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/

I Want a Beautiful Body - 1910

 By Suzanne Norquist

Although beauty standards have varied throughout history, women have always longed for attractive physiques. The chapters on “Developing the Figure” and “Reducing Flesh” in Margaret Mixter’s book, Health and Beauty Hints, published in 1910, provide surprisingly familiar advice.

Apparently, women desired a full, symmetrical figure without extra flesh. Today, fullness in the right areas is still coveted. However, I’ve never heard anyone talk about symmetry. Of course, no one wants extra flesh.

One section in the book is titled “Exercise Improves Figure More Than Corset.” Who can argue with that? Modern women have replaced corsets and stays with shapewear. The easy way never goes out of style, but it can’t provide a long-term solution.

Chair exercises are recommended. “. . . sit astride a chair, facing the back. . . she grasps firmly, and then without moving, she should twist her body around one way just as far as she can make it go before repeating the motion toward the other side.”

Another section is entitled “Sweeping and Dusting Develop the Figure.” Isn’t this just like the Karate Kid movie? It recommends leaning from the waist to pick things up to keep limber. And there is a proper way to hold a broom for exercise.

I was baffled by the bust developer recipe until I realized it is mostly herbs and essential oils. The concoction is taken internally, which seems a bit odd.

The Vaucaire bust developer, which is an old formula said to be harmless, is made of five grains of liquid extract of imported galega, five grains of lactophosphate of lime, 5 grams of tincture of fennel, and 200 grams of simple syrup.

Take two soupspoonfuls in water before each meal. Drinking malt extract at the same time is also advised by Dr. Vaucaire. It will probably be six weeks before a change is noticed.

Galega is a flowering plant. Lactophosphate of lime is baking powder. And I have fennel in my spice cabinet. I can’t imagine how this would develop the bust, but I could see myself trying it.

Of course, newspapers of the day promised miraculous ways to improve this part of a woman’s figure.

An advertisement in the May 23, 1914, edition of the Denver Weekly Post used the following picture to tout its product. Readers could send for a free book.

A woman who responded could “develop her bust six inches in thirty days without exercise, massage, prescriptions, or apparatus,” which were all common practices at the time. Notice in the after picture how the woman’s face and smile look better too. Perhaps this product fixes more than just the figure.

The 1910 health and beauty book gave surprisingly modern advice about “reducing flesh.” Moderate exercise and healthy eating are recommended—cut fats and sweets. Sassafras tea could be used as a substitute for a mid-morning snack. I might have to try that.

Of course, newspapers offered concoctions to get rid of fat. They called it fat rather than excess flesh.

The September 21, 1878 edition of the Golden Globe, from Golden, Colorado, carried an advertisement for Allan’s Anti-Fat. This medicine supposedly caused weight loss of two to five pounds per week.

Many advertisements offered booklets of some kind, probably ones that touted medicines. By 1913, shysters promised to reduce flesh with electricity.

Regular articles that didn’t tout quackery also showed up in papers. A “Beauty Chats” section in the July 16, 1920 edition of the Dolores Star, Dolores, Colorado, describes calorie counting. “You can eat as much as you like as long as your food only has a small number of calories of fat.”

Apparently, our technology hasn’t brought us that far in the last hundred years. I guess it’s time to exercise and eat right. 

***

”Mending Sarah’s Heart” in the Thimbles and Threads Collection

Four historical romances celebrating the arts of sewing and quilting.

Mending Sarah’s Heart by Suzanne Norquist

Rockledge, Colorado, 1884

Sarah seeks a quiet life as a seamstress. She doesn’t need anyone, especially her dead husband’s partner. If only the Emporium of Fashion would stop stealing her customers, and the local hoodlums would leave her sons alone. When she rejects her husband’s share of the mine, his partner Jack seeks to serve her through other means. But will his efforts only push her further away?

For a Free Preview, click here: http://a.co/1ZtSRkK

Suzanne Norquist is the author of two novellas, “A Song for Rose” in A Bouquet of Brides Collection and “Mending Sarah’s Heart” in the Thimbles and Threads Collection. Everything fascinates her. She has worked as a chemist, professor, financial analyst, and even earned a doctorate in economics. Research feeds her curiosity, and she shares the adventure with her readers. She lives in New Mexico with her mining engineer husband and has two grown children. When not writing, she explores the mountains, hikes, and attends kickboxing class.

She authors a blog entitled, Ponderings of a BBQ Ph.D.