Banana vinegar
Its not clear in the book
do i use the skin of the banana?
Top answer
To make a substitute for Brown Rice Vinegar, which is traditionally used in Korea, we have been using banana fruit with the skin on. If you think about the banana, it is like a HUGE rice plant, and the fruits are analogous to brown rice.
In the tropics, I'm pretty sure any fruit can be used to create high quality vinegar that has the effect of alkalinizing the plants.
Banana Vinegar Recipe
Ripe bananas with peels on are mushed into a container, then whatever that volume is, say it's 1 liter, then double the amount of water added, so 2 liters of water added. This is then allowed to ferment for 3 months at room temperature avoiding sunlight. A 'mother' from another living vinegar can be used, or a bit (tablespoon) of braggs living vinegar can be poured in to help the process along. I believe it can be done in a week time period if you follow a recipe to make fruit alcohol, then leave the alcohol open to the air. I have never done it this way, as mostly what I am using is the dregs left over from making KNF Food by fermenting plant juice, which I then add a bit more sugar to and follow the above recipe.From the KNF library
From the KNF library
Drafted by Claude from Office Hours and the books
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Sep 2026
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3 sources
Drake's manual lists the bananas as with or without skins. (Student's Manual, Basic Course, p. 40)
- Fill 1/3 of a 5 gallon bucket with bananas. (Student's Manual, Basic Course, p. 40)
- Add brown sugar at 1/3 the weight of the bananas. (Student's Manual, Basic Course, p. 40)
- Add water until the bucket is 2/3 full, then squeeze the bananas to mush. (Student's Manual, Basic Course, p. 40)
- Cover with a breathable lid. Keep it cool, out of direct sun. (Cho's Solutions, p. 8)
The manual says let it sit at room temperature for 3 months. (Student's Manual, Basic Course, p. 40) Cho's notes say 3 to 6 months. (Cho's Solutions, p. 8) A splash of living vinegar speeds it up. (Cho's Solutions, p. 8)
On mold: Drake said mold on top of a fermenting brown rice vinegar, started from a vinegar mother, is normal. (Office Hours Mar 2023, 8:36) That entry is not about bananas. The library does not say whether to wash the bananas first.
Sources
- 8:36 Office Hours (Mar 2023) — Mold on Top of a Fermenting BRV (Brown Rice Vinegar) · “mold formed on top during fermentation, is that normal? A: Yes, that's normal”
- p. 40 Student's Manual, Basic Course · “Bananas (with or without skins)”
- p. 8 Cho's Solutions · “Breathable Lid • Keep in cool place out of direct sunlight”
1 more answer
I attempted this recipe using whole organic bananas. A few days later I had a black mold growing on top and decided to start over. Being that i bought the bananas from the store Im guesing that maybe I should have washed the banana prior to mashing them up (skin and all) to clean off any residue that or contaminants on the peel. Am i on the right track with this?
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