SORGHUM PRESSING AND PROCESSING @ ONION CREEK FARM: DAY THREE (A PICTORIAL)
The tall cane tale of the sorghum harvest at Onion Creek Farm wraps up with this report on Day Three. The sorghum cane has been harvested from the field, stripped by hand, and pressed in the legendary Chatanooga 44, and now it's molasses-making time. Melanie Cambron not only harvested on Day One, pressed on Day Two, and stirred on Day Three, she continued to capture this sweet story and pictorial.
(Need to get caught up? Click for Day One and Day Two)
We arrived the morning after the cane pressing to find two gas grills being retrofitted to hold the custom 60 gallon copper batch pan that had been commissioned and fabricated in San Antonio. Once in place, gallon after gallon of the hard-earned juice was poured into the pan and the hours of patient, slow stirring began. When the reduced liquid reached 210 degrees it was transferred to a smaller custom batch pan, this one made in Fredericksburg. As the liquid came to a boil, impurities were skimmed off the top using century-old family heirloom tools. At 2:51PM, president of Twin Sisters Dance Hall and our team expert, with molasses-coated wooden spoon in hand, declared, "It's done." Through a spout at the base of the pan, the 3.5 gallons of glorious, rich brown sorghum syrup poured into jar after jar, a precious reward after an 18-hour process. The satisfaction of making something with heart and soul was as sweet as, well, molasses.
Raw, green sorghum juice early Sunday morning.
Hand-crafted copper pots efficiently spread the heat to cook the cane juice.
There's no fancy kitchen gadget to tell you when you've got molasses — you need the president of the Twin Sisters Dance Hall for that.
Hard work, big laughs, good friends and neighbors, and sweet sorghum syrup in a jar.
A dream realized. We'll be back next year, Michael!
(Need to get caught up? Click for Day One and Day Two)
We arrived the morning after the cane pressing to find two gas grills being retrofitted to hold the custom 60 gallon copper batch pan that had been commissioned and fabricated in San Antonio. Once in place, gallon after gallon of the hard-earned juice was poured into the pan and the hours of patient, slow stirring began. When the reduced liquid reached 210 degrees it was transferred to a smaller custom batch pan, this one made in Fredericksburg. As the liquid came to a boil, impurities were skimmed off the top using century-old family heirloom tools. At 2:51PM, president of Twin Sisters Dance Hall and our team expert, with molasses-coated wooden spoon in hand, declared, "It's done." Through a spout at the base of the pan, the 3.5 gallons of glorious, rich brown sorghum syrup poured into jar after jar, a precious reward after an 18-hour process. The satisfaction of making something with heart and soul was as sweet as, well, molasses.
Raw, green sorghum juice early Sunday morning.
Hand-crafted copper pots efficiently spread the heat to cook the cane juice.
There's no fancy kitchen gadget to tell you when you've got molasses — you need the president of the Twin Sisters Dance Hall for that.
Hard work, big laughs, good friends and neighbors, and sweet sorghum syrup in a jar.
A dream realized. We'll be back next year, Michael!
Posted by DSBabble.com at Wednesday, July 29, 2009 5:22 PM 
Categories: onion creek farm stand
Tags: dripping springs onion creek farm sorghum molasses heirloom sorghum honey drip
Categories: onion creek farm stand
Tags: dripping springs onion creek farm sorghum molasses heirloom sorghum honey drip
That looks great!
A lot of hard work, love & care, as well as the cane, must of gone into those jars.
Fantastic job!
Thanks for sharing your efforts.
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Wow, thanks for the beautiful pictures! I can just smell the sorghum! When I lived in Knoxville, TN, I and a friend happened upon an old guy up in the foothills making sorghum in an ancient pan over a wood fire - a sight and aroma I will never forget. Also saw the old equipment for sorgum-makin' at the entrance at Cade's Cove in the Smokies last summer - they had the pole to tie up the mule as well as the press and the pan. There is something very precious and magic about reaching back to our roots like you have, and I thank you.
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