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Have you tried vinegar in your diet? People report many benefits from its use. One can even buy books
that list many uses for vinegar, a plop in window washing water makes the panes shine. A plop in the
water used for rinsing hair after a shampoo makes ones hair glisten, de-snarls the hair. Years ago when
we washed eggs for selling we put a shot of vinegar in the water, it made the job easier. But what I
especially appreciated is that years ago my Grandma, and other housewives of that era, always had a
cruet of vinegar on the table at meal time. Vegetables, salads, and fish were seasoned with vinegar.
The household had a gallon crock jug sturdily corked and generously eared. I would love to have
Grandma's old jug, the top half was dark brown, bottom half was regular crock colored. The storekeeoer
had a barrel in the back room, it had a spigot and he would fill your jug with strong cider vinegar.
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We never saw white vinegar or any of the fancy vinegars one sees nowadays. The jug was filled over and
over, empied and refilled. I don't remember ever seeing it washed but then what could live in vinegar.
Some bacteria must have thrived because in time a 'mother' would develop. A 'mother' !!! A 'mother'
in vinegar was a heavy scum that would form on top of a container. One dipped it off- no harm. A frugal
housewife pickled everything, fish, gizzards, little Whitney apples (yum), green and yellow beans,
beets, meat, cucumbers, cabbage, relishes, etc. What a pleasure for a housewife to view shelves and
shelves of preserves. I won't mention any names but I had young ones who could eat a quart of pickles,
dill and sour, and then drink the juice. It was probably good for them.
Virginia McBride
Elma, Iowa
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