Water Bottles Provide Relief During Sultry Summer

Jun 20, 2024

At the risk of stating the obvious, during a hot summer I’m always looking for ways to keep cool. I’d like to share some tips I’ve found helpful.

Hearing we should drink plenty of water during hot weather isn’t new, but it’s advice too easily ignored. Most of us wait to feel thirsty before we drink, but doctors say thirst isn’t the best indicator.

Especially on hot days, we need more water than we realize. And sometimes we delay getting a drink because it’s inconvenient — like when we’re working outside and there’s no water nearby.

Several years ago, my stepdaughter suggested Dennis and I bring stainless steel insulated water bottles on vacation, since our destination was very hot and dry.

Unfortunately, Dennis and I didn’t have — and hadn’t heard of — stainless steel water bottles. To two old farmers like us, it seemed a bit pretentious to tote around a bottle of water. Who needed one more thing to carry anyway?

I shopped and found a pretty purple double-walled stainless steel water bottle locally for myself — then mail-ordered one with a more manly appearance for Dennis. We packed them in our suitcases and took them along on vacation, but never really used them after our arrival. We just sort of forgot we had them.

Back home, the two water bottles remained neglected in a corner of the kitchen island. Even though they reportedly kept liquids cold for up to 24 hours and liquids hot up to 12 hours, they just weren’t part of our daily routine. Besides, plain water seemed so lackluster compared to other thirst quenchers like lemonade or iced tea.

Our insulated stainless steel water bottles lived on as dust catchers until earlier this year, when Dennis had a bad cold and cough. His doctor prescribed drinking more water.

Suddenly our water bottles seemed like just the thing. I popped some ice cubes in his, filled it up, set it by his side and encouraged him to drink frequently. To set a good example, I started using my water bottle, too.

I was impressed how fast the water became ice cold — and how much more appealing it is when nice and cold. (The bottle also also didn’t sweat or leak.)

Before we knew it, Dennis and I both became ice water addicts. It tasted so good, even after Dennis’ cough and cold were history we kept our filled bottles on the kitchen island where they were easily accessible.

Although I’m a coffee drinker, I was never tempted to fill my bottle with coffee, since I prefer mine when it isn’t scalding hot.

A strange thing happened as the weeks passed. Both Dennis and I began to prefer ice water over other drinks. We’d even use our water bottles at dinner instead of putting water into glasses.

The other strange thing that happened is we found ourselves snacking less — and the scale started showing we were becoming less weighty.

Now that summer is here, we try to have our water bottles handy at all times. If I feel myself starting to get tired from exercising or working around the farm, I find an ice water break refreshes me and restores my energy.

I’m finally coming to realize many of the times I thought I was hungry or tired, it was really just my body telling me to drink more water. So that’s my first “cool tip” ... which can really be applied year-round.

Another tip is one I thought everyone else already knew. This is until the younger generation of my family visited from out of the area during sweet corn season.

I was surprised when my nephew’s wife asked me how I cooked my sweet corn. She was surprised when I told her I make it in our microwave oven.

I remember the days of bringing a big pot of water to boiling and watching its steam make the kitchen hotter as sweat poured from my face. It’s how my mother always made sweet corn, so I’d never given it much thought.

Fortunately, while paging through an old cookbook that came with our first microwave, I found a whole chapter on how to cook fresh veggies.

The cookbook has a 1975 copyright, but its advice is anything but old school. Husk your ears of corn, place them in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate, cover with plastic wrap and cook on “high” using about two minutes per ear as your guide. It comes out hot and delicious every time and the kitchen stays nice and cool.

Another way to keep your kitchen cool is relying on a salad as one of your veggies.

If you find it hard to use store-bought lettuce before it turns brown, here’s another salad option. Keep a jar of chow chow in your fridge. Its pickled veggies will keep for months if refrigerated and it’s the perfect complement to many main courses.

Also, forget about baking desserts. Get some ice cream and top with fresh berries, cherries or peaches for a cool and tasty meal-ender. Yum!

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Sue Bowman is a freelance writer in southeastern Pennsylvania.