others suggest cooking beets or
putting hot water on them, but I believe this harms the natural flora that's
already on the beet in the garden.

As you'll see in the recipe I posted in my previous message, I'm using raw
beets, and I never raise the temperature of anything. I clean the beets very
well under cold water and then chop them into chunks -- skin and all --
before making kvass or relish.

-cathy

[Annemieke]

Thanks for your many suggestions/questions! I'll try and answer them
all.
The beet are homegrown and organic, and I use the same seasalt that I
use for everything else. Currently they come from store, but I think
the first batches I did (and they smelled!) must have been more or
less fresh - I don't think the greens were still attached though.
Some of these recipes were not cooked, nor prepared with hot water.
Not all of them called for whey, so it can't be that.
Jay, one or two of the recipes had a very coarse shred as prescribed
by Sally.
Next year I'll try to combine them with other stuff, though not
carrots!
Love, Annemieke.

[Olivia Pendergast]

Last year I fermented Carrots/beets/ginger and they were amazing. They came out fizzy and tangy and the juice was syrupy adn wonderful. The second and third batch all came out smelling terible of chlorine. I gave up. I thought maybe it was the well water I was using...extremely clean. But who knows... Or the salt? SO now I live somewhere different and am on city water so I bought filtered water and changed the salt. (Washed jars in filtered water). It has been two and a half days and they smell terrible of chlorine. I cant find any other information other than this posting about this.

I grew my beets and carrots in an organic garden. picked them fresh. Grated them both large and small in different batches. The ginger is store bought... maybe that is it!

 Anyone else having this problem? Anyone figured it out?

 Thanks, Olivia

[Nichole Fausey-Khosraviani]

Maybe it's the grating.  When grated, because of the high sugar content, beets ferment quickly to alcohol.  Large pieces are better for fermenting, or at least uniform sized chunks.  I don't know the chlorine smell you've mentioned, but I do find beets more difficult to work with than every other kind of vegetable.  Beets are the only vegetable that when I wasn't to pickle them, I use organic vinegar.  For everything else, it's just salt... Sometimes a little whey.

Nichole

Denton, Tx

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