Until recently it had been years since I heard about moonshine. In fact, in the TV shows I watched as a kid, moonshine was the running joke. Remember Granny in The Beverly Hillbillies? She was great in touting her “medicine” in a jug marked XXX. Granny joked that her rheumatism medicine didn’t actually cure the aches and pains, “but it sure makes you happy you got it.”
I loved it when she took a swig and started doing backflips!
I was looking for more information on Granny’s recipes and found our Granny wrote a cookbook in the 1960s. Unfortunately, her moonshine recipe was not included.
Another favorite show, The Waltons, had the Baldwin Sisters touting their Papa’s recipe in nearly every episode. Of course all the men were anxious to get the moonshine and all the women were horrified that the Baldwins were making “the recipe.” This show took a time in our history that wasn’t really funny and brought it to life.
Whenever we went camping we’d start the goodnight “John Boy,” “Goodnight Mary Ellen,” round robin at bedtime. You have to be a certain age to even understand this reference.
The recent popularity of moonshine is a legal version, even during prohibition, called Good Girl Moonshine. The flavors are amazing and it promotes the drinking of apple cider vinegar.
It is now a trend that apple cider vinegar is really good for your health but I have to warn you, ‘Do not attempt to drink this straight from the bottle.’ It is strong and it will burn your throat almost as bad as real moonshine from a still!
I started experimenting with these recipes and I have come to love them. I do feel better. See Granny was right!
My grandmother is over
eighty and still doesn’t
need glasses. She drinks
moonshine right out of the
jar.
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Taste of Home columnist Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus lives on a farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious helpings of home-style recipes.
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