“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.”
Laura Ingalls Wilder, “The Long Winter“
When I saw that this Historical Food Fortnightly challenge was about the Harvest, I knew that I would be doing this particular receipt.
Now, with a topic like “Harvest” there is an abundance (no pun intended) of ideas and options. But, having worked on several historical farms before, I know that one of the most important harvests of the year is bringing in the hay. The survival of your livestock is dependent on this harvest. Without it your meat supply, fertilizers and (pre-industrial revolution farming) work force/transportation on the farm will starve during the winter months. So making sure you get plenty of hay in is of the upmost importance.
It’s funny how the mindset of making hay never really leaves you. It’s been years since I’ve last flung bales of hay onto a truck bed, raked and turned a golden field, or anxiously watching the sky as we carry large loads of hay into a shelter to keep it dry. But I still find myself watching the weather in late spring, worried if there is too much rain that the first cutting won’t have time to dry properly. Or that it won’t get cut till late, which jeopardizes the second and possibly third cuttings. Or, if it has been a very dry summer, how tough the 2nd cutting will be, more like straw in consistency rather than hay. Or watching a farmer turn the hay rows and sending good thoughts that the rains will hold off a few days so that it will be dry before baling. I don’t need to make hay anymore, but the knowledge and awareness never leaves you.
So, now that you know why haying is near and dear to my heart, onto the receipt!
I must admit that I knew about this receipt long before this challenge. And I know it is a good one because I’ve had many people (mainly reenactors) who have complimented me on this particular receipt. I will say that many people are turned off by the thought of drinking something that has vinegar and molasses in it. Even I was skeptical the first time I ever made it. But, I will say this, that it is surprisingly refreshing and the vinegar taste is subtle. In fact, being that it is apple cider vinegar, it tastes more like cider than vinegar. So I highly encourage you to try it!
Haymaker’s Switchel
8 cups Water
1 cup Sugar
½ cup Molasses
½ cup Cider Vinegar
½ tsp Ground Ginger
“In a sauce pan heat together water, sugar, vinegar, molasses and ginger till sugar is dissolved. Chill before serving.”
Unknown Source, ca. 1860
This particular receipt is very simple and not that time consuming. You just have to make sure you have a large enough pot to heat everything in. So I gathered the ingredients, as shown above, and started filling the pot!
After adding the water and apple cider vinegar to the pot, I poured in the sugar.
Then I poured in the molasses.
For this receipt I only had black strap molasses available. There are several different grades of molasses and “black strap” is the most common one. But it can have a bit of a bitter taste. So if you’d like more sweetness, try and find a “light” or “Barbados” molasses.
Last, I added the ginger.
At this point the water was starting to heat up (which I put on when I first poured in the water/vinegar).
So I gave everything a quick stir to mix together…
… then I let it heat up till all the sugar and the ginger dissolved. It really doesn’t need that long to heat up. You don’t want to boil it, just make sure all the ingredients are well integrated. You’ll know it visually when all the ginger disappears from the top and it looks like one consistent color.
Then let it cool and put it into a pitcher/jar to put in the fridge till it is nice and cold. This is a necessary step, so don’t skip it!
And there you have it! Haymaker’s Switchel!
Now, other switchel receipts are often concentrated and recommend you dilute it with more water. But you don’t need to do that in this case. Because everything is heated together there is no need to dilute. In fact, I think this is one of the better ones out there because you make sure all the ingredients have time to come together, rather than forcing them right before drinking.
But even if you are on the fence about this one just try it once. I’m sure that you’ll be surprised how good it is!