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Switchel: A Hot Weather Drink
Was going through even more of the papers from my mom and dad and found this recipe. My dad used to make gallons and gallons and gallons of it when he was a farmer, and most especially during the haying season.
Speaking from a very distant memory, I think it was disgusting. But he and the other men swore by it and that it kept them hydrated and cooler........So, without further ado, I give you Switchel!
5 Tablespoons Ginger
1 Cup Vinegar
3 Cups Molasses
8 quarts cold water
*Optional - 3/4 Cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
Get this really cold (seems to me, I remember it being kept cold in big milk cans in the cold water they kept the milk cold in!!) and drink!
Comments
I have heard of Switchel...my mother spoke of it in the context of her brothers and father drinking it while working in the fields during haying. Was it the Gatorade of its day? It’s also called Haymaker’s Punch. Probably no hotter, sweatier job on earth than haying on a hot summer’s day, I’d reckon.
Having spent many sweltering summers haying, I agree that it is about the hardest work imaginable. I can’t say I’ve ever heard of Switchel, though. We usually just had a spigot at the back of the barn.
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