HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF SWITCHEL?

By Mary Davis

If you have, here is your gold star.

Perhaps you know it by one of its other names.

Haymaker’s Punch?

Farmer’s Water?

Ginger Water?

Ginger Pop?

Nectar of the weary farmhand?

Yankee Punch?

Yankee Beverage?

Yankee?

Harvest Drink?

 

No? None of those rings a bell? Me either.

 

It is believed to have originated in the Caribbean, but New England also claims ownership to its creation. So, if you live in the Northeast, you might have come across this, as it was common in that area in the 1700s and 1800s. Even as far back as the late 1600s. Think of it as their version of Gatorade.

 

By the various names it went by, you can see that it was used to a great extent by individuals who worked outside, often in the heat. They would have it in a ceramic jug and leave it in the shade—or better yet, a creek—to keep cool.

 

Notice the jug of switchel in the lower right corner.

 

It was also used by sailors and whalers. When they were out whaling, they wouldn’t get the switchel until they got the whale.

 

The US Congress was known to have a bowl of switchel while in session. “On hot days - all summer and spring and often in winter, a great bowl of switchel stood in the middle of the Senate or the House. … Members paused in their great speeches … and going up to the great bowl, dipped deep.”

The Passing Age by Arthur Gray Staples (1924)

 

Congress

It was also a favorite in the courts of justice.

 

Laura Ingalls Wilder described a switchel-like drink in her novel The Long Winter.

"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 until they were not thirsty. Ginger-water would not make them sick, as plain cold water would when they were so hot."

 

Herman Melville wrote in his work titled I and My Chimney, "I will give a traveler a cup of switchel, if he wants it; but am I bound to supply him with a sweet taste?"

 

It consists of water, shredded ginger, vinegar, and a sweetener—usually molasses, maple syrup, or honey.

 

 

Did I say vinegar? This does not sound appealing, but workers drank it by the gallons. So, naturally, I had to try it.

 

One of the old versions from 1800s called for 5 gallons of good water, 1/2 gallon of molasses, 1 quart of vinegar, and 2 ounces of powdered ginger.

 

Um . . . I don’t think so. That is way too much for little ole me to taste test.

 

It seems that everyone’s recipe was/is a little different. Some optional ingredients are freshly shredded ginger, nutmeg instead of ginger, salt, a fresh squeezed lemon, lemon zest, and rum—a favorite of sailors and was known to be in Congress’s version. Others used a fruit juice in lieu of the water. I mashed several versions together, pared it way down, and made mine this way.

1/2 tsp ginger

2 Tbsp honey

1.5 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1.5 cups water

 

I made a second one with brown sugar instead of honey.

 

Though the early drinkers of this beverage didn’t know it, switchel has several health benefits.

◆         Ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory, helping with digestive issues, pain, and skin problems.

◆         Maple syrup and apple cider vinegar help replenish electrolytes.

◆         Apple cider vinegar has healing compounds like potassium, magnesium, and probiotics as well as helps to balance pH levels and detox the body.

◆         Real maple syrup is a great natural sweetener that reportedly doesn’t affect blood sugar levels like cane sugar when used in moderation and includes trace antioxidants and minerals.

 

“But, Mary, you didn’t tell us how it tasted.”

 

Like others online, I was surprised that it didn’t taste like swigging straight vinegar. I tasted the sweet honey flavor first then a hint of the vinegar tang at the back of my mouth as it was going down. It wasn’t too bad. However, the brown sugar version wasn’t as good. It was almost flavorless, but still with the hint of the vinegar on the back of my tongue. Maybe I’ll try adding more brown sugar or throwing in some maple syrup. I also like the idea of using juice instead of water.

 

Though I didn’t find it awesome, I might drink this regularly because of the health benefits.

 

Bottle of Switchel

Down the hatch.

 

 

THE PRODIGAL DAUGHTERS SERIES 

COURTING HER AMISH HEART (Book 1) ~ A doctor or an Amish wife? Kathleen Yoder can choose to be only one… Practicing medicine means sacrifice—no Amish man wants a doctor for a wife.

COURTING HER SECRET HEART (Book 2) ~ Caught between two worlds… Deborah Miller lives a double life as an Amish woman—and a fashion model! Soon she must choose between the Englischer world of modeling and the Amish man she’s come to love.

COURTING HER PRODIGAL HEART (Book 3) ~ Mother-to-Be’s Amish Homecoming. Pregnant and alone, Dori Bontrager is sure her Amish kin won’t welcome her back into the community—or the child she’s carrying.

https://books2read.com/marydavisbooks

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE LADY’S MISSION. Her other novels include THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle Book 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle Book 3) is a SELAH Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT, THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection, Prodigal Daughters Amish series, "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in Colorado with her Carolina Dog named Shelby. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at: Books2Read Newsletter Blog FB FB Readers Group Amazon GoodReads BookBub

 

Sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBGg4Svd8HI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wx1qfcT7KQ

https://www.ruralsprout.com/switchel/

https://www.almanac.com/history-switchel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switchel

https://draxe.com/recipes/switchel/

Everything You Didn’t Want to Know about the Plague

 By Sherri Boomershine

The Black Plague (name of the pandemic) or the bubonic plague (name of the disease) struck Europe and Asia in the 1300s. It first arrived in Europe when ships from the Black Sea docked in Sicily with most of the sailors aboard the ships dead or seriously ill and covered in boils that oozed blood and pus. Sicilian authorities ordered the ships out of the harbor, but it was too late. Over the next five years, the Black Plague would kill more than 20 million people in Europe—almost one-third of its population. In Asia as well, trading ships brought the disease to the continent.

The Black Plague was extremely contagious requiring only the mere touching of clothes. The disease was quick. People who were healthy when they went to bed at night could be dead by morning. The Bubonic Plague attacked the lymphatic system, causing swelling in the lymph nodes that resulted in boils. Symptoms included fever, chills, aches, vomiting, diarrhea, and finally death. Today scientists know that the bacillus travels from person to person through the air or through the bite of infected fleas and rats.

Back in the day, doctors treated the disease by bloodletting and boil-lancing as well as by burning aromatic herbs and bathing in rosewater or vinegar. Of course, cleanliness was not valued back then by doctor or patient. The plague was so virulent, healthy people did all they could to avoid the sick. Doctors refused to see patients; priests refused to administer last rites; and shopkeepers closed their stores. Even animals caught the disease. 

Because most of the population of Europe was illiterate, many people believed that the Black Death was divine punishment for their sins. Some people believed the only way to be forgiven was to purge their communities of heretics. As a result, thousands of Jews were massacred. Other people sought penance by self-flagellation. They would beat themselves three times a day with leather straps studded with sharp pieces of metal while the townspeople looked on, then move on to the next town. 5

The Black Plague of the Middle Ages dissipated but never disappeared. The plague in some form reappeared every few generations for centuries. Modern sanitation and public-health practices have lessened the impact of the disease but have not eliminated it. While antibiotics are available to treat the Black Death, according to The World Health Organization, there are still 1,000 to 3,000 cases of plague every year. https://www.history.com/articles/black-death

Sherri Boomershine is a woman of faith who loves all things foreign whether it’s food, culture, or language. A former French teacher and flight attendant, her passion is traveling to the settings of her books, sampling the food, and visiting the sites. She visited a Netherlands concentration camp for A Song for Her Enemies, and Paris art museums for What Hides beyond the Walls. Sherri lives with her husband Mike, her high school sweetheart, whom she married fifty-five years later. As an author and editor, she hopes her books will entertain and challenge readers to live large and connect with their Savior. Join, chat, and share with her on social media. Newsletter Facebook Twitter Instagram Website

If the Nazis stole your house, wouldn’t you be justified in stealing it back?

When Tamar Feldman admits to her husband, Daniel, and mentor, Neelie Visser, that she broke into her former home, they scold her for taking such a risk. Tamar is tired of being careful. She’s tired of living in the present, as if the past doesn’t matter. But the painting of the violin girl in her former bedroom draws her back again and again. She finally steals the painting to return it to its former owner. Now maybe this small act of justice will help Tamar start to heal. When Neelie sees the painting, she reveals a secret about it that will take the three of them on a quest to Amsterdam and Paris to find justice, forgiveness, and new beginnings. What Tamar doesn’t realize is the past isn’t finished with her yet; in fact, it’s as close as the walls in her house. https://bit.ly/44l056l

An Impossible Choice: Standing Firm (part 3 of 3) by Liisa Eyerly

The Dilemma of Early Christians

Christian exclusivity to the Triune God was seen as a direct challenge to the established order. By refusing to participate in the state religion’s ceremonies—whether offering sacrifices to the emperor or participating in civic feasts—Christians were perceived as subversive, anti-social, and potentially traitors. They were seen as insulting the gods, and the Romans believed that this would bring divine retribution upon them, resulting in public disasters such as famine, plague, or earthquakes.

As Tertullian (c. 155–c. 220 AD) put it, the Christians were blamed for every calamity that befell the empire:

“They think the Christians are the cause of every public disaster, of every affliction with which the people are visited. If the Tiber rises as high as the city walls, if the Nile does not send its waters up over the fields, if the heavens give no rain, if there is an earthquake, if there is famine or pestilence, straightway the cry is, 'Away with the Christians to the lions!'”

The Martyrdom of Justin Martyr 

Justin Martyr (c. 100–c. 165 AD), one of the most well-known Christian apologists of the early church, was among those who refused to deny Christ under pressure. Despite writing multiple defenses of Christianity and attempting to convince the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius to cease persecuting Christians, Justin, as you can guess by his name, failed.

(A bearded Justin Martyr presenting an open book to a Roman emperor. Engraving by Jacques Callot.)

After refusing to offer sacrifices to the Roman gods, Justin and some of his students were scourged and beheaded. He was a philosopher who knew the risks but believed that the Christian faith was worth the cost of his life. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Lutheran, and Anglican traditions. (Mosaic of the beheading of Justin Martyr)

A Thin Moral Line

Like many early Christians, the believers in my novels must navigate the thin line between survival and martyrdom. The Roman authorities often gave Christians a choice: deny Christ, offer sacrifices to the Roman gods, and live—or remain steadfast in their beliefs and die. Could a Christian compromise and save their life with a little white lie? 

A “white lie” is often described as a harmless or trivial falsehood, usually told to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. But is it always harmless? For a Christian, could lying to save one’s life really be justified if it meant denying their faith?
(15th-century icon of Justin Martyr by Theophanes the Cretan)

“Therefore, whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” (Matt 10:32-33 NKJV)

This teaching made the act of sacrificing to the emperor—or denying Christ in any way—a spiritual betrayal, even if the lie were small.

A Modern Dilemma

The early Christians faced a monumental test of faith, but the persecution of Christians continues in many parts of our world, as documented by groups like Voice of the Martyrs. Christians today still face the decision: lie to save their lives or remain true to their faith? 

Would a little white lie be acceptable, or is there always a moral cost to compromising one’s beliefs?  

-Cairns, Earle E. (1996). "Chapter 7:Christ or Caesar". Christianity Through the Centuries: A History of the Christian Church (Third ed.). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan. ISBN 978-0-310-20812-9.
-Clark, Mark Edward (1983). "Spes in the Early Imperial Cult: "The Hope of Augustus"". Numen. 30 (1): 80–105. doi:10.1163/156852783X00168. JSTOR 3270103
- Whitby, Michael; Streeter, Joseph, eds. (2006). Christian Persecution, Martyrdom, and Orthodoxy GEM de Ste.Croix. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-927812-1.
-Jump up to:a b Catherwood, Christopher (2011). "Chapter Three, From Christ to Christendom: The Early Church". A Brief History of the Middle East (Second ed.). London: Constable and Robin Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84901-508-0.
-A Short History of the Early Church, By Harry R. Boer page 45
-Bart D. Ehrman, A Brief Introduction to the New Testament (Oxford University Press 2004 ISBN 978-0-19-536934-2), pp. 313–314
-Bryant, Joseph M. (1993). "The Sect-Church Dynamic and Christian Expansion in the Roman Empire: Persecution, Penitential Discipline, and Schism in Sociological Perspective". The British Journal of Sociology. 44 (2): 303–339. doi:10.2307/591221. JSTOR 591221.

Winner of Eric Hoffer's First Horizon Award, Obedient Unto Death launches the thrilling Secrets of Ephesus mystery series, weaving a captivating Christian twist into the heart of the first-century Roman Empire. When a scribe is murdered during an illicit Christian gathering, an innocent bishop is imprisoned. Sabina, a fearless believer, must navigate a treacherous world of deceit and betrayal to save him. With time running out and execution looming, she risks everything to uncover the truth—before the fragile Christian community is torn apart forever. Will Sabina's courage and faith be enough to stop the injustice before it's too late?

Bio: Liisa Eyerly’s Secrets of Ephesus series adds a Christian twist to first-century Roman Empire mysteries. Her debut novel, Obedient Unto Death (2022), won the Eric Hoffer First Horizon Award and first place in Spiritual Fiction. The second book, Fortunes of Death, launched in October. A lifelong mystery lover, Liisa was inspired by the Apostle Paul’s depiction of early Christians. After careers in teaching, librarianship, and stained glass, she began writing full-time at fifty. Liisa lives in northern Wisconsin with her husband and enjoys pickleball, kayaking, Bible study, and visiting Ancient Roman sites.

Visit me at my website or my FaceBook author page.
or
Purchase my books at: CrossRiver Media and on Amazon
Fortunes of Death
Obedient Unto Death
My Amazon book page

Thank you for reading!