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Sour wine. Who was the first brave soul to look at a batch of wine gone bad and wonder what could be done with it? Surely, somebody thought it must be good for something more than throwing to the hogs. We'll never know who that inventive person was, because vinegar was accidentally discovered more than 10,000 years ago.
The name that we know it by is from the French "vinaigre" -- literally sour wine. And for an unglamorous byproduct of wine making, it has worked its way into the cuisine of virtually every culture, and become a standard item on the kitchen shelf. In the United States alone, sales of vinegar amount to about $200,000,000. a year.
Anything that can be turned into alcohol can become vinegar, and that means practically any fruit, many vegetables, molasses and honey, various grains such as rye and malted barley, rice, and even coconuts. If it has enough natural sugars for fermentation, it can eventually become vinegar.
It was used for healing purposes as early as the Greeks, and praised for its medicinal properties by Hippocrates. Its acidic composition makes it both a preserver and a destroyer. Because it slows or stops the action of bacteria which spoil food, it has long been important important for the preservation of food beyond the growing season.
Canning tomatoes today can be a chancy proposition with the new, sweeter varieties, but the addition of a measured amount of vinegar ensures that they will keep just as well as Grandma's did. While pickles may be just another fun food for most of us, historically, many foods have been pickled as a way of adding variety to bland winter diets.
That same acidity makes vinegar a slow but effective solvent. Cleopatra supposedly dissolved pearls in a cup of vinegar to win a bet that she could do away with a fortune in the course of a single meal. It may usually be put to more mundane uses, but over the centuries, experimentation and accident have extended vinegar's uses considerably.
Popular folklore about health has always included remedies involving vinegar, but until recently, there's been no way to sort out the fables from the facts. Now that modern science is taking a closer look, there's evidence that at least some folklore uses have a basis in solid fact. It's no longer that unusual to see recommendations for vinegar in reputable health magazines. There's no proof that vinegar will cure any diseases, but it is a cheap and safe remedy for many everyday problems.
Apple cider vinegar is recommended for all health uses, for everything from insect and jellyfish stings to treating athlete's foot. Vinegar is both soothing to the skin and an antifungal, and is applied twice a day, full strength, to areas affected by athlete's foot. The pain of jellyfish stings can be relieved by pouring full strength vinegar, then scraping the stingers out of the skin with a credit card or something similar. Bee stings can be treated the same way. In both cases, the stingers are scraped rather than pulled to avoid squeezing more venom into the body.
A mixture of apple cider vinegar and water, with a little honey, is an effective sore throat remedy. The slow digestion that comes with aging is usually because the stomach produces less digestive acid as we get older. Two tablespoons of cider vinegar in a glass of water, again, using a little honey as a sweetener can be sipped during meals or taken any time indigestion strikes. Remember to brush your teeth or at least rinse your mouth thoroughly afterwards, so the acidity doesn't damage your teeth.
Sunburned or dry, itchy skin can be relieved by using vinegar, partly diluted if your skin is sensitive, and even added to your bath water. Use it as a rinse after shampooing your hair. Just add one or two tablespoons to a large cup of water. The salad dressing odor will fade quickly.
Around the house, uses for vinegar are virtually endless. Use white vinegar, since other types may leave stains and residue. White vinegar is by far the cheapest you can buy, and is available in gallon jugs, if you think you are going to be using a lot of it.
You can count on using plenty when your dog has had an encounter with a skunk. Vinegar is more effective than tomato juice, and less expensive. Douse the pooch well, avoiding the eyes, and rub the vinegar into the fur. Rinse well, and repeat as necessary. Ants apparently hate the smell, and spraying vinegar along their paths and points of entry into the house can help keep them out.
Pour some baking soda into your kitchen or bathroom sink drain, then add enough vinegar to get the soda bubbling. Add a little vinegar at a time until all the soda has been activated. Repeat if necessary for clean drains. If you have a garbage disposal, check with the manufacturer before doing this. Some parts may be sensitive to damage.
Mineral scale in teapots can be eliminated by simmering vinegar in the pot, and stains can be removed from most pots and dishes simply by letting a dilute solution of vinegar sit in the container for a while. Running a cupful of vinegar through an entire wash and rinse cycle once a month will help prevent soap buildup in your dishwasher. Spray it on windows to make tough dirt and grime easier to clean off.
Onion odor and fruit stains can be eliminated from your fingers, and from cutting boards and knives, by rubbing with plain vinegar. An open dish of vinegar will help remove paint smells from a room. To remove a stubborn sticker or label from almost any surface, wet with vinegar and let sit for at least ten minutes. It should then be easy to remove without the usual struggle.
There are dozens more uses for vinegar, and someone somewhere is undoubtedly finding a new one. Take advantage of this inexpensive, non-toxic, versatile treasure. It will sit on your kitchen or laundry room shelf forever without spoiling, and it will make you wonder how you ever got along without it.
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