Korean cabbage

Korean cabbage is about 95 percent water, and, like other leafy vegetables, is low in calories. The inner whiter part has little or no Vitamin A, so too many of the outer leaves should not be removed. Cabbage with greener leaves retains quite a lot of vitamins even if made into kimchi.

A good cabbage has an abundance of greener leaves and the leaves themselves should be thin. It should be tightly packed and fresh looking. Cabbage produced in the fall for gimjang should be of medium sized, tightly packed, and heavy for its size.


White radish

Radish is a vegetable grown in a cool temperature and is used frequently in kimchi and in other dishes. There is the traditional and introduced variety. Different kinds of radishes are harvested in autumn, spring, and summer (grown in the highlands). The traditional variety is shorter in length and is firm, whereas the introduced variety is longer and softer.

The radish is usually tender and has a sweet and rather spicy taste. There are radishes for kimchi, danmuji, and ponytail radish, and they all have different uses. If the harvest is delayed, the white radish gets pulpy and soggy, so it should be harvested as soon as it is ready, The pulpiness of a radish indicates that the radish is getting soft in the inside and dying. Spring radish gets pulpier more easily than autumn radish.

A good radish should be large and even in size, and it should be smoothly shaped. The flesh should be firm and tender, the taste not too pungent and delightful.


Garlic

Garlic grows well in mild weather. It is more susceptible to extreme weather than green onions. If the temperature goes up, the harvesting time for garlic is earlier. When the leaves are withered halfway, garlic should be harvested.

Typical traditional garlic has many cloves, more than 6 or 7. The ones with many cloves are hotter and preferred for gimjang, whereas the jangson garlic is used for pickling; its stems are also used.

The garlic cloves are 79 percent water and are an important seasoning that can be used year-round. the source of garlics hot taste, called allylsulfide, is 15 times stronger than the carbonic acid found in antiseptics. Allysulfide can activate the metabolism, and it can alleviate aches, prevent constipation, and detoxicate.

A good garlic bulb is even in size and shape and has six cloves. It should be grown in muddy soil, and the skin should be brownish to purplish. The number of cloves should be small, and each clove should be firm and tightly packed. The inner skin covering the clove should be hard to peel off. A good clove should be rounded and clean, and possess a unique hot taste.

The ones for eating fast should be well dried and the ones for long storage should be free of sprouts, hard, have a firm bulb, and have little change of color.


Ginger

Ginger is about 86 percent water and is rich in minerals. Ginger has a certain pungent flavor and a spicy taste, the latter coming from gingerone and shogoal, which have peptic powers, and the former having citral linalool in it.

A good ginger is even in size and shape; it should not have too much fiber. A traditional variety grown in yellow mud is preferred, with 6 to 7 buds, firm and thick in shape, and easy to peel. A strong flavor and taste are desired. A good ginger should weigh more than 80 grams for the traditional variety, and 150 for an improved variety.

Red Chili pepper

Red chili pepper is an annual vegetable that has a long growth period. It grows well in hot, dry weather. It can be stored for a long time, thus appearing all year. Green chili peppers are harvested around the year, red ones from the middle of June, and dried ones from the middle of July.

There are two kinds of peppers, and the hotter chili variety is generally smaller than its milder cousin. Naturally, Koreans prefer the hotter variety.

The marketability of chili pepper depends on the method of drying, size and color. The ones dried in areas with clean air, good ventilation, and sunshine, called "taeyangcho" are considered the best, but such methods are not suitable for mass production, and nowadays most are hot-air dried. If the chili peppers are dried within 8 to 9 hours, the growth of microorganisms can be prevented, so many growers have adopted this method.

A good pepper should be sun-dried, with smooth skin without wrinkles and have a fine luster and gloss. There should be no foreign substances. The stem should be firmly attached. The peppers should be even in size and shape and well dried.


Green onions

Green onions cannot be stored for more than a short period of time, and they are about 80 percent water. The green part is rich in Vitamin A and C. With the variety that has thin, tender leaves, mainly the leaves are used. With the kind that has thick leaves the stems are used. Usually, the ones harvested in winter are thicker, with longer stems, and the ones harvested in the summer are the opposite.

A good green onion should have fresh green leaves that have a bounce and firm and flexible stems (the white parts). The ones that are straight as a whole, have a consistent color, and have orderly roots when peeled are preferred.


Cucumber

Cucumbers come from the same family as gourds. They are sensitive to the climate and temperature. The main components are carbohydrates and pentosan, and there is little protein, but a lot of potassium and phosphoric acids. They are not very nutritious, but the taste is fresh and there is a fresh scent that makes them easy to harmonize with other foods. They are especially good for relieving loss of appetite in the summer. Since in cucumber there is plenty of water, potassium, and a bitter component called ellaterin, they promote good digestion.

A good cucumber should be of even size and shape. The thickness should be consistent from end to end. The buds should be vivid in color, tender, and fresh. The flesh should be firm yet tender, with few seeds. A cool and juicy taste is preferred.


Wild lettuce (Godeulppaegi)

Wild lettuce is an annual vegetable that has a dark green to purplish color. The ends of these leaves are jagged. This was a plant that was growing in the wild, but it is cultivated nowadays. The ones grown in the mountains and fields are purplish in color with thick roots and small leaves, whereas the cultivated ones are dark greenish with large leaves and small, thin roots. To get the slightly bitter taste unique in wild lettuce, wild lettuce is better. Wild lettuce not only promotes the appetite, but also improves blood circulation and digestion and gives a refreshing feeling.


Indian mustard leaf

This vegetable belongs to the mustard family and there are two kinds of leaves : greenish and reddish. The greenish kind is rich in minerals, vitamin A and C. To prevent the shortage of greens, this kimchi using Indian mustard leaves was made during the winter. Red leaves have more flavor than green leaves. The former was used in cabbage kimchi to help keep the red color and the latter used in dongchimi and baek kimchi. As a whole, the leaves should be tender and have a fresh luster.


Watercress

Watercress is a perennial vegetable that grows well in wet places and is very hardy. It is rich in vitamins, an alkaloid food that lowers the blood pressure, lowers the temperature, and so on. This plant has an unique flavor not found in any other plant. In juicy kimchi, watercress is a must.








Wild leeks

Leeks are a perennial vegetable that grows in the mountains of western China, Korea, and Japan. Cultivated ones are common nowadays. They are nutritious and have a unique flavor; they also help the digestive system. The smell of the leek comes from a phosphoric compound like garlic and makes one healthy. Leeks are used as a seasoning in tongbaechu kimchi, oisobagi, and in various other kinds of kimchi. There is also a wild leeks kimchi.


Pyogo mushroom

These are the most famous of all native Korean mushrooms. The skin has a brown color, and it is rich in fiber. The flesh is white and dry, and it has an unique scent. Pyogo mushrooms are used widely in Korean cooking as well as in Chinese and Japanese foods.


MANNA lichen

This is a kind of mushroom that can be gotten on the surface of rocks deep in the mountains. Since they cannot be cultivated, the total amount of this mushroom is strictly limited. The scent and flavor are excellent, so it has been used for a long time.


Salted and fermented fish (Jeotgal)

This is a kind of fermented food convenient to store for a long period of time. During the fermenting period, the protein turns into amino acids and has a unique flavor. The bones are broken down into calcium which can be readily absorbed, and the fat turns into low-grade fat acids, providing the unique taste and aroma of the salted and fermented fish.

Jeotgal provides excellent protein, calcium and fat. It is especially high in calcium, thus making it an alkaline food, neutralizing body fluids. The most frequently used kind, salted and fermented small shrimps, is low in fat and light, and salted and fermented anchovies have the highest amount of fat and essential amino acids.

Anchovies are caught off the southern shores of Korea in masses. Salt is added to fresh anchovies and then they are allowed to ferment. After 2 to 3 months of fermentation, it is called myeolchijeot (salted and fermented anchovies); after 6 months it is called myeolchijeotguk (salted and fermented anchovies extract). To make it, wash fresh anchovies and add salt weighing 15 to 20% of the anchovies. Store in a jar. After putting in the anchovies, put a thick layer of salt on and seal. Allow to ferment at 15-20 degrees for 2-3 months. The extract used to make kimchi should be filtered after a fermentation period of more than 6 months. After that, mix, filter, and heat the remaining liquids.

- Jogijeot (salted and fermented croaker) is made by salting whole croakers and allowing them to ferment. After 2 to 3 months fermentation, the structure of the croakers remains, and after a year of fermentation, it becomes salted and fermented yellow croakers extract. Salted and fermented yellow croakers extract has a unique fishy flavor and umami (especially delicious) taste. It is garnished with various spices and used as a side dish. To make it, choose fresh yellow croakers and wash them. Put them into a jar and add salt weighing 20 percent of the croakers and put the contents into a jar. Add a thick layer of salt and seal. This jeotgal reaches the right taste after allowing it to ferment at 15 to 20 degrees in a dark place for more than one year.

- Salted and fermented hairtail (galchijeot) is made by salting the whole hairtail. As with the above, there is galchijeot which is fermented for 2 to 3 months and galchijeotguk which is an extract that is fermented for more than a year. Galchijeotguk has a deep brown color and is used in making kimchi. To make this, wash the hairtail and remove the innards. Stuff salt into the gills and the abdominal cavity, totaling about 20 percent the weight of the hairtail. Store the contents in a jar, put a weight on it, and allow to ferment for 2 to 3 months. When preparing kimchi, raw hairtail can be put in to ferment simultaneously with the vegetables.

- Salted and fermented small shrimps are most commonly used in kimchi. This has an important place in Korean food culture. The shrimps used for salted and fermented small shrimps are mainly produced in the Yellow Sea and they come out in May, June, February, and October. To make it, add salt 20 percent the weight of the shrimps, put the contents into a jar and allow to ferment at 15 to 20 degrees for 2 to 3 months.


Oysters

Oysters are capable of adapting to different temperatures, so they can be obtained all throughout the Korea.

Oysters are called the milk of the ocean and are rich in calcium, iron, and such blood-forming substances, and they are good for children growing up and correcting growth retardation. They are low in calories and contain vitamins and essential amino acids; thus they prevent and alleviate heart disease, high blood pressure, constipation, and diabetes. Oysters are tender and soft in texture and are ideal for the health of children and the elderly.


Small octopus

It is used to give a fresh, cool taste. It goes well with other jeotgal and seafoods, yet does not lose its unique flavor in combinations. It is used mainly in juicy kimchis like mu kimchi and baek kimchi. A good small octopus should have strong tentacles.