[Syrupmakers] Cooked Sorghum this weekend

[Kevin Harbin]

I did NOT strip the cane.  I also filter twice before it gets to the kettle.
Once right out of the mill through fine mesh screen wire, the again through
an old milk funnel with a nylon jelly bag in the filter as it goes into the
kettle.  This seems to keep down a lot of the heavy skimmings.  The
skimmings come off fairly quick.  I harvested with an old McCormick-Deering
corn binder on Wednesday the 5th.  I allowed the bundles to lay as they fell
until Sunday the 9th, when I started bringing it the 1/2 mile from the field
to the mill.  I brought up one load a day through Wednesday and stacked it
loosely under a 10x20 tent/canopy thing that was under a huge oak tree for
shade.  By the time I started hauling it, the dry weather here had dried it
quite a bit.  I had no heat inside the stack as I milled.  I planted Dale
this year for the first time.  This is my 4th year making syrup, so I'm by
NO MEANS an expert.  The last 3 years I planted Topper 76.

Congrats on finding some cane.  I would gladly have let you have a third of
mine, as 2 batches are enough!!  I had to run the 3rd run Sunday just
because I couldn't stand to pour out 100 gallons of juice.



Kevin S. Harbin
720 Penny Lane
Seneca, SC 29678
(864)972-3746
(864)723-5348
kharbin at nctv.com

-----Original Message-----
From: syrupmakers-bounces at syrupmakers.net
[mailto:syrupmakers-bounces at syrupmakers.net] On Behalf Of Gail
Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 4:01 PM
To: syrupmakers at syrupmakers.net
Subject: Re: [Syrupmakers] Cooked Sorghum this weekend

Kevin,
You say you did NOT strip your cane before pressing it? So you ran it
through the press leaves and all? Didn't this create a lot of green "scum"
to skim off during cooking? And I guess the stalks didn't get "hot" during
those 10 days laying on the trailer prior to cooking---did you have cool
temps all that time? What variety did you plant?

Gail in MO, where I finally found some cane locally for our event, yippee!



"Kevin Harbin" <kharbin at nctv.com> wrote:

> I ground cane Friday night(in the pouring rain) and then most of the 
> day Saturday with the #70 Chat. and an H Farmall.  Cooked 3 batches(2 
> Saturday and 1 Sunday) in an 80 gallon Columbus kettle.  Looks like it 
> made about
10
> to 1.  I cut my cane 10 days before I milled it without stripping. 
Deheaded
> with a chainsaw as it lay on the trailer.  

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