Sorghum Cane

Sweet sorghum was introduced to America in 1853 by a United States patent officer. Native to Africa, it is a drought-resistant, heat-tolerant member of the grass family grown for its stalk, with wide blade-shaped leaves around a thick stalk, reaching 6 to 12 feet tall and 1 to 2 inches in diameter at the base. Sweet sorghum is grown extensively for syrup production in the southeastern states, and Kentucky is one of eight states in the Southeast and Midwest producing about 90% of the total U.S. output. Sorghum syrup is made from the juice of sorghum cane and in years past was an important source of sweetener, especially when white sugar was expensive or difficult to find. The process begins in early spring when seeds are planted, and the cane is harvested after maturing in 90 to 120 days and before the first frost. Labor-intensive harvesting includes topping, stripping, and cutting the stalks, after which the cane is hand fed into a mill, where rollers crush the stalks and squeeze out the juice. The juice is collected and cooked in an evaporator pan over a wood fire. Sorghum syrup can replace honey, molasses, and sugar in many recipes, and fresh hot syrup is eaten over ice cream and with biscuits and butter. Sorghum contains iron, calcium, and potassium; before daily vitamins, many doctors prescribed it as a daily supplement for people low in these nutrients, and today it is considered a very high antioxidant food. Molasses is not the same product, because it is not made from sorghum cane but is a by-product of the sugar industry used primarily in animal feed products and in the fermentation industry.

Ohio · United States