We just completed our second cutting here at Berry Hill Farm. Keeping hydrated is a priority, and I was reminded that Ma Ingalls made them ginger-water also known as ‘switchel’.
In many rural parts of the country during summer, haytime is Switchel time. The homemade recipes likely varied with what the farmer’s wife had on hand, but the goal was the same…to get keep the hard-working men well-hydrated to get the hay in. The hay was vital to feed their animals during the winters when grass was not available.
Switchel may well have been the first form of ‘Gatorade’.
Taken here at Berry Hill last July – Thank you, Amy!
Ma Ingalls Made It
Nothing was ever so good as that cool wetness going down her throat. At the taste of it she stopped in surprise and Carrie clapped her hands and cried out, laughing, “don’t tell, Laura, don’t tell till Pa tastes it!”
Ma had sent them ginger-water. She had sweetened the cool well-water with sugar, flavored it with vinegar, and put in plenty of ginger to warm their stomachs so they could drink till they were not thirsty. Ginger-water would not make them sick, as plain cold water would when they were so hot. Such a treat made that ordinary day into a special day, the first day that Laura helped in the haying.~The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
When your body is really working hard, is hot and dripping sweat with the sun is beating down, it craves nothing more than a deep, cool drink of real water. Adding a natural unrefined sweetener, electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals can reverse dehydration on a cellular level and supply just what is needed to keep you going strong. Not much is more restorative and well-received, except for maybe cold watermelon!
This haytime, I decided to make switchel with black strap molasses, similar toMy Version of Good Girl Moonshine. The molasses makes it a lovely rich mahogany color but also is a great source of iron.
According to Wikipedia, switchel came to the colonies by way of the Caribbean.It was a very popular summertime drink, and by the 19th century it was known as haymaker’s punchbecause of its frequent use during hay harvest.
The sweetener Laura wrote about her Ma using was ‘sugar’, but she does not mention if it was brown or white. Switchel can also be sweetened with honey, molasses, or even maple syrup for a healthier alternative.
Switchel Basic Recipe
Ingredients:
4 cups of cold water (~1 quart)
2 TBSP raw honey (for all the live raw enzymes that bring vitality to a working body)(real raw honey often needs mixed into warm water first to help it mix into cold drinks)
Enjoy a glass yourself; your body will love what it does for you as you serve and bless your family with the work of your hands!
Double or Triple It!
By doubling and tripling the recipe it’s an easy-to-make replacement for expensive, mass-produced, and worrisome commercial ‘energy drinks’, the worst of which are linked to deaths and permanent disability.
Keep it simple and safe, staying cool and hydrated with real food and water.
“The LORD will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands.” ~Deuteronomy 28: 12
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Switchel, switzel, swizzle, switchy, ginger-water or haymaker's punch is a drink made of water mixed with vinegar, and often seasoned with ginger. It is usually sweetened with molasses, though honey, sugar, brown sugar, or maple syrup are sometimes used instead.
Switchel is made with apple cider vinegar and ginger, which are known for their healthful properties. Switchel is high in potassium and other electrolytes, which speed re-hydration.
Interestingly, molasses is very high in electrolytes, including potassium, magnesium, and calcium, and apple cider vinegar is also high in potassium, making switchel a terrific electrolyte drink! It also has sugar for energy. Maple syrup also has potassium and sodium.
By regularly drinking switchel, you'll get all the terrific benefits of apple cider vinegar, including healing compounds, like potassium, magnesium and probiotics. Thanks to the many uses of apple cider vinegar, it's one of my favorite natural remedies.
While switchel uses apple cider vinegar, which is a byproduct of fermentation, switchel is brewed by simmering over low heat and is not fermented. Switchel does not contain alcohol or caffeine.
“Electrolytes help keep our muscles functioning properly while also maintaining fluid balance in the body,” says Allegra Picano, RDN, a nutritionist at Henry Ford Health. “Since our bodies lose water from heat exposure and exercise, electrolyte drinks are an obvious way to restore that balance.”
It can be taken before meals or anytime throughout the day. It is a natural and clean way to replenish electrolytes. Good news for all you athletes out there. It has been proven that apple cider vinegar can help replenish electrolytes in your system.
Blackstrap molasses has a lead warning from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because the processing of molasses infrequently involves using a direct flame with coals that may contain a high amount of the caustic substance potash. The soil in which the sugar cane grows may also contain lead.
It can help prevent anemia. One tablespoon of blackstrap molasses contains 20% of the iron you need each day. Anemia — a condition that results in a lack of healthy red blood cells — is often caused by iron deficiency. If left untreated, this type of anemia can lead to extreme fatigue, weakness, or shortness of breath.
And, yes, it may even turn premature grey hair back to its original color. Most folks who use blackstrap molasses for an ailment (or to remove greys) usually either take it by mouth, dissolve it in water or milk, or drizzle over oatmeal.
Gatorade Fit offers a welcome alternative for post-workout hydration with significantly less sugar, and the same amount of electrolytes as a standard bottle of Gatorade. Gatorade Fit is generally healthier than regular Gatorade. There are no artificial dyes or flavors, and the sugar content is nearly zero.
BVO, which has long been used in Fanta Orange, Mountain Dew and other beverages to keep flavor oils in suspension, was present in Gatorade Orange and Lemonade and other flavors. The announcement came after a 15-year-old Mississippi girl filed an online petition on Change.org asking PepsiCo to remove BVO from Gatorade.
Choosing electrolyte beverages such as Pedialyte, sports drinks like Gatorade, Powerade, or Body armor, electrolyte infused waters, or mixing electrolyte powders in your water is highly recommended if participating in activities outside for long durations.
Switchel is similar to shrub, but instead of using fruit as a base, it uses ginger as the main flavouring agent, and is usually sweetened with richer sugars (i.e. molasses or maple syrup), and can sometimes include spices in the mix.
Switchel ACV is made from a base of raw apple cider vinegar, paired with real organic ginger and a hint of honey. It's fizzy, a little fiery and bursting with tasty full-flavoured goodness. Whereas Remedy Kombucha is made by fermenting green and black tea using a long-aged brewing process.
A shrub is a concentrated syrup that's made by mixing vinegar (usually apple-cider vinegar), fruit, and sugar. Once the syrup is created, it can be diluted with water, sparkling water, or other mixers to be used in a co*cktail or refreshing non-alcoholic beverage.
Apple cider is apple juice that has not been filtered and still contains all the apple pieces, pulp, and sediment. It is the raw, purer version of apple juice. To make an alcoholic cider, yeast is added which converts the sugar into alcohol. Simple right? Hard cider is the adult version of apple cider.
Introduction: My name is Aracelis Kilback, I am a nice, gentle, agreeable, joyous, attractive, combative, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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