BREWING HERBAL VINEGAR

The human body is an exquisitely delicate system that can be thrown off killer with even the smallest amount of toxic and behavior altering chemical. Our bodies are all different, some more sensitive to additives than others. Though in the Philippines, Filipinos have fairly good dietary habits, eating more home cooking rather than frozen ready to eat food, progress is getting the other hand and more additive containing products are being widely consumed.

Try to see the difference when you eat foods with additives. Let your body do the talking. Don’t be surprised if you feel tired, disoriented, irritable, or deflated, amongst other telltale symptoms of additives. And don’t mistake it for stress over your work. Try taking such food in the weekend vacation and feel its toxic effects, if you must.

Then, after two weeks, try eating foods that have no preservatives or additives. Again, records how you feel after meals. See if you find yourself in a good mood, relaxed, at ease with yourself, and positively motivated in your work. Actually results could vary per individual – you should know within a few weeks whether these dietary changes are helping you. As a rule, children respond more quickly.

Talking about more helpful alternative, here are some recipes to get you off relying commercially prepared salad dressings and herbed vinegars, which are loaded with chemical additives. These will also help you if you want to keep a few pounds off.

Homemade Herbal Vinegar            Image: Herbal Gardens

Herbal vinegars are not just for salads, they add flavor to homemade dressings, soups, and steamed vegetables. Herbal vinegars are quite expensive, but you can make your own.

Start off with some red or white wine, apple cider, and rice or sherry vinegar as base. Rosemary leaves; basil, thyme, oregano, or bay leaf can be soaked singly or combined, using garlic and red wine vinegar to make an Italian brew. All these Italian herbs are available in the fresh produce section of the super mart. Rice vinegar and white wine vinegar are delightful with chives, tarragon, and mint. Cider vinegars blends all with strong herbs and spices like mustard seeds. Basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme and dill are among the herbs that complement any vinegar.

Some herbs lend colorless vinegars an attractive hue. Chive blossoms will turn white vinegar to pink, and purple basil transforms white wine into a beautiful magenta.

To make your own herbed vinegar, fill a clean jar with the fresh herbs of your choice and cover with vinegar completely. Close the jar with a non-metallic lid since vinegar corrodes metal.

Shake the jar and place it in a kitchen cabinet or in a dark, cool place. Shake the jar once daily. If, after the first day, the vinegar no longer covers the herbs, add more, cover, and return to the place you put it. Your herbal vinegar would be ready in two to six weeks depending upon the intensity of the herbs and your personal taste. Open the jar to check the vinegar’s flavor after two weeks. Let it steep longer for a stronger flavor.

When the vinegar suits your palate, drain the herbs trough cheese cloth, coffee filter, or a fine mesh. Discard the herbs after you give them an extra squeeze. Store your herb vinegar in a clean jar or bottle. You can add a fresh sprig of each of the herbs for vinegar decoration. Label your vinegar and store – it will keep for at least a year. You can also combine this herbed vinegar with some of the salad dressings below for an extra tang.

French dressing

¼ cup              herbed vinegar or white wine vinegar

½ tsp.              sugar

½ tsp.              dry mustard

1 clove             garlic, peeled and lightly pressed

                        Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

½ cup              extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients, except the oil, in a screw-topped jar or blender. Shake or blend until well mixed. Gradually add oil and mix. This makes ¾ cup of dressing.

Herbed Yogurt Dressing

1 cup               low fat yogurt

3 tbsp.             chopped parsley

1 tbsp.             chopped chives

1tbsp.              prepared mustard

                        Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix.