Slow Cooker Borscht

I love borscht in Ukraine. Had it homemade as well as in restaurants, cafeterias, etc many times over the years. I was planning on going back when Russia invaded, and so decided to make it myself.Truth is that this recipe isn't authentic to Ukraine, as in Ukraine the meat used primarily is salo, which you can only get from Russian sellers across the country. Luckily it's heavily preserved with salt, so if you feel like ordering it on the web, it should be good when it arrives. I've not done that yet.Also, you need to know if you've not had this before that the sour cream is what makes Borsht awesome. I use a "healthy/large" big spoonful. You should too.The first time I made this, I followed the instructions precisely. It was good, and reminded me of Ukraine. But as with anything, each person makes borsht a bit differently, so a recipe like this is a starting point to experiment and find your own version.A couple cooking tricks I use to speed this along:1. Get the "60 Second Salad Maker" and use it as an efficient cutting tool for rapidly chopping and slicing everything up.2. You can rapidly peel garlic by putting it in between two metal surfaces and shaking vigorously for about 20 seconds, pull all the newly loose stuff off, and repeating until you're down to a tiny number of pieces to peel and mince yourself.Also, a specific tip for this recipe:Don't bother with the part where you make some in a separate dish and then pour it on. I tried that and tried without it, and it makes no difference.My personal changes that seem to be working well:Red cabbage in heavy amounts (which is what I always saw in Ukraine). Or at least, that's what I remember. Either way it's healthier.Red onions instead of white onions, as they are healthier.Sausage instead of that shredded meat, to save money. Since sausage is far more common than shredded meat in my experience in Ukraine, it seemed far more authentic this way along with being cheaper.Latest batch has sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes. Haven't decided if it's better or worse yet, but it is healthier.I tried it with a bunch of peppers, and so far I've not been able to notice any impact, and I thought I put in a lot. I decided to not do it again, as it seemed a waste.Enjoy!

I cut my vegetables chunky and made it like a stew, it was delicious!

Chopped large carrots instead of baby ones.