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Well, it's done.
Saturday we pressed the sorghum cane and cooked it down into sorghum syrup. That's what it is, though most southerners call it sorghum molasses.
I learned a lot Saturday.
1.) I learned that a 20 foot 2X4 is not a sufficient drive log. The gear box I was going to use turned the press way too fast, so I decided to use a riding lawn mower like a mule. Just as soon as the cane hit the press, the board snapped. So back to plan A. The gear box.
2.) I learned that if the press turns too fast, it wastes a lot of juice. The rollers turned so fast that there was a lot of juice cast off. And they don't juice very efficiently at that speed.
3.) It takes a LOT of cane to make a little syrup. Altogether, we got 6 gallons of juice which cooked down to 1 1/2 gallons of syrup. Next year I'm planting a full acre.
4.) Over ripe sorghum produces a lot of starch that can't all be skimmed. My sorghum gelled a little. There is an enzyme that can be added to it that changes the starch to sugar. Note to self; Get the enzyme, just in case.
After everyone that wanted to sample it, got too, we have a whole quart left.
The video is long. If you get bored, listen to the music.
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9wW7cBrR4k[/yt]
Saturday we pressed the sorghum cane and cooked it down into sorghum syrup. That's what it is, though most southerners call it sorghum molasses.
I learned a lot Saturday.
1.) I learned that a 20 foot 2X4 is not a sufficient drive log. The gear box I was going to use turned the press way too fast, so I decided to use a riding lawn mower like a mule. Just as soon as the cane hit the press, the board snapped. So back to plan A. The gear box.
2.) I learned that if the press turns too fast, it wastes a lot of juice. The rollers turned so fast that there was a lot of juice cast off. And they don't juice very efficiently at that speed.
3.) It takes a LOT of cane to make a little syrup. Altogether, we got 6 gallons of juice which cooked down to 1 1/2 gallons of syrup. Next year I'm planting a full acre.
4.) Over ripe sorghum produces a lot of starch that can't all be skimmed. My sorghum gelled a little. There is an enzyme that can be added to it that changes the starch to sugar. Note to self; Get the enzyme, just in case.
After everyone that wanted to sample it, got too, we have a whole quart left.
The video is long. If you get bored, listen to the music.
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9wW7cBrR4k[/yt]
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