Haytime Switchel Recipe: The First 'Gatorade' Thirst Quencher? (2024)
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’.
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)
1/2 – 3/4 teaspoon sea salt (to replace electrolytes -sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium- lost in heavy sweating)
sliced lemons
Directions:
Add all the ingredients except the water to a quart jar, cap tightly, and shake to mix thoroughly.
Top up with cold water and serve.
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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What does switchel taste like? Switchel is sweet and tangy, with a crisp, clean flavor that goes down smooth--just what you'd expect from a simple recipe of maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, ginger, and bootstrap molasses!
Gatorade is a solution of water with many different ingredients, such as sugars and salts, dissolved in it. Gatorade consists of water, citric acid, sodium citrate, dextrose, monopotassium phosphate, and many other ingredients. So, it has more than two types of elements, making it a mixture.
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.
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).
According to the Tea Council of the USA survey, about 86% of Americans drink green tea. Green tea is generally considered the healthiest beverage globally due to its high levels of nutrients and antioxidants that fight off diseases and keep your organ functioning at its optimum level.
When to Drink a Switchel. Switchel drinks usually pair with a meal since they can help to support digestion and blood sugar balance at the meal time. You can drink it slightly ahead of the meal, 5-10 minutes or so, or sip it throughout the meal.
Switchel can be a nutritious alternative for sugar-laden drinks like soda and fruit punch. Its unprocessed ingredients are associated with many health benefits, and it's a low-calorie drink that's simple to make.
It is a natural and clean way to replenish electrolytes.
By having apple cider vinegar after a workout, it can help rebalance and replenish your electrolytes. It is even a great natural supplement that can enable healing in sore muscles. Make sure to dilute ACV in water before consuming!
Drinking Gatorade after 30 minutes or more of intense exercise can help quickly replace water and electrolytes you lose by sweating. However, drinking water will do much of the same thing. Gatorade is not unhealthy, but it does have high amounts of sugar and salt.
A haymaker is generally referring to a sweeping hook or an overhand thrown from the rear hand in a combat stance. It is colloquially known as a haymaker because the wide arc of the punch is so similar to the arc of a scythe when it is being used to cut hay.
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."
Because ciders can be still, naturally sparkling or carbonated, the first impact on the tongue can deliver a different first taste. Ciders can be fresh, crisp, tangy, sweet, bold or elegant, earthy or light – or a complex combination of all taste sensations and lingering after tastes.
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.
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.
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.
Introduction: My name is Nicola Considine CPA, I am a determined, witty, powerful, brainy, open, smiling, proud person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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