Rosanna Kuntze

Interesting about the switchel made by your Grandmother.  The connection to the mineral content is in the cane sugar syrup.  Sugar cane, as I understand it, if not highly refined has trace minerals in it.  Molasses, I understand, is high in iron.   That, of course, is a concentrated form of your sugar.  If you use unrefined sugar in your drinks or the cane sugar syrup of your Grand mother's day you are getting the trace minerals which may  be similar to the electrolyte content of or an equivalent of the same in Gatorade.  Just a thought.  Perhaps someone knows for sure.


In answer to the mint family infusions:  We make mint tea (peppermint or spearmint) in a kettle, add honey to it while it is hot then add lemon juice to it, then cool it.  One can add lemonade to the mint tea with similar results.  But we did find fresh squeezed lemon deteriorates fast in the drink especially when used in a thermos for work.  Now, I just put the honey in the tea and add the lemon squeezed into it as I drink a glass.  

Dillon Nichols wrote:

John Polk wrote:Sounds yummy.

(Not so sure that I would call it a 'sports drink' though.  Most sports drinks have electrolytes to replace those lost through perspiring.)

I wonder if there's a permie-ish way to add in the electrolytes?

I've been drinking a lot of kombucha(sweetened with honey and berries) this summer in lieu of sports drinks/juice. My low-tech/lazy approach to try and cover electrolytes when I'm sweating my ass off has been to eat something salty and a banana, to cover the sodium/chloride and potassium, since I know those are high on the list of things lost in sweat... probably not a very complete solution though.[/quote

Your most ready-made natural Gatorade/sports drink is Coconut water.  Perhaps it is not a permie-ish drink unless you grow the coconuts on your property - impossible in Canada.  it has all those minerals you all were trying to fit into your Switchel.

Jocelyn Campbell wrote:

John Weiland wrote:Really hope to try this recipe soon!   In the meantime, I tried making a version more like ginger/root beer of this with ginger, sugar, and some carrot, licorice, and pigweed root.  After a few days on the countertop, I put it in the fridge.  Took it out this evening and it is really syrupy, although the flavor not too bad and with only a mild carbonation.  I've seen a few references to this thickening happening in other ferments....possibly due to polysaccharide production by one or more of the microbes....but was wondering if anyone had any input or advice on what to do next...(?).  It was only on the countertop for 3 days.....not long enough?

I think when using straight sugar instead of honey, molasses or maple syrup, you won't have as much mineral content for the sports drink or electrolyte action - if that's your goal.

On the other hand, sugar probably more quickly feeds microbes for fermenting. Though I'm sorry, I haven't done many fermented beverages, so I wouldn't be able to comment or help with what happened with yours. Though those flavors sound nice!

We make kefir water and find that if we boil the water(very hard with iron etc.) and cool it before we make the kefir water it does not get syrupy.  It is apparently the too much mineral content that causes it to go syrupy. If you have filtered water to take out the hardness that would work as well.   Also honey kills your beneficial bacteria or whatever causes the fermentation. Honey is your natural antibiotic not a probiotic.   So I would limit that or add it later and use sugar or maple syrup for the fermentation. They feed the little creatures causing the fermentation.  The longer you leave it the more sour it will get as they will have eaten up the sweet stuff.   This is what my research and experience says.