[Syrupmakers] Ozark, AL Syrup Meeting a Success

[Richard Harrison]

    About 50 to 60 syrup enthusiasts met at Ozark today(January 12, 2008) for discussion of syrupmaking and syrup taste testing. Most people there were syrupmakers. One man from Shelby, AL is exporting syrup to Japan--as he says, "at a profit" ! Another man from Ohio wanted 100 pints labeled and ready for resale.... These are 2 of the highlights of the meeting.
      The award for the best sorghum syrup(4 entries--I thought there would be more) went to David White of Blountstown. I had tasted his sorghum syrup before and felt that he had the cleanest tasting sorghum syrup that I had ever tasted. The syrup tasters confirmed that today by voting his syrup the best in a "blind" taste test. No one knew whose syrup they were tasting--it only had a number on it.
      The best tasting sugarcane syrup(of about 16 entries) award went to Richard Harrison--who submitted a light-colored syrup made from # 8 Cold Hardy sugarcane(from Quincy Experiment Station) which he grew on unirrigated ground which went unfertilized this past season as well--due to drought severity. (the syrup was actually cooked by Tommy Duggar in Bristol on an 80 gallon kettle. Tommy has cooked syrup for 20 years. So credit is deserved to Tommy.)
      Willard Smith presented a lecture and discussion on syrupmaking. Clyde Smith presented a short lecture, discussion and had printed information on sorghum syrupmaking in Alabama and other printed info, too.
      David White gave some information about propane burners and a discussion.
      We had 1 member who reported that his syrup never crystallizes. We want to learn his secret. He had a very interesting method for determining when to take up the syrup which he learned from his father : he drops a drop of syrup into a glass of water and if it reaches the bottom without dissolving, it's syrup....never heard this one before.
      Marshall Griggs(SSA member) and Thomas Agee(extension agent) were our hosts for the meeting and they did a great job. It was our first SSA meeting of this type.
      Another similar syrup meeting is scheduled for Thursday night(January 17,2008) in Marianna, FL at the Extension office at 6:30 p.m.CST. Everyone is invited to come and taste syrups.
                                                Richard Harrison, vice president, SSA



       
---------------------------------
Looking for last minute shopping deals?  Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.syrupmakers.net/pipermail/syrupmakers/attachments/20080112/c4d29a2b/attachment.html