Beetroot Lithuanian soup

Ingredients: 

4 to 5 medium beets, with leafy tops
4 to 6 radishes
3 to 4 small, thin-skinned Persian-type cucumbers, or an 8-inch piece of an English hothouse cucumber
6 to 8 scallions, whites and part of green tops
2 garlic cloves, or to taste
1 quart cultured buttermilk, at least 1.5 percent milkfat and made without salt or gums
1 cup sour cream, preferably Russian-type smetana
1/2 to 2/3 cup juice from sauerkraut or full-sour kosher-style dill pickles
2 to 3 teaspoons salt, or to taste
A large handful of fresh dill
2 to 3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped (optional) 

Instructions: 

Cut off the beet tops at least half an inch above the root and rinse thoroughly.Later scrub the beets well. Get a large saucepan of water to a boil and add 3 or 4 of the beets along with the greens. Reduce the heat and cook, covered, until the beets are tender when probed with a fork.It takes 25 to 40 minutesusually. Drain the beets and greens separately then let cool.

In the meantime, scrub the radishes and cucumbers and grate both on the coarse side of a box grater. Clean, trim and mince the scallions. Crush the garlic it to a paste using a mortar and pestle. Chop the drained beet greens fairly coarse. Peel the beets, and cut into fine slivers or dice.

Now combine the buttermilk, sour cream, 1/2 cup of the sauerkraut juice and 2 teaspoons of the salt in a bowl, whisking to a smooth consistency. Stir in all the vegetables. Grate the remaining raw beet on the fine side of a box grater and add the pulp and juice to the soup. Taste for seasoning and add more brine or salt if you wish. Refrigerate, covered, at least 6 hours or overnight. Serve cold, garnished with plenty of fresh dill and chopped hard-boiled eggs optionally.