“Hot July brings cooling showers, apricots and gillyflowers*.”
-Sara Coolidge (1802-1852)
*Gillyflowers are carnations or other flowers of the “Dianthus” family.
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! Today I will relate the true story about my ancestor Dr. Bodo Otto and the American Revolution. You will soon see the connection between Dr. Otto’s own “Vinegar Revolution” and his part in revolutionizing medical practice in the New World!
For added fun, I also give a recipe for EASY HOMEMADE FIRECRACKER HOT SAUCE with just three ingredients: vinegar, hot chili peppers, and sea salt. I first learned how to make this fiery condiment while living in Hawaii, our 50th state.
Most of you already know many recipes employing the fermented wonder food called VINEGAR: homemade vegan “buttermilk” for baking, pickled cucumbers or beets, salad dressings, barbecue sauce, etc., and may have heard of its healing qualities as well. Foods were first fermented in order to prolong their keeping qualities before the era of refrigeration. It was soon discovered, however, that some of these foods became more easily digested, and actually helped to digest other foods, while supplying added flavor to simple meals. It has since been discovered that, along with the increase in enzymes caused by the fermenting process, many of these foods contain antibacterial microbes and vitamin B12, making them invaluable to vegans.
In my own family, vinegar and other fermented foods such as sauerkraut have been used for centuries. One of my ancestors, Dr. Bodo Otto, who had been born in Hanover, Germany in 1711, migrated to the United States, along with his family, in 1755, setting up his medical practice in Philadelphia. He went on to become the first Chief Surgeon at the Yellow Springs Military Hospital (near Valley Forge, Pa.) during the Revolutionary War, under General Washington’s command. When Dr. Otto first came to Yellow Springs, he saw the despondency of the soldiers, who knew that, because of the reputation of that hospital, chances were slim they would go back home alive.
Dr. Otto soon turned the hospital upside down with his “revolutionary” approach to health and hygiene: the bed linens were to be changed after each patient, and if a person were to die in the bed, the ticking was to be burned. Hands were to be scrubbed before each surgery. When the spring came, Dr. Otto had a medicinal herbal garden planted for his apothecary needs. According to the biography by James E. Gibson, DR. BODO OTTO and the MEDICAL BACKGROUND OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION (1937, Coastal Printing) among his extensive hospital supply orders, he always included a hogshead of VINEGAR (a hogshead is a giant container holding anywhere from 63 to 140 gallons of liquid). Dr. Otto knew about the liberal use of vinegar for sanitizing equipment, deodorizing hospital rooms and neutralizing the smell of urine, all of which he had learned while apprenticing under a Master Surgeon at age 13 in his mother country.
It is interesting to see that in this New Millenium, some hospitals are returning to the use of vinegar to replace the OVER-use of antibacterial soaps, germicides and disinfectants used to rid institutions of the germs prevalent whenever there are so many people present in one area (The “bugs” which survived actually grew into “superbugs”, which are so much more difficult to kill.). Old fashioned vinegar does not cause this problem. By destroying germs safely and effectively, there is not the backlash from the mutating, surviving germs to deal with.
Within three years of taking over as Chief Surgeon, Dr. Otto saw a marked improvement in both patient and staff morale. The hospital became famous for its excellent quality, and soldiers were always relieved if they knew they were going there because of the hygiene and care demonstrated by his now enlightened staff.
Like my ancestor before me, I have relied upon different forms of vinegar to help with my needs and to use in cooking. Below are a few of my favorite tricks that really work.
WHITE VINEGAR is fine for the purpose of household cleaning and to neutralize and deodorize any unpleasant smells. Although I don’t recommend its use in recipes because it is sometimes made cheaply as a by-product, it is fine to use in everyday household chores.
A drop or two of vinegar added to dishwater along with dishwashing detergent (I like to use “Seventh Generation” natural brand) enhances the degreasing and antibacterial quality of the dishwashing liquid.
I had an elderly friend whose doctor had her soak her feet every evening in white vinegar and water to soothe the soreness and keep the foot fungus she was experiencing at bay. White vinegar has natural antifungal
qualities.
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR is wonderful to use for cosmetic purposes. Plain old supermarket cider vinegar is fine for these needs.
I have baby-fine, flyaway hair, and I often use cider vinegar as a final rinse, because it gives my hair body, making it more manageable and lending it a lovely sheen.
As a child, whenever I would suffer from severe sunburn after a day at the beach or out in my Dad’s boat, my dear and wise Granny Goose would bring out the cider vinegar to spread all over my burn. It almost immediately took away the sting and itching, and amazingly, within hours, the sunburn would change to tan!
When I am camping in primitive conditions (no shower available) I find that a small squirt bottle with a little water, apple cider vinegar and a drop or two of lavender oil (optional but nice) is perfect for “washing up” with. There is no need to rinse, as the vinegar smell soon dissipates, leaving me feeling fresh and clean again.
BRAGG RAW ORGANIC UNFILTERED APPLE CIDER VINEGAR is excellent to use in salad dressings and cooking. It looks cloudy because the mother culture is still in it and it is unpasteurized, which translates to it being a living fermented food, full of beneficial enzymes and minerals.
Below is an easy recipe for HOMEMADE FIRECRACKER HOT SAUCE that resembles Tabasco sauce in color and flavor. BRAGG’S APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, fresh red chili peppers and sea salt are its only ingredients. Summer is a great time to grow your own red chili peppers or pick them up at your local Farmer’s Market or fresh produce market. Place this EASY HOMEMADE HOT SAUCE in a pretty bottle, label it, tie a ribbon around it, include the recipe on a card, and you have a uniquely personal gift to give to anybody who enjoys a little zip to their food.
EASY HOMEMADE FIRECRACKER HOT SAUCE
INGREDIENTS:
1 ½ c. fresh red chili peppers*
2 T. Kosher or sea salt
Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar to cover
1 clean pint size jar with a lid
*Any red or green chili pepper works fine in this recipe. Try green Jalapeno peppers if you like a milder sauce. In the particular batch of hot sauce that you see pictured here, I used locally-grown (VERY hot!) “Ghost” red hot peppers. Assorted hot pepper plants that grow well in Florida are available right now in the local Farmer’s Markets.
DIRECTIONS:
1. After putting on disposable gloves**, wash and de-stem the peppers. Remove some of the seeds if you prefer a less searing sauce.
2. Place the peppers and salt in the jar and pour apple cider vinegar over them to the top of the jar, and then place the lid on it.
3. Refrigerate the peppers for 5 to 6 days, after checking to make sure the vinegar is completely covering them.
4. Remove the mixture from fridge and pour into a blender to blenderize it until smooth.
5. Strain well using fine mesh or cheesecloth.
6. Pour the sauce into a pretty bottle, adding a whole chili pepper or two for decoration. Label the jar and store in the fridge for future use.
**Please remember to always wear disposable gloves when handling fresh hot peppers to prevent burning up your hands or (if you inadvertently touch your eyes) your eyes also.
