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Old August 27th 17, 07:18 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
Joy Beeson
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Posts: 1,638
Default AG: Switchel


Wednesday, 23 August 2017

I felt like oats for breakfast, so this morning I made the last batch
of switchel of the season.

Marsh being dead, I'd have thought it the last batch ever, but I've
seen something that looks very like ginger root at the new
International Foods in Lakeview Plaza. On the third hand, IF might
not live until spring; I'm *always* the only customer when I go, and I
don't spend much. And I never buy produce because I don't know how to
cook it, and it isn't labeled, so I can't look it up. (Organization
has been improving, so labels might appear. And if I catch the male
clerk on duty, I can ask him.)

The first step was to mince (finely chop with a knife) the remaining
lump of ginger root and put it into the special container for the
stick blender. Ordinarily, I measure out a pint of water, add just
enough to operate the blender at each iteration, and strain the
flavored water into a pint jar to be refrigerated for later use. But
the ginger had gotten rather feeble, so I used only two half-cups of
water, and strained it into the previous batch of switchel base.

Then I put the ground ginger -- which had expanded amazingly -- into a
sauce pan and rinsed out the blender container with a quart of water.

There was a scrap of lemon that ought to be used up in the fridge, so
I cut a mostly-peel chunk off one side and threw that in. Half a cup
of rolled oats, a quarter teaspoon of Lite Salt (50/50 sodium chloride
and potassium chloride), bring to a boil, stir for a few seconds, turn
off the fire, run back to shut Roomba out of the sewing room, strain
into a one-quart maple-syrup jar, which it came a cup or so short of
filling, let the strainer drip into the funnel for a few minutes, plop
the residue onto a plate, and eat it with butter and honey. No
discernable ginger flavor; should have used up that root weeks ago.

I dilute the base with ice cubes when filling bottles, and usually add
strained orange juice or honey and lemon.

I really should try vinegar and molasses instead of orange juice. It
wouldn't be authentic, because the only molasses in the house is a
high-toned sorghum, and I'd probably use up some of that surplus
"balsamic" vinegar.

Just checked: I don't have *any* cider vinegar, but there's an
un-opened bottle of malt vinegar.

--------------------------------

I first saw the word "switchel" on the 18th-Century Woman mailing
list, where it was called "eighteenth-century Gatorade" and defined as
water flavored with molasses, vinegar, and ginger. I later learned
that some areas also added oatmeal -- which was probably real oatmeal,
not rolled oats.

The O.E.D. informed me that the original meaning was diluted molasses
served to hard-working men as a beverage, and that it was sometimes
flavored with vinegar, ginger, or both.

"Switchel" was also the name of a "wretched tea" served to sailors,
but that meaning doesn't appear to have left any descendants.

Switchel is still better than Gatorade, particularly when you add some
complex carbs. But barley coagulates when frozen, and the curds clog
a bottle's valve. I haven't tried freezing brown-rice water. I
vaguely recall carrying frozen concentrate made from rolled oats, and
the only problem was breaking it into pieces that I could put into the
bottle. Usually the sugar makes the ice soft, but once I layered
ingredients into salad-dressing cups without mixing them together;
when partly thawed, it was very hard ice and honey that was firmly
glued to the bottom of the cup. I had to set it in the sunshine while
I went into a store, and it still wouldn't go into the bottle.

There's a half-cup container of concentrate in the freezer; it's pink
-- I wonder what I put in it? Probably be spring before I put it into
a pannier. Frozen concentrate is mostly for the trip to Mentone, and
I didn't do that this summer. Lunch at Teals is motivating, but not
motivating enough. Really no more interest in Mentone than Pierceton,
now that I know that the Oddfellows Cafe doesn't sweeten its tomato
soup, and it's only seven miles to Pierceton. The Pierceton library
doesn't have a couch in the reading room, but one doesn't need a
lie-down before riding back.


25 August 2017

Yesterday I squeezed the remaining scrap of lemon into a bottle, threw
in the crushed peel, filled the bottle with most of the old switchel
base and ice cubes, and went for a ride. Didn't drink all of it; I
learned that it's time to start carrying more than two handkerchiefs,
and I wished that I'd worn my heavier jersey.

Tomorrow, if I get to bed Right Now, I'll go to the farmers' markets
in the morning and the Pierceton Tomato Festival in the afternoon.


26 August 2017

Did go; used only two handkerchiefs per tour, but had more handy.
Morning was the usual farmers' markets tour, except that I ran into my
niece and nephew at the Center Street market. At the fairgrounds
market I bought three pints of little tomatoes (yellow, orange, and
red. The orange are the best.) and put them into two Little Salad Bar
boxes I'd brought for the purpose; they fit the bottom of my insulated
pannier neatly, and allowed me to pack stuff on top of my tomatoes. I
didn't buy anything at the Center Street market, but I did have a
couple of food bars and some spare handkerchiefs on top of the boxes.
(I carry table napkins as handkerchiefs.)

In the morning, I diluted the remaining sour switchel with the rest of
the older switchel base and some ice cubes. Upon return, I dumped the
lemon peel and basil (which by then were in plain water) onto the
winter savory, and refilled after my nap with the new switchel base,
strained orange juice,fresh basil, and ice cubes.

I put a bottle of plain water into the other cage, and two bottles for
the trip back into a pannier, grumping at the space they occupied and
cussing the town of Pierceton for turning off its only drinking
fountain. Then the dime dropped and I fished a one-liter tonic bottle
out of the recycling bin. Holds as much water as two bike bottles,
takes up less space in the pannier, and I can throw it away if it gets
in my way. And at Aldi, after buying a bottle of cherry juice that I
wanted its space in the pannier for, I did empty the tonic bottle onto
an ornamental bush and throw it into a trash can. Also refilled the
bike bottles, which had lasted that far, one at the sink and the one
with basil at the drinking fountain.

Took two more Little Salad Bar boxes to the festival, but bought only
one tomato. I'd had my eye on another, but the booth packed up before
I got there. Putting first things first, I'd bought a plate of fried
green tomatoes and a bowl of apple crisp under a pint of homemade ice
cream before shopping for tomatoes.

At Aldi, I manfully resisted the urge to buy a box of Little Salad Bar
potato salad and throw the empty box after the tonic bottle. (Spouse
isn't supposed to eat carbs.) I did buy a package of beef snack
sticks; I had a craving for something salty.

On the way to Pierceton, I was overtaken by a boy in Lycra, and met
him coming back when I'd almost reached the town.

--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

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