slow as mollasses

mike_belben · October 10, 2021, 12:22:46 PM

i had no idea you make the stuff pretty much like syrup. neat backyard built mill. note the transmission, rearend chunk and some conveyor rolls to squeeze the cane. unfortunately i dont think that crowd has too many more seasons in them, or that there is a young replacement crew in the wings.

Making Molasses - YouTube

Southside · October 10, 2021, 03:07:12 PM

There are a few around who make it. I played with it one time just for the fun of it. Came out OK.

Texas Ranger · October 10, 2021, 05:33:00 PM

Still folks in Texas make it the old way, usually dont take it that far, but make clear syrup, cane syrup, takes getting used to it.

Southside · October 10, 2021, 09:48:36 PM

Now that you mention it we made syrup, nowhere near as dark or strong as the molasses.

newoodguy78 · October 10, 2021, 10:30:29 PM

The boiling process definitely reminds of making maple syrup only there's no mud on the ground

Paul_H · October 11, 2021, 11:30:27 AM

I started growing it here in 2017 and have every year since until this year because we had almost no snow last winter and an extended drought in the summer. I planted a large patch this Spring but had to let it die off because other small crops like grain corn,beans and spuds took priority.
These pics are from '17 and we produced only 2 gallons of finished syrup using a cheep chinese press all hand cranked.

Planting around mid May and harvest late September it will take a very light frost before dying off the syrup is used on the corn pancakes. digin1

Southside · October 11, 2021, 11:46:19 AM

How big was your patch in '17? The press I used was borrowed from a university and was basically the same thing with a 5 hp motor running it.

mike_belben · October 11, 2021, 11:54:58 AM

wow thats cool. so its like a portable maple forest! ;D

Paul_H · October 11, 2021, 12:26:21 PM

We've done Maple syrup using the small Douglas Maples that grow here and they produce a decent syrup but it's around 45:1 although people out this way are using RO to bring it down substantially.

Our patch was around 20'x 30' and was from seed saved the year before I think.

WDH · October 11, 2021, 01:15:13 PM

IT wouldn't do to get your shirt caught in the gears of that cane crusher

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newoodguy78 · October 11, 2021, 11:51:18 PM

Paul is that sorghum you grew?

Texas Ranger · October 12, 2021, 08:33:28 AM

Looks like sorghum, if so, that is what my grandfather called black strap molasses, why, I have no idea.

Paul_H · October 12, 2021, 10:25:07 AM

Quote from: newoodguy78 on October 11, 2021, 11:51:18 PM
Paul is that sorghum you grew?

Yes, I bought the seeds online originally and have used our own since then

mike_belben · October 12, 2021, 04:00:16 PM

Quote from: Texas Ranger on October 12, 2021, 08:33:28 AM
Looks like sorghum, if so, that is what my grandfather called black strap molasses, why, I have no idea.

black strap mollasses is the 3rd boil. its the least sugar and the most healthy. bitter, but full of vitamins and minerals. doesnt spike insulin. belongs right there with raw honey. all the junk that we want filtered out is the healthiest stuff about it. probably why everyone has become allergic to pollen.
speaking of ROs, i got the parts this week to build my 4 stage RO.

newoodguy78 · October 12, 2021, 09:22:15 PM

Okay silly question, can molasses be made from sorghum and sugar cane? Or just sugar cane ?Can you tell I'm from the glaciated north :D

Southside · October 12, 2021, 09:25:42 PM

The molasses you get in the store is from sugar cane, this molasses is different. Ever made maple taffy or butter? Same idea.

newoodguy78 · October 12, 2021, 09:35:38 PM

Ahh, now I'm getting it

Magicman · October 12, 2021, 10:25:50 PM

Quote from: newoodguy78 on October 12, 2021, 09:22:15 PMOkay silly question, can molasses be made from sorghum

Not a silly question. Yes you can make molasses from sorghum as Paul_H was doing above. Yes, it is some strong stuff and I don't care for it at all. Sugarcane molasses is much milder, but frankly I do not care for it either.

And then there is the joke:

There was a papa mole, a momma mole, and a baby mole. They lived in a hole out in the country near a farmhouse. Papa mole poked his head out of the hole and said, "Mmmm, I smell sausage!" Momma mole poked her head outside the hole and said, "Mmmm, I smell pancakes!" Baby mole tried to stick his head outside but couldn't because of the two bigger moles. Baby mole said, "The only thing I smell is molasses."

Southside · October 12, 2021, 11:10:09 PM

Meant to ask - How is the cow?

kantuckid · October 13, 2021, 09:28:37 AM

I live in an area where sorghum is made by several as a commercial business. The cane used is NOT!!! sugar cane, as seen in the deep south-> it's sorghum cane. A big difference.
Nearby this month is the Morgan County, KY Sorghum Festival where they in past years had an old mule powered mill setup. I've done crafts shows there and even took a lathe to demo turning in return for no booth fee. Now days you'd have to worry about getting sued? Booth fees are so high lately it's not profitable for small crafters.
One local producer, Tommy Townsend (has a website) is a both a seed source for growers all over the USA and a syrup producer. He also happens to be a large FT truck gardener & farmer. He no longer does pan sorghum and uses a highly controlled boiler process to produce his product. We buy his by choice.
Other producers here all use evap pans as pictured above. Sorghum is evaporated at ~ a 7 or 8 to one reduction vs maple syrup at 40/1. It's unregulated as to grade but does get health dept inspections and does vary between producers here. The sorghum my wife's family bought in Johnson County, KY was very thick and stronger flavored than most of what I see here in my county.
As you'd guess it's a lot of work to hand cut the cane(must be before a hard freeze) then squeeze out the green juice and cook it off. Not too many left who make it.
In my native state of KS the Thayer family in the Flint Hills, Waubaunsee CO, KS made old time sorghum molasses in the fall when they had a Steam Engine fair.
In my several motorcycle trips across Mexico I've seen a number of cane sorghum roadside setups where they sold the syrup & other related products and also bootleg cane liquor at most of them.
My wife makes a sorghum cookie recipe (family favorite!!!) that originally came from MA via a Sunday newspaper, Parade Magazine recipe. They are called "Joe Froggers" the name having come from a man named Joe, who lived in MA by a frog pond and gave these cookies to local kids who named them such. We always use local sorghum, never, ever do we use store bought molasses. Has a more delicate flavor. A very common old time KY treat is "puffed sorghum" which is sorghum heated in a skillet with butter and a pinch baking soda thrown into it which causes a chemical reaction and "puffs up" the sorghum into a light, puffy result thats used as a breakfast topping on biscuits and such.