HERBAL INFUSED VINEGARS starring pepper sauce on greens!

Vinegar is a health tonic with multiple medical uses.

For centuries, healers and households relied on vinegars to both preserve foods and supplement diet and medicines.  Vinegar is a household staple as a health tonic with multiple medical uses. It is used as a treatment for allergies, flu, sore throat, acid reflux, gout, and other ailments. Some of the more common uses include:

Antiseptic

Vinegar is an antiseptic that is used to treat a variety of infectious and noninfectious conditions including the treatment of boils, acne, and minor cuts, scrapes and burns. Since it is antibacterial and antifungal, taking apple cider vinegar orally or applying it to your skin topically can help to stop the growth of a yeast infection or athlete’s foot. Raw vinegar has a probiotic effect and our skin has its own mircobiome. A second interesting research link here!

Supplements

Apple cider provides supplemental minerals including potassium, calcium, copper and iron. One of the benefits of taking apple cider vinegar, as an iron supplemental is that unlike cooked red meats, vinegar contains no cholesterol, sodium, or saturated fats.

Diabetes

Studies indicate that regular vinegar consumption may help control diabetes as well as decrease body mass and triglyceride levels. See links below.

diabetes control:

Small study with positive morning fasting levels after nighttime use of ACV

ACV Increases Insulin-Stimulated Glucose Uptake with Type 2 Diabetes

body fat and triglycerides:

Vinegar intake reduces body weight, body fat & triglycerides obese subjects

Arthritis

Apple cider vinegar may help in the treatment of arthritis, particularly gout. You can try mixing a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar with a teaspoon of honey and take three times a day and notice. This mix of apple cider vinegar and honey can break up the deposits of uric acid crystals that form between the joints and in muscles, which cause rheumatism. Taken over a long period of time, this mixture may also help to dissolve bone spurs. Most gout can be managed with reduction of foods that are high in purines like seafood, wild game, organ meats, red meat and foods that increase uric acid concentration like sugar, alcoholic beverages (particularly beer), fruit juices and fructose sweetened beverages.  The exception being the amazing tart cherry, which can actually lower serum uric acids and offer prevention from gout flares.

Indigestion/Heartburn

Vinegar is commonly used to treat indigestion and heartburn. Because the human body typically produce less hydrochloric acid as it ages, the symptoms of too little acid in the stomach can result in the symptoms which appear the same as too high of acid levels. As such, vinegar can aid digestion of food and relieve the painful symptoms of heartburn and indigestion.

Sore Throat

For the treatment of a sore throat, mix a tablespoon of vinegar with 8 ounces of warm water. Gargle this mixture every hour before being swallowed. Also, to break up mucus in the throat associated with cold and sore throat, swallow one tablespoon of equal parts vinegar and raw honey. This treatment is not for infants as their immune systems are developing and raw honey may (very rarely) contain bacterial spores that cause botulism.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) has become a popular natural remedy during the past few decades. Numerous online articles are to be found that praise ACV as a treatment for a wide range of health conditions including: acid reflux, allergies, strep throat, high blood pressure, common cold, diabetes, obesity, PMS and more.

Natural ACV is brownish in color and is murky with cob-web-like substances that is called the “mother”. The “mother” in ACV is a complex structure of beneficial acids that have great health benefits. The “mother” in organic, unfiltered ACV is rich in proteins, enzymes, antioxidants and beneficial bacteria. Filtered ACV lacks the “mother” and also lacks the health benefits of natural ACV with “mother”.

The most common vinegar on the market is heated through pasteurization. It appears clear and looks like water. It tastes like vinegar but has no health value as it does not contain the nutritional and health values of natural, apple cider vinegar. Pasteurized apple cider vinegar doesn’t have the same benefits as raw apple cider vinegar. Valuable vitamins, probiotics, and enzymes are destroyed by the heating process. Also be aware that many “apple cider vinegars” on the market, are nothing but distilled, white vinegar with added flavors and colors. It is not the same as natural, unfiltered ACV with the “mother”. The distilled, clear vinegar is excellent non-toxic cleaner for your kitchen and home, particularly fabulous for streak free windows and mirrors!

GREENS!

Did I mention that we Southerner’s love our greens? Well it’s the time of year to plant seeds for a fall crop. Fall gardens in the South are often preferred because we don’t have the daily struggle of weeds, bugs, and heat. Try a mix of green seeds including rape, kale, turnip, mustard, swiss chard and collards. Broadcasting with radish seeds deters the bugs! They all grow well through the fall and into the winter here in our temperate planting zone. With increased attention to health benefits of kale, it has become a more important cash crop and increasing levels of pesticides on its green leaves have, sadly, also increased.  It is one of the ‘dirty dozen’.  along with peppers. So it is best to grow your own or purchase organic kale and peppers whenever possible.  Also check out the ‘clean fifteen’ vegetables as ranked yearly by the Environmental Working Group.

This PDF: Garden to Table: Leafy Greens  from NDSU Extension Service offers delicious recipes, crop descriptions and images, crop, soil and pest information.  I highly recommend that you click and enjoy!! You will definitely be inspired and well informed to give seeding a fall crop a go.

Southern pepper sauce on greens is a tradition, and many people take pride in their pepper sauces and share with friends and family. This wise combination actually increases the bioavailabity of the nutrients in the greens. Harvest those peppers left in your summer garden, place them in a pretty bottle or jar, add hot vinegar, and infuse. Homemade kitchen goods make great holiday and just-for-the-heck-of-it gifts!

ACV in Traditional Chinese Medicine

From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, vinegar is both sour and bitter and works on the liver system to reduce accumulations of stagnant bile, fat, and toxicity. In contrast, lemon juice also helps the liver but it has a more cooling effect. The warming nature of vinegar helps with the all too common American diet of ‘cold’/yin beverages such as iced drinks, alcohol, and caffeine. ACV’s sour properties stimulate digestion and help to break-down and absorb nutrients including minerals and alkaloids that are often harder to digest. In TCM, vinegar helps to circulate and dry out the “damp” conditions in the body that present as symptoms of a feeling of heaviness, swelling or water retention, distended/bloated abdomen, excess mucus, nodular masses/acne, sluggish energy, inflammation, and weight gain. For nausea and depression, add 1 tsp raw honey (not for infants) into your lemon ACV water. In addition to ACV stimulating the digestive system, it has a draining effect that is similar to an expectorant. For these reasons, ACV is used to clear or cleanse and reduce cholesterol. ACV, infused with a variety of herbs or just on its own, is used as a general preventative.

In addition to being sour, vinegar is also bitter from an energetic perspective of the properties of vinegar, and not necessarily its actual flavor. According to Chinese medicine, rice vinegar is bitter, sour and warm. The Nei Jing states that when bitter and sour come together, the collective function is to drain. Taken as a whole, therefore, vinegar warms and drains, and this explains most of its functions in Chinese medicine and food therapy.

1. Vinegar stimulates the blood, dispels blood stasis, and stops pain. In addition to taking internally, vinegar applied externally can treat external forms of blood stasis. Used alone or formed into a paste with da huang powder, it can help with the early stages of boils. This same formula can be used as a salve for first-degree and second-degree burns. Plain vinegar wash helps to heal bruises and contusions due to external trauma. As a mouthwash, vinegar can relieve toothache pain. 
2. Vinegar supports the liver, regulates qi, and moves stagnation. Pre-cooking in vinegar enhances the qi-regulating and pain-reducing properties of herbs such as xiang fu, qing pi and xiao hui xiang. Combined with cooling herbs, the draining properties of vinegar can be used to treat headaches due to liver fire or ascending liver yang.
3. Vinegar detoxifies the body. Vinegar can be used as a topical wash to prevent insect bites, or as a treatment for insect bites. Boiled vinegar may even clear toxins from the air and prevent colds and flu.
4. Miscellaneous uses: Diluted in water, vinegar relieves the symptoms of a hangover from excessive alcohol consumption. Patients with blood stasis, qi stagnation or liver yang rising should take a little more vinegar in their diet. One sign that your liver qi may be stagnated is lack of appetite in the morning after waking. Consider drinking vinegar through a straw to reduce contact with tooth enamel because of the erosive nature of vinegar.
   

“Vinegar is warming. It creates a temporary warming circulation of energy (qi) in the body, and removes stagnant blood. It can quickly alter emotional stagnation as well, especially in children— bad moods will usually disappear a few moments after taking or eating something with high quality unpasteurized vinegar.”

– Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition

ACV in Ayruveda

In Ayurvedic practice, vinegars, and ACV in particular, is considered rajasic, which means that it contains loads of Pitta or Pitta-stimulating properties. Rajasic foods and medicines are beneficial in small doses to stimulate digestion and heat-up or fire-up the body’s systems. Rajasic foods stimulate the fire element, outward motion, creativity, aggression, and passion. Common rajasic foods include chili peppers and garlic. As a Pitta-increasing food or medicine, ACV helps get the digestive system moving and stimulates the liver and gallbladder, increasing the digestive system’s fire and ability to break-down foods.

SHRUBS

Drinking vinegar was popular during the 17th and 18th centuries, and it has experienced a come-back in recent years as shrubs. A shrub is a concentrated syrup that combines fruit, sweetner, and vinegar.  The vinegar preserves the fruit syrup and adds a tangy taste that, surprisingly, quenches the thirst. Shrubs are often topped with either cold water or club soda, ginger ale, or any clear soda. Combine 1 ounce of shrub with 5 to 6 ounces of water or soda over ice. In recent years, shrubs have become a popular cocktail and mocktail ingredient.

Try drinking vinegar by making your own shrub cocktail

Hot Method

Cold Method

In addition to increasingly locally grown herbs in their tea blends, Johnathan and Becca Gardner aka Tea Town Alabama offer seasonal shrubs for sale at their marketplace booths in various locations like Pepperplace in Birmingham.  They have recently relocated to Rainbow City from Tuscaloosa and you can keep up with their ongoing on Instagram and Facebook. Check out their website for connect and details.

INFUSED VINEGARS

With all of the known benefits of vinegars, it makes sense to increase its use in our daily lives. Infusing herbs and peppers with vinegar not only gives us the benefits of vinegar but also delights our taste buds with a variety of smells, tastes, and uses. It’s the end of summer and many of our gardens are full with an abundance of herbs and peppers. Infused vinegars are a wonderful way to not let our garden’s produce go to waste. Here in the South, we love our greens and a spicy, vinegar pepper sauce is a staple at many Southern tables. I’ve listed several tried and true vinegar infusion recipes. Note that vinegars are corrosive so be sure to use glass bottles with a cork, plastic or glass lids.

Method:

Heat method: heat vinegar in an enamel or glass pot until warm. Pour over chopped or crushed herbs/flowers filling container to top.  Tightly seal container and place in a sunny window for 2 weeks, gently shaking a couple of times each day. When vinegar has reached desired taste, filter through straining cloth. Pour vinegar into clean, sterile container and add fresh herbs and spices for ornament and taste.  Seal bottle.

Sun infused or diluted method: Vinegar does not have to be heated.  This is especially important for raw, fermented foods like apple cider vinegars.  A small amount of the vinegar can be heated to infuse herbs filling the remained of the bottle with raw vinegar. Place in windowsill as above.

Rose Petal Vinegar

2 c (tightly packed) fragrant organic red rose petals

1 ½ c white wine vinegar

Purple Basil Vinegar

1 c (loosely packed) chopped purple basil

1 ½ c white wine vinegar

Lavender Vinegar

3 T  lavender flowers

1 ½ c white wine vinegar

Most herbs can be used to prepare vinegar for salad dressings. White wine vinegar is more  mellow than cider vinegar.  Cider vinegar can be purchased fermented and raw. Try a combination of herbs; add a bulb of garlic and peppercorns.  Make small batches until you find your favorite.  Place finished product on a shelf away from sunlight.

Vinegar Based Dressing

Basil Salad Dressing
2-3 cloves garlic
2 T raw honey
2 cups fresh green basil leaves
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup purple basil vinegar
1 cup olive oil

Other oils and vinegars can be substituted for those listed.
Place all ingredients in a processor except the oil.  Blend until basil and garlic are finely chopped.  With processor running, slowly stream oil into mixture.  Chill a couple of hours, shake well before using.  This makes a great dip for fresh artisan bread.

Grow your Herbs for Infused Vinegar!

GROWING HERBS

Herbs should be grown in a sunny garden, well drained, with good soil.  It should not be necessary to add fertilizer.  Adding mulch (leaf, grass clippings) each season will inhibit weed growth.

Plants with a silver leaf need to be higher and drier (sage, thyme).

A spot for your herb garden should be chosen that is near your kitchen area.  Start with a few herbs that you will use and enjoy.

Annuals:  purple basil, basil, parsley (flat: flavor – curly: garnish), dill, and rose geranium

Perennials: chives (round, flat), sage, thyme, rosemary, lemon grass, lemon balm, lavender, mints, catnip, bay tree or red bay, rose geranium (can carry over and use as edible), marjoram, monarda bee balm

Make your own FIRE CIDER! 

Fire Cider is an Apple Cider Vinegar tonic infused with superfoods.

Also try a homemade oxymel for the upcoming cold and flu season.

Oxymel – from the Latin oxymeli meaning “acid and honey” has been made and used in many ways throughout the ages and it’s a recipe that can be adapted to suit your health and herbal needs. Traditionally, an Oxymel recipe is used to administer herbs that are not so pleasant to take on their own.  Additionally, some of the more pleasant herbs can become even more delightful after a bath in honey and vinegar! 

The Five Elements system is ancient and comprises a holistic way of approaching health and wellness that organizes all natural phenomena into five groups. The five groups, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water, each have an association with a season, a direction, climate, organs, emotion, taste, color, and sound among many, many, many other associations. Each element pushes and pulls the natural order of our bodies into states of excess or deficiency. This approach is to ensures that there is balance with no disharmony between the elemental factors. For this week’s blog, we are offer summer wellness tips by association to help you stay in healthy for the fire element season. Several tips and ideas are recycled from previous post for those just now joining our blog. Welcome!

Fire Element Organ

Imperial Fire ~ Heart (yin) and Small Intestine (yang): The fire element governs the heart and small intestine.

Ministerial Fire ~ Pericardium (yin) and San Jiao/Triple Warmer (yang): The fire element also governs the pericardium and triple warmer.

Fire Sensory Organ: The tongue is the sensory organ related to the heart and the tongue’s appearance reflects the condition of the heart and other organs. The tongue is a healthy red color when the fire element is in balance; whereas, the tongue will be pale if there is insufficient blood circulation in the heart. Cracks or lines down the center of the tongue also suggest a heart health issue. Engorged veins under the tongue represent stagnation. The coating reveals the body’s ability to regulate fluid and heat.

The tongue can be divided into zones representing the elements. The tip of the tongue is the fire element zone, which corresponds to the heart-small intestine network. Emotional issues of the heart, such as stress and anxiety, are indicated by a red color and red dots on the tip of the tongue.

TIP 1: Take care of your heart by reducing stress, increasing cardiovascular exercise and syncing with the luminous yellow dwarf star that illuminates our days. Start your morning off with yoga by practicing Sun Salutation. The Sun Salutation originated as a series of prostrations to the sun, honoring Surya as the source of energy and light for the world. Known in Sanskrit as surya namaskar. Traditionally, it is performed at dawn, facing the rising sun. See our previous post for instruction in Sun Salutation. Rise early ~ start your day with  a sunrise.  Take a break during the heat of the day.  Enjoy long evenings and watch a magical sunset and the glorious afterglow!

Incorporate play and exercise by hooping!

Incorporate play and exercise by hooping and dancing in circular movements. Not only is it aerobic for our hearts, it uses muscles otherwise neglected in our everyday workouts and it gives our small intestine and triple warmer a good workout. Our favorite local Birmingham hooping outfit is Hoop for Fitness. Hoop for Fitness brings hoop dance classes to the greater Birmingham area. I met Hoop for Fitness founder, Robbie Lewis, at a bluegrass music festival years ago, where she offered hoop lessons.  She helped me create my own personalized hoop (or four – hehe). We keep hoops around the office for quick breaks on beautiful days. Hoop for Fitness conducts hoop classes for exercise as well as hooping for birthday parties with games, hoop dance moves, and instruction. You can also find them hooping for fitness at St. Vincent’s One Nineteen every Tuesday and Thursday. See their website for class schedules and more information about parties (yes they travel to Tuscaloosa!), school programs, and create-a-hoop workshops. 

Don’t miss our Q&A with Robbie below! 

TIP 2: Treat your small intestines right by opting for green juice or a smoothie brought from home instead of the sugary donuts and cakes often found at work places, social events, and school class rooms. See last week’s post about no-recipe green smoothies. At the AOW, kiwis are just about ripe and almost ready for you to U Pick!  They are the perfect sweet tart for including in green smoothies. For summer travel, pack a travel cooler by bringing fruits and veggies from home and restocking on the road at grocery stores and fresh food/markets.

Kiwis are almost ripe at AOW!

 Fire Element Sound-Laughter releases endorphins into the blood stream bringing with it a rush of good feelings. A deep belly laugh is medicine and we can purposefully include laughter in our lives to promote good health.  Studies show that laughter and humor have a positive effect on anxiety, depression, and sleep so practice the fire element sound by vocalizing a deep~Haaaaw!

Our fur babies bring joy and laughter to life.

TIP 3: Watch a funny movie or cat video, go see a comedic play or stand up performance, tickle your loved ones, spend time with children and pets, which are endless sources of comedic relief. Pet lovers, you know what I’m talking about, right? Laughter is heart healthy! A recent study by Turkish medical professionals suggests that watching comedy movies has a positive effect on postoperative pain and anxiety in surgical oncology patients.

Know any good jokes?

Fire Element Emotion-Joy: In balance, the fire element manifests as joy, happiness, and love; while out of balance, it manifests as hatred, coldness and depression. Excessive fire element may display as over-excitement. Living a joyful, honest, life and expressing your emotions will keep your heart full and your body healthy.

Research shows that daily experiences of awe, curiosity, gratitude, joy, and love can put the average person on a trajectory of growth, success, and positive social connection, and can also prevent those who are suffering from following a downward spiral.

TIP 4: Go play! Get out there and enjoy life. Spend time outdoors. Do whatever suits your fancy and brings you joy. It may be spending time with family, hiking, camping, road tripping, gardening, singing, playing music, listening to music, dancing, cooking, swimming, skiing, picnicking, sailing, flying a kite, flying a plane, scuba diving, volunteering, reading to children…..get the picture? An active and playful lifestyle season brings joy. So go get to it!

Enjoy life! Dance like your heart depends on it.

Fire Element Color-Red: The color red nourishes the heart. A face turns a healthy reddish glow when the heart is exuberant and joyful, or a person with a heart imbalance may have a reddish/ruddy complexion.

TIP 5: In Chinese dietetics, we suggest that you eat a heart healthy diet of red foods such as tomatoes (not recommended for some people with intolerance to the nightshade family), cherries, beets, radishes, strawberries (not for those with histamine concerns), red beans, red lentils, red spices, and locally grown, grass fed beef (in condiment proportions).

Fire Element Flavor-Bitter: Bitter is the flavor of the fire element and goes directly to the heart. It is even used colloquially by saying someone is “bitter”, which is a fire element imbalance. Bitter flavors stimulate digestion and increase appetite and a cascade of digestive enzymes. Bitter teas, herbs, and tinctures aid in the digestive process by creating movement in a slow and sluggish digestion system. Studies also show bitter flavor helps in treating diabetes. 

Bitter foods and beverages to include in your diet this fire season: Bitter melon, citrus peel, green tea, hibiscus, lavender, turmeric, white pepper, bitter greens and lettuces.

TWO WORDS: EDIBLE FLOWERS!

Squash blooms

Fire expresses itself as life in full bloom. Blooming flowers surround us this time of year and they are a visual, aromatic, and culinary  expression of summer fire, joy, and growth. Edible flowers such as marigold, nasturtium, chamomile, rose, hibiscus and many other edible flowers have a bit of the bitter flavor to them. Other edible flowers to try at your summer table include squash blooms and the flowers from our favorite herbs such as calendula, mint, lavender, rosemary, and basil.

Sprinkle flower petals on a salad, add them to cocktails and mocktails, freeze them in ice cubes, embellish cakes with their beautiful blooms. I’m a Aries and adore decorating my birthday cake with spring flowers every year!! Keep flowers all year long by preserving them in vinegars, dressings and wines or liquors. Edible flowers add a touch of fabulous-ness to your summer parties and picnics! A bouquet of edible flowers is available in the South in every season! Roses are in bloom around this time or you may enjoy an encore bloom later in the summer. Roses are cherished for their strong floral scent and enchanting unfurling. Although their flavor is subtle and fruity, rose is considered a bitter flavor resonating the fire element. Roses complement most everything from salads to teas, water, deserts, spritzes for the body and ritual bathing. Of course, be sure any flower blooms used for food are grown chemical free.

Rose petals sprinkled on a carrot cake make a beautiful display.

To learn more about which seasonal blooms to cultivate around your home, check out University of Texas, Austin Lady Bird Johnson’s Wildflower Center.  You can filter by bloom color/time, state, sun/shade, moisture, height, etc  Warning:  this site is bliss.

Impress your guests by serving edible flowers frozen in ice cubes.

Q&A with Hoop for Fitness Founder and Hoop Dance Instructor Robbie Lewis. 

Hoop for Fitness Founder and Hoop Dance Instructor, Robbie Lewis.

Q: When and why did you start hooping?

A: I started hooping in 2000. I went to a musical festival in Atlanta where I saw a girl with a huge hoop, and I was just mesmerized. I thought I have to have one! So I tried to find one online with no success, but I found a site that gave instructions on how to make hoops. It was not until 2007 that I saw somebody hooping at the Acoustic Café music festival, and she taught me how to move the hoop from my waist to over my head. At that point, I started hoop dancing and began to make hoops.

Q: How did it come about that you are offering classes at St. Vincent’s One-Nineteen?

A:  I began offering hoop classes at St. Vincent’s One Nineteen in 2008. I work in the wellness department for St. Vincent’s Health System as a registered dietitian, and my supervisor suggested that I start a hoop dance class for exercise at St. Vincent’s One-Nineteen. In class, we laugh a lot and have fun learning different dance moves with our hoops. Hoop dance becomes a means of self-expression with the hoop being your dance partner.

Q: I know that you raised your girls hooping. What advice or wisdom can you offer about including hooping for young girls as self-expression during the sexual development stages of life?

A:  I love to teach hooping for young girls! By the age of about 7, girls are developmentally able to push the hoop on their waist and are able to learn hoop dance. Hooping is a wonderful way to boost self-esteem for developing girls, as they are able to be successful at body movement and incorporate music into exercise. It opens their minds to a non-traditional form of exercise that is fun and has the “cool factor.” To be successful at hooping, it is important for a young person to have the right hoop. A 50 lb. girl will need a different hoop than a 80 lb. girl. The same is true for adults.

Q: How far will you travel for parties and hoop making workshops?

A:  Hoop for Fitness offers birthday parties and school programs for hoop dance instruction and Create-A-Hoop workshops. Although we are based out of Birmingham, we will travel to Tuscaloosa! A typical party includes about 20 minutes of a hoop-making craft so that each girl (or boy!) can make their own hoops followed by hoop dance instruction for the remaining hour. It’s lots of fun and allows kids to exercise and enjoy dance movement collectively.

FYI: hula hoop is trademark speak so we call it hooping or hoop dancing!

Check out this video of Robbie hooping fire dance hooping! You too can catch a Community Fire Jam at Avondale Brewery in Birmingham Oct 21, Nov 21 and Dec 19.  Follow this FB link for more information!