Crop Update

Good sugar cane crop this year. This is about a quarter of the cane we have this year. Looks to be a good crop and about two days worth of cooking.

Happy Birthday Uncle Elwin

Happy 80th Birthday Uncle Elwin!!

Varieties of Cane We Grow



4852 hybrid cane

Chewing Cane



White Cane







These are some of the varieties of cane we grow. On the top left hand side is a type of sugar cane that my uncle bought several years ago from an experimental station in in Poplaville, Mississippi. It is referred to as 4852 hybrid cane. This cane is somewhat drought resistant and tends to grow better than other cane varieties in drought conditions. Also, this type of cane tends to make good syrup. The picture on the top right is the cane that my great grandpa used to grow that I talked about in a recent post. This cane tends to grow average during droughts and makes a prettier syrup than the 4852 cane. The other cane on the lower left is a type of chewing cane that is soft and easy to chew. This cane will not make syrup.

History of the Family Cooking Syrup

Our family has been cooking syrup for three generations. My great grandpa cooked syrup years ago. I still have some of the same cane he used to cook with through replanting of the cane over the years. The cane however was somewhat lost until my great uncle Elwin decided to start cooking syrup in the 1980s. He was then given the cane great grandpa had used by some of our relatives who grew cane and had received some seed cane from great granddaddy before he quit growing it. He cooked until about two years ago when I started to cook some. It has always been a family tradition in which the whole family helps with the work and uncle Elwin still is a huge help in the process and is always there for advice and moral support. I hope to keep the tradition alive as long as I can with the help of the family because without that it won't work.

Cane is Stripped

Most of the cane is stripped of it leaves and the process of cutting the tops out is about to start. Some of the cane is extremely tall this year. Will update on cutting the tops out next week. Its not long until we will make syrup sometime in November.

Importance of Wood Involved in the Cooking Process

Over the years people have used different types of wood to fuel the fire used to heat the syrup pan, in another post we will explain the different types of syrup pans. Years ago most people would use lighter knot pine. This type of wood would keep the fire hot and burned easily and slowly. However, lighter knot makes it hard to adjust the heat of the fire and has became hard to find and in some areas. Thats why now most people use regular pine to fuel the fire. One of the main reasons pine is a popular fuel for syrup making is because of its abundant supply. Also, the fire temperature can be regulated better with pine. One disadvantage is that pine burns quickly. Most any wood will work for a source of heat. However, it is extremely important for the wood to be dry. If the wood is not dry the wood will not burn properly and heat will not be distributed evenly.