Root Beer!

A letter from July 18, 2005

Another “History” lesson comes to my mind.

A big event in the Summer for my Sister and me was when our Mother said she would make us some “Root Beer”. Soft drinks, as we know them today, were not widely available and money for luxuries like that was not there.

She had earlier gotten out twenty glass jars – each one holding a quart. A screw-on lid was with each jar.From the grocery store my Mother purchased a small bottle (3” high and an inch square) of Root Beer Extract. Then she got out the “boiler” – a huge metal vessel that was used for cooking, canning, etc. It held something like 20 quarts. Into this boiler went two buckets (twenty quarts) of water and this bottle of Root Beer Extract. Next came sugar – I don’t recall how much. To this was added a cake (one inch square and a ¼ inch thick and wrapped in foil) of Fleischman’s Yeast – crumbled up. This mixture was stirred and stirred and stirred.

Now – each jar was filled with “root beer” and the lid was firmly secured. Next – the filled jars were taken out to the back of our house where they could sit in the hot sun. All this was done about ten in the morning. The jars stayed in the hot sun until late afternoon (5:00PM). Next the jars were brought into the house and taken to the basement where it was naturally cool.

They stayed untouched in the basement for two days. Now they are ready to drink! So, one by one, we would bring up a jar and put it in the refrigerator to cool. DELICIOUS!!

I don’t know whether or not there was Coca Cola in those days. I just don’t recall every drinking it. I do remember my Grandfather taking me to a County Store in Howellville and buying me a chilled bottle of Sarsparilla. As I recall it was sort of like root beer. EXCITING!!

A letter from June 19, 2012
[ Father's Day ]

After we ate Beth Ann asked me if there was anything else that she would get for me. "Yes," I said, "I would like it if you would make me a root beer float". She did and it was delicious. Later, before they left for the day she again asked if there was anything more they could do for me. And yes, I asked for another root beer float. And yes, it too was delicious. Monday at noon B.A. [Beth Ann] came by to take her grandmother shopping and yes, before she left, I asked her to make me another root beet float. Heh, heh.