Please see our affiliate notice, located on the sidebar. Thank you for supporting Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household!

Monday, May 23, 2022

Switchel, easy, delicious, and mildly probiotic for gut health!

With summer on its way, now is the time to get geared up for making easy, and delicious beverages in your own kitchen. Let's start with this one, Switchel a tried and true thirst quencher!  Come and take a look at how easy it is to make. 


Everything old, becomes new again! Switchel has a history, decades old.

I am always on the lookout for a healthy, hydrating beverage to enjoy. Especially in the warm weather months. In previous years I have brewed Kombucha, and from there tried Water Keifer. For our small family and basically just me, it was not cost-effective to brew large batches of either of these beverages. And yet, I still wanted to be able to produce a fermented, gut-healthy beverage in my own kitchen. So I kept looking.

I know many who love and drink gallons of iced tea each summer. And while I applaud you for staying hydrated, I do not belong to that group. Tea is lovely, but I am not an iced tea fan. And there are others who can quaff down water by the gallons each day, and while I would like to be a part of your group, alas I am not. I wish I could be part of the group of folks who can and do drink an assortment of all sorts of beverages to stay hydrated, but drinks with too much sugar actually make me more thirsty! Now what!?



My love of food history articles led me to Switchel. 

Then, a couple of years ago I came across an article for Switchel. Also known as Hay Maker's Punch it is a family-friendly beverage made with maple syrup, fresh ginger, and apple cider vinegar. It is all-natural with no artificial ingredients and it is good for your gut and digestive tract. Count me in! The only thing left to do? Share how to make it! Without further commentary, a tutorial on how you can make Switchel....(it is really very easy) There is nothing better than a healthy drink made from your own pantry ingredients.

And for those looking for a coconut water version, you may want to try this delicious Blueberry and Coconut Switchel! Not too sweet, and very refreshing!


Some thoughts on this recipe.

The probiotic action comes from the raw apple cider vinegar, combined with a short stay on your kitchen counter.

You may substitute coconut water for the plain water adding additional minerals to the mix. 

While the original Switchel/Hay Maker's Punch recipe is fairly standard, feel free to increase the apple cider vinegar, ginger, or maple syrup to achieve the flavor your family prefers. 

For more than one quart, simply double the ingredients and use a larger container!


Ingredients needed for this recipe:
  • raw apple cider vinegar
  • real maple syrup
  • fresh ginger
  • sea salt
You will also need the following:
  • measuring spoons
  • measuring cups
  • storage jar with a lid
  • grater or food planer
  • kitchen spoon
Now we are ready to begin!


Apple cider vinegar, real maple syrup, minced ginger are the basic ingredients to make Switchel.
Switchel is an old fashion mildly probiotic drink for the whole family to enjoy.


Switchel
adapted from:  Wellness Mama

1-quart jar

4 t raw apple cider vinegar (shake the bottle and get some of the "mother

4 T real maple syrup

pinch of sea salt

1-2 t grated fresh ginger, tip: start with 1 t and go from there, ginger is delicious but can be pungent.

cool water - (if your water has fluoride, draw off the water the day before and let stand overnight to clear out the  fluoride)

Grate enough ginger for the recipe, and place it into the jar. 

Add the apple cider vinegar, sea salt, and maple syrup. Fill with a scant 4 cups of water, and stir gently. 

Cover with toweling or a small sandwich bag. Let sit on the counter overnight or for up to 48 hours to ferment. 

Refrigerate until needed. Stir gently before drinking, you may strain out the ginger pieces if desired. Switchel keeps for several days in the refrigerator. When the jar gets empty, make more!

UPDATE:  For your convenience, a "copy and paste" version of Switchel has been included below.


 You may also enjoy this recipe for Easy Chia Seed Water


#campfood

#wholefoodingredients

#scratchmadefoodforyourfamily

Thanks for stopping by!

 
We offer new and delicious recipes as well as DIY ideas for your home, regularly. Feel free to drop us an email request for any question or recipe you may be looking for. In addition, like all our guests, we invite you to come for a visit again and again for new recipes, and my down-home take on frugal ways to keep your home in tip top shape. 

 
Hey you, don’t miss a post! Please consider following Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household. To follow by email, and/or by RSS feed, complete the application located on the right-hand side of the blog. Please Note, some posts may contain affiliate links, thank you for supporting Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household.
 

PS, friends, and family who love good food and household ideas might love us too! Tell them about us, and thanks for the referral! 


You may also enjoy, Creative writing from the heart... stories of life, living, and family.


Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household proudly shares with these generous link parties featured here


Printable "copy and paste" version:
Switchel
adapted from:  Wellness Mama

1-quart jar

4 t raw apple cider vinegar (shake the bottle and get some of the "mother

4 T real maple syrup

pinch of sea salt

1-2 t grated fresh ginger, tip: start with 1 t and go from there, ginger is delicious but can be pungent.

cool water - (if your water has fluoride, draw off the water the day before and let stand overnight to clear out the  fluoride)

Grate enough ginger for the recipe, and place it into the jar. 

Add the apple cider vinegar, sea salt, and maple syrup. Fill with a scant 4 cups of water, and stir gently. 

Cover with toweling or a small sandwich bag. Let sit on the counter overnight or for up to 48 hours to ferment. 

Refrigerate until needed. Stir gently before drinking, you may strain out the ginger pieces if desired. Switchel keeps for several days in the refrigerator. When the jar gets empty, make more!

~~~~

Would you like to comment?

  1. Melinda, I always find such great ideas on your site. I love this simple yet healthy pro-biotic idea for summer. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! And thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it.

      Delete
  2. Nice recipe, so natural and simple!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for sharing, Melynda. I am looking for fermented recipes with my recent diagnosis. This looks doable!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! It is also adaptable tor your own preferred flavor. I usually use the smaller amount of ginger as fresh ginger can have a little bite of heat if I use to much. Take care!

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. It is an old recipe, made new again with the ACV craze (which is a good thing!).

      Delete
  5. Never heard of Switchel. I was all in until the ACV. I would probably replace the ACV with lemon juice. I'll try it your way and see what happens. You're my neighbor at Random-osity Link-Up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The ACV is mild but we all have a tolerance for sour. I had to adjust the ginger for my taste, it was quite spicy in the original recipe I tried.

      Delete
  6. Sounds refreshing and a little different. I'd love to give it a try.
    Amalia
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  7. This sounds good!! Pinned! Thanks for sharing at My Big Fat Menopausal Life's Share the Wealth Party. Hope your week is amazing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Helen, you are welcome. Thanks for hosting, I appreciate it!

      Delete

Comments always appreciated, at Scratch Made Food! Thank you for stopping by!