12 medium organic beets
seeds from 2 cardamom pods (optional)
4 Tablespoons whey
1 Tablespoon Celtic Sea Salt
filtered water

Prick beets in several places, place on a cookie sheet and bake at 300 degrees for about 3 hours (see note above for alternative cooking), or until soft. Peel and cut into a 1/4 inch julienne. Do not grate or cut the beets with a – this releases too much juice and the fermentation process will proceed too quickly, so that it favors formation of alcohol rather than lactic acid.
Place beets in a quart-sized, wide mouth mason jar and press down lightly with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over beets, adding more water if necessary to cover the beets. The top of the beets should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage.