“Vinegar is the essence of fermentation. Even if a variety of microbes were involved in a fermentation process, they eventually reunite again in vinegar at the end of the process. Then every drop of the vinegar goes on another biological journey. Vinegar passes through billions of our cells and during the trip it cures disturbing conditions in our bodies. It shares thrombolytic enzyme for thicker blood, and also gets rid of heavy metal and free oxygen radicals.”
Kim Soon-yang, the CEO of her own fermentation academy, said she has endless love for vinegar. Among more than 100 types of natural vinegar she has created, we were lucky to receive some of her recipes.
For Women’s Beauty: ‘Rose’ Vinegar
Rose contains nutrients such as estrogen, vitamin C, and vitamin A, which are all beneficial for women’s health, skin whitening, moisturizing, and wrinkle prevention. Its deep scent and color also have a role of calming depressive moods.
To make rose vinegar, first, prepare 200 g of individual rose petals. Soak them in lightly dissolved vinegar water for a few seconds, rinse them and get them out of the water. Next, prepare 2 L of wort mixed with 400 g of honey and 20 g of yeast powder, and mix it with the petals. Pour them in a glass container, and seal the container with Hanji, Korean traditional paper made with mulberry trees. Put the lid on the top and Place the container somewhere with the temperature of around 75 degrees Fahrenheit, and leave it for about 20 days. When the contents turn into a deep rose color and create a scent, take the petals out of the liquid.
Finally, move the container to a warmer place and let it proceed to its fermentation process for 40 to 50 days, and it will finish as rose vinegar. If you put it in a cup of warm honey tea and drink it, you can experience a calming effect and it can help concentration. For the skin, pour a half cup of rose vinegar into the bathtub and take a bath in it, you can have a scrubbing effect and maintain silky skin.
For Fatigued Office Workers: ‘Pine Needle’ Vinegar
The cool scent and green color of pines have great effects including fatigue recovery, nicotine removal, toxin elimination, and anti-aging. Put 1 kg of pine needles into lightly dissolved vinegar water of about 176 degrees, and rinse them with hands, then cut them into 2 cm. Boil 3 kg of brown rice powder in 9 L of mineral water, and make porridge. After cooling off the porridge, mix it with the pine needles and 700 g of yeast powder, and then put them into a pot for fermentation. After 60 days, separate the solid ingredients from the juice, and leave it for another 50 days. For pine needle vinegar, it is important to seal in an air-tight container without any precipitate.
For Anti-aging: ‘Black Rice’ Vinegar
Black rice contains many nutrients that are beneficial for anti-aging. It is especially good for the middle-aged, as it can help improve liver function, cure menopausal symptoms, and boost hair recovery and eyesight protection.
To make black rice vinegar, prepare 2 kg of black rice after soaking it in 10 L of mineral water for more than 12 hours, and rinse it until dark water comes out. With some of the extraction, you can cook rice, and leave the rest. Cool off the cooked black rice and mix it with 300 g of yeast powder. Spread it on a wicker tray, and cover with a cotton cloth, and culture it at 80 degrees. Put the cultured rice into a pot, pour the rest of the extraction into, and proceed to its first fermentation process at 80 degrees for 60 days. After the first process is done, separate the precipitate from its juice, and proceed to the second fermentation process for another 60 days. The longer the vinegar is kept afterwards, the better its quality. However, you have to make sure that once vinegar is created, it is crucial to seal it tightly to prevent any approach of bacteria.
Original document available at http://www.koreadaily.com/news/read.asp?art_id=4362477
Translated by Audrey Joung
