It Happens Here: "Kitchen witch" makes Gumpton Elixirs in Arlington Church
ARLINGTON - Ingrid Gallagher isn't a witch, per se. But she does describe herself as a "witch in the kitchen."
"Definitely, when I've got the big kettle and I'm stirring in the kitchen, that definitely feels witchy," she told WBZ-TV. "I'm happy with that. A kitchen witch in a church."
Yes, inside the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church on Massachusetts Avenue in Arlington, Gallagher is making Gumption Elixirs, a throwback collection of beverage syrups.
"Gumption Elixirs kind of brings the old-timey notion of soda fountains, where it was medicines that were mixed with sparkling water -- they became things like Coca Cola, Dr. Pepper," she said. And she is trying to bring it back to those basics, brewing up all-natural potions using only whole roots and herbs that are meant to give you a health boost.
"The Chill Aid is brewed with flowers and herbs that help you chill out and calm down, chamomile, elderflower, lemon balm, things like that," she said. "And the dandelion and burdock root are in all of the dark syrups, because it's super good for your liver and your digestion."
Her mum swears by it.
"My mum, who's 85, says it makes her stronger and smarter," Gallagher said with a laugh. "I'm not going to argue with her. I never do. Can't, anyway."
For now, she's been selling her six different concoctions at farmers markets and through social media. For now, it's just Gallagher handling every step of the process. And she likes it that way.
"I really like the idea of it being a personal experience. Like I have a relationship with the people who buy my product, they come back, they understand what it is, they understand how much I put into it," she said.
If you want to give the elixirs a try, you can email Gallagher at GumptionElixirs@gmail.com
