Cabbage just got more interesting.

I have a huge crush on kimchi. If I see it on the menu, chances are you can find it in my mouth several minutes later. The spicy cultured treat is a Korean staple – it is served at almost every meal and Koreans are known to pack in 40 pounds of kimchi per person, each year!

The base of kimchi is cabbage. Cabbage lowers blood cholesterol, prevents cancer, and contributes to better digestion. In many cultures, cabbage juice has been used to relieve stomach ulcers. The vegetable is a great source of B vitamins and omega-3s and contains approximately seven times more vitamin C than an orange. Like  garlic and onions, cabbage also boasts a high sulfur content, which helps to fight infection.

Aside from the benefits of cabbage itself, kimchi should be praised mostly for what it accumulates during preparation: healthy bacteria. The cabbage rests in salted and spiced water for a few days or weeks before it is served, contributing to the growth of lactobacilli, which are healthy probiotic bacteria that balance the intestinal tract and help to alleviate digestive problems. For this reason, kimchi is a great companion to every meal.

However, one of the downsides to ordering kimchi at a restaurant or purchasing it from a grocery store is the unknown factors – what kind of salt was used, how much sugar was added, and whether sneaky ingredients, like fish sauce, are in the mix. You can never really know. That’s why I decided to make my own kimchi, but in the most unintimidating and frills-free way possible. That way, I could enjoy it all the time knowing exactly what it contains and without the begrudged process to get there.

It’s a practice of patience, sure, but in the name of all the balance and restoration that kimchi provides my body, I vow to prepare it with similar gusto. Luckily enough, you can get on with your life for a few days while the kimchi does its magic. Do try this recipe out and you’ll have the most delicious and addictive digestive aid ever made.

Enjoy!

Homemade Vegan Kimchi

Makes 1 quart

Ingredients:

• 1 large Napa cabbage
• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons sea salt
• 6 scallions
• 8 garlic cloves
• 1 two-inch nob of fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons Korean chili powder (kochukaru)
• 2 tablespoons Nama Shoyu (soy sauce)
• 2-3 slices apple

Directions:

In a glass quart, dissolve the salt in the water.

While the salt dissolves, core the cabbage and roughly chop the leaves. You can pull the leaves off so they remain full and intact, or you can do what I did and simple cut through the body of the cabbage.

Pull apart the individual pieces and place them in a large bowl. Pour the salted water over the cabbage and massage the leaves until they wilt and reduce slightly in volume.

Transfer the salted cabbage leaves into the glass quart, pushing down with your fist so that the leaves are tightly packed.

Pour the remaining salted water into the quart so that all the leaves are completely submerged. Seal the top of the glass jar and store at room temperature away from direct sunlight for 24 hours.

The next day,  drain the cabbage leaves from the water and rinse, reserving the salted water for later use. Place the leaves in a large bowl.

In a food processor, mix the garlic, chili, scallions, ginger, and soy sauce until mushy.

Massage the spicy mixture into the leaves so that each one is evenly coated. Toss in a few slices of chopped apple. The sugars from the apple will help the fermentation process.

Tightly pack the leaves in the same quart-sized jar, making sure there are no air pockets.

Pour some of the reserved salted water over the spicy cabbage leaves so that they are completely submerged. It is important that there are no air pockets.

Seal the top with a lid and store at room temperature away from sunlight for at least 3 full days. During this time, the kimchi will ferment, developing healthy bacteria. As long as the leaves are submerged, they will not mold.

Enjoy with chopsticks aside a Korean-inspired meal, or any meal!

Bon Appetit!

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post Recipe: Getting Probiotic with Homemade Kimchi appeared first on EcoSalon.

If this nasty rust is what toxic Chinese-made wallboard can do to your home’s pipes, imagine what it can do to your own.

More about that will become known when the Senate subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Insurance opens a long-awaited congressional hearing today (May 21) on the defective product, which is being linked to health problems. Subcommittee member U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. has been pushing for the hearing for several weeks.

“We now know there are three things in there that aren’t in other drywall samples. We’ve got the what, and now we need the why and how do we fix it?” said Nelson.

The Palm Beach Post reported that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent letters this month to the Florida Department of Health and the Department of Homeland Security revealing the results of tests done on four samples of American and two samples of Chinese wallboard.

Chinese samples showed to be 83 parts per million and 119 parts per million of sulfur. Sulfur was not found in any of the American samples. Also, a metal analysis found the presence of strontium at significantly higher levels than in the American samples. Strontium sulfide is known to emit corrosive gases in moist air.

Two organic compounds, which are found in acrylic paints, were also found in the foreign product and not in the domestic wallboard.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal agencies are investigating complaints that the drywall is causing health problems. So far, the Florida Health Department has told homeowners more testing is needed to link the drywall to ailments.

For now, builders are the ones taking the heat for the wallboard installed in thousands of Florida homes and in other states between 2000 and 2008. Lawsuits have been filed by homeowners stuck with a product that emits sulfuric odors and gases responsible for corroding electrical wiring, air conditioning components, bathroom fixtures such as toilet handles and silver jewelry.

During a different Senate subcommittee meeting this week on how to hold foreign manufacturers accountable, a Mobile, Ala.-based home builder shared his problems with Chinese drywall and the difficulties he’s had getting a response. Chuck Stefan of The Mitchell Company argued no one has helped to find a solution to the mess, or even called him back about the crisis.

Did builders have any way to know the Chinese-made product was yet another defective import from the people who bought us toxic toys and tainted milk? If not, I don’t see how they can be blamed. For the sake of our health and well being it’s time to stop importing from China.

The post U.S. Hearings Open Today on Chinese Drywall: Another Import Made with Reckless Abandon appeared first on EcoSalon.