[Syrupmakers] Post-harvest delay in milling

[smokeyburgess50 at netscape.net]

how well does white african variety do?


-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Outlaw <bill at southernmatters.com>
To: syrupmakers at syrupmakers.net
Sent: Mon, 29 Oct 2007 3:37 am
Subject: [Syrupmakers] Post-harvest delay in milling


Ken,

You'll get a lot of correct but different answers on this one.  It is a variety-by-variety, year-by-year, producer-by-producer situation.

Some varieties improve with a couple of weeks' aging because cutting (simulating water stress, I suppose) causes an increase in invertase and a portion of the cane sugar (which tends to "sugar") is converted to more soluble sugar.  I also wonder if cutting might not simulate pathogen/pest effects; post-harvest physiology is a whole other ball game.  At the extreme, I know of a man in Dothan AL who beds cane down and sells freshly squeezed juice from it for a couple of months (he said, and I haven't tasted the juice).

In my experience, mold always starts on the end of the stalk, particularly the base, within a week or 10 days after cutting (I'm sure that depends on temperature, too).  Personally, I don't want whatever that is in my syrup any more than I want rotten apples in my pies.  So, when I've let mine set, I've cut back both ends of every stalk by about 6".  I can't say that that is enough because I don't know how far the mold might penetrate the stalk and it might be harmless anyhow.

My personal opinion right now is that I'd prefer to mill within a day or two after cutting, but I have delayed for as much as three weeks with no apparent ill effect aside from my own "need" to trim the stalks.

Bill
(sc, Tally, who's in his fourth year of still working on the syrup shed, but hope's completion by the 08 season) 





At 12:29 AM 10/29/2007, you wrote:

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How soon do you have to squeeze (grind) cane after it’s cut.  Can it sit for awhile first (say two weeks or so)?
 
Thanks,
 
Ken
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