Switchel is my new favorite home remedy. It is an old fashioned New England drink known as Haymaker’s Punch. Colonial farmers used it for hydration on hot summer days. Members of Congress are also said to have drank it spiked with rum. The original recipe is made with apple cider vinegar, ginger and a sweetener like molasses or maple syrup. It contains electrolytes such as potassium and helps boost the immune system. This is an old recipe from the Old Farmer’s Almanac archives:
1 gallon water
1 1/2 cups molasses
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
When I was at the Sharon Springs Harvest Festival last year, a shop called Weather Top Farm was selling a Turmeric Ginger Switchel. I bought a bottle and tried drinking it to get rid of sinus congestion. I’m not sure it worked, since it was a small bottle, but I came across a similar recipe here and have been drinking it. I’m still not sure it helps, but it certainly can’t hurt, especially with cold and flu season approaching.
This is the recipe I started making:
1 tablespoon raw honey
1 tablespoon organic apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated fresh turmeric or 1/3 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger or 1/3 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 cup water
Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. Strain the liquid to removed the grated ingredients. If using the ground ingredients, strain if you want. I just stir it before drinking.
I like to drink this a tablespoon or 2 at a time with an additional tablespoon of water added to it throughout the day.
Ginger is great for helping digestion and turmeric has many health benefits including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-cancer, good for the brain.
Black pepper is used to make the turmeric more easily absorbed by the body.
Challenge:
Give switchel a try. Order a bottle, or try making your own with one of the above recipes.
Resources:
https://www.almanac.com/history-switchel
https://www.almanac.com/apple-cider-vinegar-drink-recipe
https://www.almanac.com/switchel-recipe-haymakers-punch
https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-turmeric-switchel-227303
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9229778/
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