Next week it is my birthday. I will be 45. And what is the ‘treat’ I’ve requested? I want to make Borscht – the Eastern European beet soup/stew – for the first time. I’ve been eyeing the recipe in the Russian cookbook from @darra.goldstein for months. . So here’s the beet kvass, that I need to let ferment for at least 5 days before I can use it as one of the ingredients. The spice mix you can see in the jars with the beets (garlic, caraway seeds, coriander seeds and cumin seeds) was inspired by my Polish friend. I’ve only every made beet kvass with just beets before – but apparently this is how they do it where she comes from and the thought got me excited. . We also need, among other things, a beef joint, a whole load more beet and a cabbage. I think it’ll take about 3 and a half hours. . My kitchen apron is purple. It was meant to be ;-)