On a busy homestead, it's easy for the compost bin to fill up quickly during the peak of the harvest season. But I'm always looking for ways to use every part of the plant, and one of my favorite "no-waste" discoveries is using beet tops.

Instead of composting those beautiful, nutritious beet greens, I decided to try fermenting them into a vibrant, crunchy kimchi. The experiment was a huge success! The result is a beautifully colored ferment packed with flavor from garlic and ginger. It's a fantastic way to turn something you might have thrown away into a delicious, probiotic-rich side dish.

This recipe is a simple, non-traditional take on kimchi, focusing on the core ingredients to let the unique flavor of the beet greens shine through.

A large glass jar filled with vibrant, red beet green kimchi, fermenting on a kitchen counter.

 

Beet Green Kimchi (A Simple No-Waste Recipe)

Prep time: 20 minutes
Fermenting time: 3-7 days
Yields: 1 quart jar

Ingredients

  • 1 large bunch of beet greens and tender stems (from about 6-8 beets), thoroughly washed
  • 2-3 tablespoons kosher salt or sea salt
  • 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced or grated
  • Optional: 1-2 tablespoons Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) for heat
  • Optional: 1 sliced scallion or a handful of chives

Instructions

  1. Wash and Chop: Thoroughly wash the beet greens and stems to remove all dirt and grit. Roughly chop them into 1-2 inch pieces.
  2. Salt the Greens: In a large bowl, toss the chopped beet greens and stems with the kosher salt. Gently massage the salt into the greens for a few minutes until they begin to wilt and release their liquid. Let them sit for about 20-30 minutes.
  3. Create the Paste: While the greens are wilting, mix your minced garlic and ginger in a small bowl. If you're using Gochugaru for spice, mix it in here as well.
  4. Combine Everything: Do not rinse the greens. The liquid they released is your brine. Add the garlic-ginger paste (and optional scallions) to the bowl with the wilted greens and mix everything together thoroughly with your hands.
  5. Pack the Jar: Tightly pack the kimchi mixture into a clean quart-sized jar, pressing down firmly to ensure the greens are submerged in their own brine. Leave at least an inch of headspace at the top.
  6. Ferment: Place a lid on the jar loosely (do not tighten it all the way) or use an airlock lid. Set the jar on a plate or in a shallow bowl to catch any potential overflow. Let it ferment at room temperature, away from direct sunlight, for 3 to 7 days.
  7. Taste and Store: Start tasting it after day 3. Once it reaches a tanginess you enjoy, tighten the lid and move it to the refrigerator to slow the fermentation. It will keep in the fridge for several months.

Recipe Notes

  • Burp the Jar: If you aren't using an airlock, you will need to "burp" the jar once a day by briefly unscrewing the lid to release the built-up fermentation gasses.
  • Keep it Submerged: It's important that the greens stay below the level of the brine to prevent mold. You can use a fermentation weight or a small, clean rock to help keep everything submerged if needed.