Alberta Co-op Grocery

by Geanna Marek, Working Owner

Have you tried flavored vinegars? I really haven’t gone out of my usual balsamic and apple cider circle to try other varieties, but when I saw Hoskins Berry Farm’s Blackberry Vinegar at ACG, I knew I had to pick it up. The question that came next was, obviously, how the heck would I use and consume it?

My mind raced over all the possibilities: add it to some jam (I think it would taste amazing with strawberries or blackberries), use it as a dip for shortbread with some nice coconut oil, or simply add it to another recipe in place of normal vinegar. I settled on using it in a recipe, but instead of a basic vinegar replacement, it became a major flavor enhancer.

I added it to a homemade BBQ sauce that I like to marinate tofu in. It added the most delightfully tart flavor to my dinner. My ingredients for the BBQ sauce are usually ketchup, liquid sweetener (I prefer maple syrup or agave), liquid smoke and Bragg’s amino acids, but this time I added the vinegar instead of the sweetener, and it was delicious.

Hoskins Berry Farm is a certified biodynamic and organic farm located in Philomath, Oregon, that produces both fruit and medicinal herbs. According to the back of the bottle, the farm sought out biodynamic certification because the owners believe that type of farming is “a holistic approach to agriculture that emphasizes self-sustainability. The farm is viewed as a living organism that achieves health and vitality when the dynamic interactions of nature are balanced.” Plus, in my humble opinion, the end product taste pretty darn good.

A 5 ounce bottle of blackberry vinegar is available for $4.99 at ACG, and contains raw unfiltered biodynamic/organic blackberry vinegar with 4% acidity.

Koji is back in bulk, in the supplement/bulk cooler in the Bulk aisle, at just $21.49/lb.

Thats right, we have an organic brown rice koji in bulk.  Koji is brown rice cultured with Aspergillus oryzae, and is used as a starter to make a number fermented foods such as miso, sake, amazaké, rice vinegar, and mirin.

We are getting ours from South River Miso. Here is a amazake recipe they offer, from their website:

“Pronounced ah-mah-ZAH-kay, the word literally means “sweet sake”. It is a delicious, creamy hot rice drink with a “…rich, ambrosial flavor…most popular during the winter months, especially at New Year’s. Rich in natural sugars, it has long served as a sweetening agent in Japanese cookery.” It can be used in place of sugar in many recipes, and is especially nice for baking.Homemade Amazaké

Ingredients:
3 cups brown rice
1 1/2 cups dry Brown Rice Koji

Directions: Pressure cook brown rice using 3 cups rice to 5 cups water for about 45 minutes. Or boil rice without pressure using 6 cups water to 3 cups rice for 50-60 minutes. Do not use salt in the cooking.

• When done, stir the grain from top to bottom and transfer into a glass, Pyrex, or ceramic mixing bowl. Let the grain cool down to 110-130º F.
• Use about 1 1/2 cups dry koji to 4 cups cooked grain. Stir koji well into the warm rice. Try to fill the bowl almost full and cover with a lid or plate to conserve heat. The mixture will tend to be thick but will thin out as it ferments.
• Keep the container in a warm place for 5-8 hours or overnight. The temperature of the fermenting grain should stay between 115-130º during incubation. You can incubate Amazaké in the bottom of your oven over the pilot light. You can also use a hot water bath with a larger bowl, keeping the water 130-140º F.
• If possible, stir mixture with a wooden spoon several times during incubation, checking the temperature as you go. The grain should start to smell sweet and become more liquefied as it ferments. If after 5 hours it is not sufficiently sweet to your taste, let it ferment 2-3 hours longer. When the fermentation is complete, the mixture will be sweet tasting, and the individual grains will be soft.
• Now simmer the Amazaké over a low flame for 15 minutes to stop further fermentation. This is now your Amazaké base, which you can store in glass jars in the fridge until ready for use.

To serve as Amazaké: Combine 1 part base with 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 parts water in a saucepan and bring just to a boil. Season lightly with salt, pour into preheated cups, and top each portion with a dab of grated gingerroot.

To use as a sweetener: Substitute 3 1/2 tablespoons Amazaké base for 1 tablespoon honey (or 2 tablespoons sugar) in any of your favorite preparations. Rich in enzymes, it is especially good in breads, cakes, pancakes, waffles, or muffins where it assists in the leavening process and adds a rich moistness.”

My friends that are fermenting fiends keep pushing the book Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz.  Check it out at the library for other fermenting projects, or check out South River Miso’s website for more recipes!