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Keeping in Touch:  Keeping In Touch- Making Hay  |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
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melody
True Blue Farmgirl
3317 Posts
Melody
The Great North Woods in the Land of Hiawatha
USA
3317 Posts |
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Calicogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
5216 Posts
Sharon
Bruce Crossing
Michigan
USA
5216 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 06 2009 : 09:59:50 AM
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Oh Melody,
That sounds nice! I love the smell of fresh cut hay but it drives my allergies crazy!
~Sharon
By His Grace, For His Glory
http://merryheartjournal.blogspot.com/ |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
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Huckelberrywine
True Blue Farmgirl
1607 Posts
Michelle
Rosalia
1607 Posts |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
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Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl
2099 Posts
Finger Lakes Region
NY
2099 Posts |
Posted - Apr 16 2009 : 06:28:23 AM
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I don't have any stories to share about making hay. The closest I've come to it is the description in the early chapters of of Laura Ingalls Wilder's "The Long Winter". That's where Laura helps her father bring in load after load of hay...he has a feeling that the upcoming winter is going to be a doozy, and they have to "make hay while the sun shines".
The reason I'm posting is that there's a food product associated with making hay in this story: the "ginger water" that Ma sends out to the workers in the field. It's better than plain water, because it's got ginger and sugar mixed in to "warm their stomachs" and let them drink all they want without feeling sick.
I did a little internet research and found that "ginger water" is more commonly known as "switchel", or "haymaker's punch". There are numerous variations on the recipe, but the basic ingredients are: ginger, apple cider vinegar, and some sort of sweetener (molasses, honey, brown sugar, maple syrup). It's unclear whether the recipes originated in Europe (the recipes that call for honey), or in the New World (the recipes that call for sugar or molasses - products of the Caribbean sugar trade that began in the 17th century). It's a New England Yankee tradition, and would have been familiar throughout the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries to anyone doing hard outdoor labor in the hot sun. Sort of an old fashioned, all natural sports/energy drink.
I've tried a couple of the recipes I found online, and in the Little House on the Prairie Cookbook (by Barbara M. Walker). Basically, you dissolve about 1/2 cup of brown sugar or other sweetener and 1 tsp of ginger in 1/2 cup of ACV, and mix into 2 quarts of water. Some recipes call for a little more or less of the ingredients but not by much. Switchel is a bit of an acquired taste: like lemonade with an extra sour bite.
I would love to know if anyone who grew up on a farm has personal memories of such a drink. Does it really quench your thirst better, and sit better on your stomach than plain water? What was your family recipe?
Perhaps the Make Hay issue could include a brief writeup and a recipe for "haymaker's punch"?
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
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Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl
2099 Posts
Finger Lakes Region
NY
2099 Posts |
Posted - Apr 16 2009 : 12:49:30 PM
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Not at all like flat gingerale! Very strong and tangy, more like Jamaican ginger beer if you've ever had that. I'm planning to experiment, and perhaps come up with something a little lighter. I've tried it so far with brown sugar, and a hot version with lots of honey (like ginger tea) over the winter. Next up is molasses.
FYI: it helps to let it set a bit before you drink it (maybe half an hour before serving). When the ginger was not fully absorbed, it made my nose burn! |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
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Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl
2099 Posts
Finger Lakes Region
NY
2099 Posts |
Posted - Apr 17 2009 : 05:43:59 AM
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| No, I used my powdered ginger from the spice rack. |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
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nampafarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
494 Posts
Kim
Nampa
ID
USA
494 Posts |
Posted - May 06 2009 : 06:55:55 AM
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I will be baling my first crop of hay later this month. I am so excited.
Kim
Farmgirl Sister # 302 |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
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Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
Posted - May 06 2009 : 08:25:35 AM
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I end up helping to guide the big round bales as they come off the truck and put them in to place for the tractor. The BIG bales are a little daunting when you know how much they weigh! And with them bouncing around and all erratic and everything, but I love hay season and wouldn't have it another way. It's all precious gold for the winter ahead. =) I have learned really well when to get out of the way!
Annika
Farmgirl & sister #13
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
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Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
Posted - May 06 2009 : 09:59:40 AM
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The sound of contentedly munching animals is just a smile in its self. Horses are so welcoming and goats are a bunch of greedy guts :D but when all of the world is still and snowcovered it is such a cozy feeling to be in the barn with all of the animals eating summer hay...I especially LOVE the minty-sweet scent of alfalfa. Alee, if you want to make an old farmgirl smile just come up with an alfalfa scented soap!.....Opppsie, wrong thread :P
I usually just take a few moments to sit with the barn critters and listen to the sounds. Llamas look particularly cute with a tuft of hay in mouth. I love'um!
Hopefully this year will the year that I afford a horse  I LOVE horsekind...either an Arabian or an Appy....don't know yet....part of the fun is not knowing what fate will hand you.
Annika
Farmgirl & sister #13
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Julia
True Blue Farmgirl
1949 Posts
Julia
Shelton
WA
USA
1949 Posts |
Posted - May 06 2009 : 12:45:21 PM
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I loved haying season as a kid. My cousins from NJ always came and spent the summer on the farm. My older sister and brother and cousin Stephen would all hang together, as 'the big kids'. My little sister, cousin Caitlin and myself, hung together,know as 'the little girls'. We would watch as my dad would mow down the hay, making the field look puffy. Later we Little girls would ride on the back of the machine, which I am sure has a name, that turns the hay into rows. We would sit on a back bar, which was less than comfortable on wee bottoms with no padding, and lustly sing. One song I remember gracing the hay with was "My Bonnie lies over the ocean..." though for some reason we changed it to, "My body lies over the ocean." We would ride again on the row turning machine as Dad would turn it so the underside would dry. Later came the bailing day. We would walk behind the bailer to watch it spit out nice rectangle bails of hay. I recall times Dad would have to stop and fix the bailing twine as it would get tangled from time to time.
Then came the day of loading hay. We kids and Dad would throw the bails up on the truck, while the truck was driven slowly along. As we kids all had hay fever we would periodically run into the house to get the next dose of allergy medicine as it wore off. The truck would be driven to the barn, and it would ride up to the loft where it was stacked nice and high. Of course the best fun was playing on the hay, buliding tunnels and jumping from the hay loft down on to soft hay waiting to break our falls. We would spend hours jumping, running up the ladder to jump again. We had a rope swing tied to the main beam of the barn and we would swing from one side to the other, often letting go to land in the hay. We would be itchy by the end of the day, but nothing that playing in the sprinkler couldn't fix.
Though it has been years since I have made hay, and though I don't have a barn of my own right now, I still love the aroma of hay as I walk into my friends barn. The sound it makes under your feet, the crunch as you sit in it hold a baby goat, or bottle feed a new calf. Making hay is making memories.
For tomorrow and its needs I do not pray, but keep me, guide me, love me, Lord just for today.
St. Augustine
#440 |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
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Contrary Wife
True Blue Farmgirl
2164 Posts
Teresa Sue
Tekoa
WA
USA
2164 Posts |
Posted - May 06 2009 : 3:36:21 PM
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I agree Alee, that description is something I can relate to and I love it! I have a reciepe from a farm cookbook that is an old timey drink, you use raspberries, sugar, and water. It's really good too!
Teresa Sue
Farmgirl Sister #316
Planting Zone 4
"Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly." The Dalai Lama |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4178 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4178 Posts |
Posted - May 07 2009 : 6:42:42 PM
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Making hay, everyone makes it sound so romantic! Ahhh, but it does smell good.
First you watch and listen to all the weather forecasts you can find. Trying to figure out who will get it right. You watch to see what your neighbors are doing, are they cutting hay, or waiting. Then you take the chance and cut, hoping the rain stays away for a few days. Then once it drys out good on top, you rake it, flipping it over so the bottom can dry out. We square baled all our hay when we were kids. The best we ever did was 14 loads of hay in one day. It was a long day, and we had to travel about a mile an a half from field to barn. But with enough help, the hay wagons were able to keep running. And as the hay mow fills up, the hotter it gets for the person stacking hay. Of course one of the best feelings is getting that last load of hay in the haymow, just before the rain starts. Two years ago we got a round baler. Boy did that make life alot easier. Though we still do square bale second crop for Summer and our sheep. Farm work is alot of hard work, but it sure is the best feeling in the world.
Michele |
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Calicogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
5216 Posts
Sharon
Bruce Crossing
Michigan
USA
5216 Posts |
Posted - May 08 2009 : 07:22:47 AM
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Alfalfa scented soap would be awesome. I would definitely buy that. I love doing dishes in the evening. I have my kitchen window above the sink and the breeze blows the fragrant alfalfa and I love it!
You could put a picture of Alfalfa (Little Rascals) on the label 
Teresa Sue, could you post your recipe? That sounds perfect for warm (or hot) weather. :) I have a recipe for "Meadow Tea" using mint if anyone would like it I would be happy to post it.
~Sharon
By His Grace, For His Glory
http://merryheartjournal.blogspot.com/ |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
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Calicogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
5216 Posts
Sharon
Bruce Crossing
Michigan
USA
5216 Posts |
Posted - May 08 2009 : 08:33:41 AM
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Here it is Alee :)
Meadow Tea
2 cups fresh mint leaves, washed and packed
2-2 1/2 cups sugar
4 cups water
Garnish: fresh mint
Place all ingredients in a medium stockpot. Boil for 5 minutes; turn off heat and let stand for 5 hours. Strain through a coffee filter lined sieve, squeezing excess liquid from mint leaves.
To serve: add 1-cup concentrate to 2 quarts of cold water in a pitcher. Serve with ice and a garnish of mint. Makes 4 cups concentrate; about 8 servings per one cup concentrate.
*Concentrate freezes well :) I make this throughout Summer and freeze it so we can enjoy it all year round.
~Sharon
By His Grace, For His Glory
http://merryheartjournal.blogspot.com/ |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
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Keeping in Touch: Keeping In Touch- Making Hay |
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Keeping In Touch- Making Hay
