Magical mugwort sprouts magnificent concoctions
Published: 12 Apr. 2011, 20:11
A female farmer picks mugwort in her field on Geomun Island, South Jeolla, which is one of the two most famous regions in Korea for the bitter green herb. By Kim Seong-ryong
Its name sounds like something out of a Harry Potter novel, and it could even be used to make one of the magical potions the young witches and wizards of Hogwarts would concoct, but mugwort, or suk in Korean, is actually a spring herb with a strong scent and a bitter and slightly pungent taste.
When spring comes, mugwort sprouts all over the country, along walls and in rice paddies and fields. Traditionally, Korean women in rural areas would set out with a basket and pick mugwort leaves, a tradition that still survives in some areas.
The fresh young leaves of the mugwort plant are mostly used for cooking but it also has medicinal properties.
Although mugwort can, and does, grow almost anywhere, island-grown mugwort is particularly popular throughout the country for its added nutritional and medicinal value.
The two islands in Korea that are the most famous regions for mugwort are Geomun Island, South Jeolla and Ganghwa Island, Incheon.
Mugwort concoctions
Mugwort can be used in a seemingly infinite number of ways. It is an ingredient in soup, banchan (side dishes), juice and tea. It can also be made into soap and cosmetics.
The herb can also be used to alleviate physical ailments. “Donguibogam,” a Korean medical encyclopedia from the Joseon Dynasty, describes mugwort as an “herb with a bitter, spicy taste that stimulates blood circulation and cures coldness in the lower abdomen. Mugwort doesn’t have poisons and can cure all diseases. It is especially good for the diseases of women and helps women bare children.”
Mugwort tea is good for allergies and ulcers. A mugwort bath helps with circulation and skin care. Moxibustion, in which heat is transferred to the body with a stick or cone, that uses mugwort is said to be effective in curing piles or athlete’s foot.
Jeong Seon-ah, a researcher at the Ganghwa Agricultural Technology Service Center in Ganghwa County, Incheon, echoed the benefits of mugwort, saying it is “rich in calcium and Vitamins A and C. Mugwort improves the immune system and prevents flu. Recent research also indicates that mugwort works to prevent obesity, cancer and diabetes.”
Jangchon Village, Geomun Island, South Jeolla. The village produces around 5 million won worth of mugwort every spring. By Kim Seong-ryong
Geomun mugwort
The lush green mugwort fields are the first thing you see when you step off the boat at Jangchon on Geomun Island, which is about 100 kilometers (62 miles,) or a two-hour boat ride, from Yeosu Port in South Jeolla.
The small town that hosts the cozy little port is Jangchon and the warm spring breeze that blows there at this time of year gives it the distinction of being the first region in the country to harvest mugwort each season.
“The average temperature of Geomun Island during January is around 2 degrees Celsius (35 degrees Fahrenheit,)” said Kim Gi-oon, the branch manager of the Yeosu National Agricultural Cooperative Federation’s Samsan branch. “The island gets a lot of sunlight, which allows the people of Geomun Island to start harvesting mugwort before other regions in Korea.”
Mugwort is typically harvested until late March but this year saw exceptionally cold weather that froze pipes and delayed the growing season to Feb. 21, about two weeks later than usual. Most harvested mugwort is frozen or dried as tea and other processed goods.
Geomun Island mugwort usually sells for 9,000 won ($8) per kilogram in February but the prices drop to less than 5,000 won in March and 1,000 won to 2,000 won by April, as more mugwort comes onto the market.
Last year, 430 tons of mugwort were harvested by 189 households on Geomun Island. This year, the island is aiming to triple that. “We aim to produce 1,500 tons a year and generate 4 billion won in revenue,” said Nam Joo-hyun, a representative of the Geomun Island Farm Union Corporation.
That might be difficult to achieve, however. Though the island is famous for its mugwort harvest, one problem it faces is a shortage of labor.
“I worry that the yield will decrease because there are no young people on the island to replace the aging farming population,” Lee said. “It’s getting harder for us to produce large amounts of mugwort now. I grew 1000 kilograms last year but this year, it will be only 900 kilograms.”
The mugwort picking is usually done by women in other areas of the country but on Geomun Island it is the men who dominate the fields.
“I’ve been growing mugwort for almost thirty years,” said Lee Gui-soon, 76, who was picking mugwort in a field when we met him. His 3,000 square-meter (0.7 acres) mugwort field brings him around 5 million won in the two months from March to April.
“In the old days, there wasn’t much food so we harvested mugwort to fill our stomachs. These days, we use it more for medicine than for food.”
Geomun mugwort is indeed known for its medicinal properties and contains five times more potassium, sodium and other minerals than other varieties grown on land because of the island’s proximity to the sea.
“Mugwort that grows in fields surrounded by the ocean is constantly receiving the ocean breeze, which has an abundance of sodium and other minerals,” said Park Sei-jin, a researcher at Yeosu Agricultural Technology and Extension Center.
Island-grown mugwort looks different from other varieties. Both of the mugwort species grown in Geomun and Ganghwa are taller than the mugwort plants grown on land. Geomun mugwort is 50 centimeters (19.6 inches) tall when fully grown and Ganghwa mugwort is 1 meter. Other mugwort varieties get to 30 centimeters at the tallest.
Ganghwa mugwort
Ganghwa Island on the western coast of Korea is another region famous for its mugwort. There, the mugwort harvest comes in later than on Geomun Island. Ganghwa’s mugwort growers begin planting after mid-March and about a month later mugwort sprouts start to finally appear.
“Mugwort sprouts are still buried under the dirt right now, but soon after mid-April, they will grow as tall as knee level,” said Goh Yoo-jin, the president of the Ganghwa Medical Mugwort Research Group. “At that time, Samseong village, the location of the Ganghwa Agricultural Technology Service Center, turns into an ocean of green mugwort.”
By late May the fifth day of the fifth month of the year according to the lunar calendar, mugwort plants get to be taller than one meter. That is the signal for harvesting to begin. The harvest season continues until late August.
Mugwort from Ganghwa is known for its strong scent and bitter taste, which is why most Ganghwa mugwort is used for medicine, not food.
Mugwort from Ganghwa can generally be found in mugwort ricecakes or mugwort juice, along with herbal pills and other remedies.
“Geomun mugwort uses only the leaves. But medicinal mugwort from Ganghwa also uses the stems, which are dried for medical use,” Goh said.
The medicinal mugwort produced in Ganghwa brings in an even larger profit than its fresh mugwort does. Ganghwa County produced 397 tons of dried mugwort last year, bringing in a total of 1.7 billion won in revenue.
“Some members of the Ganghwa Medical Mugwort Research Group earn bigger profits from mugwort farming than from rice farming,” said Jeong, the Ganghwa researcher.
Mugwort recipes
Chef Kim Wang-suk of the Westin Chosun Hotel’s buffet restaurant Aria provided recipes for three dishes made with mugwort.
* Mugwort, feta and tomato caprese
1. Cut tomatoes horizontally and roast in an oven heated to 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 10 minutes.
2. Cut the eggplant diagonally into 1 centimeter slices and saute in a skillet lightly coated with olive oil.
3. Top tomatoes with mugwort, cooked eggplant, feta and prosciutto, in that order.
4. Mix the salad dressing by combining soy sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, sugar and crushed garlic.
5. Place the salad greens in the center of a plate, place the tomatoes around it and drizzle the dressing over the top.
* Mugwort crab canape
1. In a mixer, blend the mugwort and water, drain and discard excess water.
2. Mix the mugwort with the flour to make a dough, form it into small pancakes and fry in a skillet lightly coated with olive oil.
3. Cut the crab sticks into thin pieces and mix with mayonnaise, sugar and lemon juice.
4. Put the crab salad on top of the mugwort pancake and roll into a cylinder. Cut the cylinders into bite-sized pieces and place on top of crackers before serving.
* Mugwort vongole pasta
1. Boil the short-necked clams to make a broth. Boil the pasta in a separate pot.
2. Mix the mugwort with water in a small bowl, drain and then discard the excess water. Dip the mugwort in the glutinous rice flour. In a small skillet, lightly saute the mugwort in olive oil and set aside.
3. In another, lightly oiled, skillet, saute the garlic and onion. Add the boiled clams and white wine. Add the clam broth gradually.
4. Add the pasta to the above mixture and finish with a dash of olive oil. Add the fried mugwort on top to garnish the dish before serving.
By Lee Seok-hee [[email protected]]
Related Korean Article [중앙일보]
거문도 섬쑥 VS 강화도 약쑥
쑥은 누가 뭐래도 봄을 대표하는 나물이다. 동네 담벼락에도, 논두렁에도, 들녘에도, 심지어 무덤가에도 쑥은 돋아난다. 예전 우리 시골의 아낙이나 처녀들이 따스한 봄 햇살을 받으며 쪼그리고 앉아 소쿠리에 가득 뜯어 담아오던 것이 쑥이다.
요리해 먹을 수 있는 어린 쑥은 남도 섬에서는 이르면 1월부터 나기 시작해 강원도 북쪽 끝 고성 지방에서는 5월까지 뜯을 수 있다. 전국 어디를 가도 쑥은 있다. 하고 많은 쑥 중에서 섬쑥이 유난히 인기다. 효능과 영양 모두 뭍에서 나는 쑥보다 낫단다. 과연 그럴까. 그래서 섬쑥으로 유명한 전남 여수 앞바다의 거문도를 찾았다. 우리나라에서 가장 먼저 쑥을 생산하는 곳이다.
# 거문도의 봄은 쑥이다
전남 여수항에서 쾌속선을 타고 2시간 남짓 달려야 거문도에 닿는다. 뱃길만 해도 100㎞가 넘는다. 배에서 내리면 서도 선착장인데, 선착장에 내리자마자 정면에 쑥밭이 펼쳐진다. ‘장촌’이라 불리는 작은 마을로, 마을 뒤편 언덕배기가 온통 쑥밭이다.
3월 말 거문도에서 맞는 바람은 따스하다. 뭍은 아직 봄바람 속에 찬 기운이 남아 있지만 남도 맨 끝자락에서 맞는 해풍은 온화하고 부드럽다. 이 따뜻한 바람 덕분에 거문도는 우리나라에서 가장 먼저 자연산 쑥을 생산·출하하는 지역이 됐다.
여수농협 삼산지점에 들렀다. 거문도는 행정구역상 여수시 삼산면에 속한다. 김기운 지점장에게 설명을 들었다.
“거문도는 1월 평균 기온이 영상 2도쯤 됩니다. 기온도 높은 편이지만 일조량도 풍부합니다. 다른 지역보다 먼저 쑥을 뜯을 수 있는 조건을 갖춘 것이지요.”
그러나 올해는 예외다. 말로만 듣던 수도관 동파 사고가 났을 만큼 거문도도 올겨울엔 이상 한파로 몸살을 앓았다. 이 바람에 쑥도 수확 시기가 늦어졌다. 예년보다 보름 정도 늦은 2월 21일께 겨우 첫 수확을 했다.
거문도에서는 보통 3월 말까지 생쑥을 뜯는다. 이때 나는 생쑥은 바로 뭍으로 올라가 나물이나 국에 들어간다. 거문도 쑥이 가장 경쟁력이 있는 때다. 4월 말부터 생산되는 쑥은 냉동쑥과 차 같은 가공품으로 팔린다. 섬에서는 계속 쑥이 나지만 4월이 되면 뭍에서도 쑥이 나기 때문에 가공품 쪽으로 판로를 튼 것이다.
거문도에서 서울 경동시장으로 올려보내는 쑥의 월별 가격은 2월에는 ㎏당 9000원 선, 3월엔 5000원 미만, 4월부터 1000~2000원으로 떨어진다. 거문도 쑥은 6월 말까지, 한 해 보통 4회 수확한다. 그러니까 거문도의 봄은 쑥과 함께 시작해서 쑥과 함께 끝난다. …
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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