We've had a thread about tobacco, and not everyone has had experience with it. I thought of another one I haven't seen in years: has anyone raised sugar cane and made their own molasses? It's not exactly back breaking work, but it is time consuming and takes a lot of preparation. It was an activity that drew in the community when I was growing up. There was always plenty for the family, and plenty to sell. People loved good molasses when I was a kid.
One needed a cane mill. Some were electric, and some were powered by a tractor or horse. It was cooked in a pan similar to a hog-scalding pan, and it sat on a block furnace. A lot of people used cedar slabs to fuel the fire. They were long and could keep the fire even under the pan.
If i remember correctly, It usually cooked for about 6 hours. During the cook, people had to keep the green skimming off with skimmers on long handles. When it was close to being done, the skimming would turn yellow, and we would get a piece of cane and dip it in the skim bucket and eat them.
One needed a cane mill. Some were electric, and some were powered by a tractor or horse. It was cooked in a pan similar to a hog-scalding pan, and it sat on a block furnace. A lot of people used cedar slabs to fuel the fire. They were long and could keep the fire even under the pan.
If i remember correctly, It usually cooked for about 6 hours. During the cook, people had to keep the green skimming off with skimmers on long handles. When it was close to being done, the skimming would turn yellow, and we would get a piece of cane and dip it in the skim bucket and eat them.