The Daily Grist: “Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker.” (Ogden Nash}
A lot of things go to waste no matter how much we try. If I put some leftovers in a container they might be spoiled by the time I find them at the back of the refrigerator a few weeks later. I like to steam my vegetables and I usually don’t think twice about tossing the vegetable-stained water after the process.
Perhaps that thoughtlessness is more inappropriate these days than ever. With the chaos brought on by the global pandemic many of us are spending more time in the kitchen than we’re used to. Restaurants aren’t the safest places to be right now and even a simple trip to the grocery store requires more forethought than usual. All of the stress over worrying about contagion makes taking care of ourselves physically, mentally and spiritually more important than ever these days.
We need our B vitamins! Like vitamin C, the B vitamins are water soluble and many of them end up in the water we throw away after we boil our healthy vegetables. The solution is pot liquor (or some would insist “pot likker”). Every time I have quaffed a fresh steaming cup of the condensed steam resulting from vegetable preparation (especially greens) I have felt nourished in body and soul. It doesn’t matter if it’s a hot day. Your skin pores will adjust.
I know. I grew up in the South and we drank pot liquor even on the muggiest of days. It took some nerve to drain a vessel of smelly collard green residue but it made you feel good. And you could brag to the other kids: “Look at me, I’m drinking liquor!”. My mom always discouraged that joke but there wasn’t much she could do about it. At least she supplied generous doses of B vitamins to kids who might not have enough of them once they started to imbibe the adult version of liquor.
Southern cooks use pot liquor as a starter for stock for their next meal. When you would otherwise add water, why not add pot liquor? It’s more nutritious and more flavorful.
I’ll admit, drinking pot liquor straight out of the pot is a bit weird for most people. Fortunately, I became accustomed to it as kid when I had the added advantage of being able to boast about drinking liquor. If you have never tried pot liquor straight out of the pot I can almost guarantee that you will like it. And not just because you know it’s good for you.
There’s a reason people started drinking tea. Same thing for coffee. A warm beverage fresh from a plant with medicinal qualities is something you can’t do without. In the words of my esteemed colleague Brooks: “Read a book, hug a child, pet a dog, stroke a cat and” … drink a mug of pot liquor!
