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.
The history of switchel dates back to the 1700s when farmers would drink “nature's Gatorade” after a long day working in the fields. Switchel, also known as Haymaker's Punch, would not only keep farmers cool and hydrated while out in the hayfields, it was also good for their gut health.
The farmers and sailors who drank Haymaker's Punch to slake their thirst valued the drink for its health benefits. It turns out they certainly knew a thing or two. It's like nature's original sports drink: it helps to rehydrate the body, replenish lost electrolytes due to sweating and provides a boost of energy.
This microorganism called Alex is made up of millions of cells, not many of which are human cells.” This recipe for switchel, a probiotic beverage made in less than 5 minutes, is a great way to introduce beneficial microbial populations into the terrarium of your self.
Recently, switchel has made a comeback, with numerous companies making bottled versions and homemade recipes appearing online. The beverage is touted to have numerous benefits, including improved gut health, electrolyte replenishment during exercise, and blood sugar stabilization.
Drinking vinegar water is not exactly thirst quenching, but apple cider vinegar can easily be used to make a tasty homemade salad dressing, a marinade for meat, or to add a splash of flavor to roasted vegetables for very few calories.
But because of the maple syrup and apple cider vinegar found in switchel, potassium-rich electrolytes, particularly potassium, are replenished, making it an excellent alternative to sugary drinks like Gatorade.
So if you're a farm kid and you get into a brawl at the neighborhood barn dance, you'll likely try to deliver a “haymaker” — a wild, swinging punch with plenty of power just like the movements needed for cutting down hay. Some also compare the swinging motion to that needed to toss hay as well.
The first recorded punch recipe dates from 1638 when Johan Albert de Mandelslo, a German managing a factory in Surat, India recorded that the workers there made "a kind of drink consisting of aqua vitae, rose-water, juice of citrons and sugar."
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. As for taste, switchel has a refreshing "zing" and crispness, whereas kombucha is usually tart and fizzy.
Switchel, also known as “Haymaker's Punch,” is a popular drink made of apple cider vinegar, water, ginger juice, and a natural sweetener like honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, or molasses. Other ingredients like lemon juice and turmeric may also be added.
The haymaker is one of the most powerful punches used in boxing, but it's also one of the hardest to land. It involves co*cking back your arm to increase the power behind the punch, which telegraphs your intent to a skilled boxer.
Recently, switchel has made a comeback, with numerous companies making bottled versions and homemade recipes appearing online. The beverage is touted to have numerous benefits, including improved gut health, electrolyte replenishment during exercise, and blood sugar stabilization.
Help regulate and stabilise blood sugar levels. Aid digestion and improve gut health. Help to regulate appetite. Promote good heart health and help keep cholesterol levels low.
Where kombucha requires live bacterial colonies and days of fermentation, switchel is a happy and simple blend of water, ginger, apple cider vinegar and a sweetener, (usually maple syrup but can also be honey).
“By promoting blood flow and filtration, and boosting energy within the liver, apple cider vinegar can aid in the removal of harmful toxins that tend to build up in an overwhelmed or unhealthy liver,” she continues.
Introduction: My name is Horacio Brakus JD, I am a lively, splendid, jolly, vivacious, vast, cheerful, agreeable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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