Make 4: Switchel

     One of my goals in doing the Make A Week project is to try to make and do things I haven't done before. There are so many things that I want to try that it is already becoming difficult to narrow things down, or even keep my projects to just one a week. Just this week, for example, we made:

• pickles

• another batch of sauerkraut (We've already gone through about half of the first batch) 

• delicious homemade bread (That was all Rachelle. My baking prowess extends to toast, or, if I'm feeling adventurous, Pop-Tarts). 

     We had several delicious homemade meals, and Rachelle also made an all-natural cleaning solution of one part water, one part vinegar. I made an extremely ghetto draining rack for our sprout jar, modeled on one we saw at the store that cost about $30 (mine was made of a wire coat-hanger, an aluminum pie tin, and, of course, duct tape!).  I guess what I'm trying to say is that we are not going to be limited to one make each week. We'll have multiple makes, and some, like the sauerkraut, that will be ongoing. I will, however, highlight one particular project each week, and that one thing will usually be something I have either wanted to make for a long time, or some new (to me) project that I find intriguing. This week's make falls into the latter category: switchel.

     Now, I didn't know what this was either, until I was combing Making It for projects. Switchel is a variation on an extremely old drink made of honey and vinegar called oxymel. This combination has been used for thousands of years as a tonic and refreshing drink, and is, in many ways, a precursor to modern sports drinks. Switchel was popular in Colonial America, and was also known as Haymaker's Punch, as it was often served to those working in the hot sun while harvesting hay. It was usually made with a combination of molasses, vinegar, and ginger. I love honey, so I chose to modify this traditional recipe by including honey as well.

     I started by getting the ingredients together: raw and unfiltered apple cider vinegar, molasses, honey, and ginger root.

I took 1 cup of vinegar, 1/2 cup of honey, and 1/2 cup of molasses and simmered it over low heat, just long enough to let the honey and molasses dissolve into the vinegar.

Once this had happened, I took 1-2 ounces of fresh sliced ginger (I didn't measure this out, I just guesstimated) and added it to the liquid. After simmering for a couple of minutes, I removed it from the heat, and let the ginger steep for another 15 minutes.

     After 15 minutes, I strained the ginger out of the liquid, and poured the switchel into 3 half pint jars, with 2 being completely full, and one almost full.

These I then placed in the fridge to cool.  Of course I needed to sample the finished product. I filled a pint glass with cold, filtered water, and added 3 teaspoons of the switchel mixture. It was sweet, tart, and had just a hint of heat from the ginger.

     Now, whenever I want, I'll then be able to take 2-3 spoonfuls, mix it with cold water, and have a refreshing beverage that has no additives, no preservatives, and no weird, unpronounceable chemical ingredients. Plus, it's delicious!