"Them are good!"

Hello world! It's been a while since we've written an update. Wireless internet is not always easy to find. Anyway, we just finished up an exciting week at Doubletree Farm near Marshall, NC. Most of our time at Doubletree was spent helping the Bennett family turn raw sorghum cane can into gourmet molasses. For those of you who don't know, "molasses" is plural. Therefore, the proper reaction after tasting some delectable Doubletree molasses is to exclaim, "Mmmmm, them are good!" The pictures below show some scenes from Doubletree, followed by a step-by-step breakdown of the molasses-making process.

After leaving Doubletree last Saturday, we spent a few days relaxing and exploring Chattanooga, Tennessee (pictures to come). Now we're hitting the road again, heading to Memphis, TN to see what we can see there! 

This surprisingly warm little cabin was our home for a week.

Christy leading Alice back to the barn.

A big black snake we found in the woodpile.

A view of the shop and the Bennetts' house

The hay loader picks up hay from the field, and Andy and Connor distribute it on the wagon.

Lewis driving his wagon Oreo the pony. 

Billy the billy goat.

(left to right) Oreo, Jellybean, Maple, Magnolia, and Alice.

The outhouse.

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and now....

How to Make Sorghum Molasses

Althea in the Sugar Shack, where molasses is (are?) made.

Cutting and loading sorghum cane in the field.

Connor and Andy stripping the sorghum cane of its leaves and seedheads.

Cathy and Althea milling the cane with Alice the horse

Cane juice follows a pipe from the mill to holding tanks.

Here, Christy is checking to make sure the hose isn't clogged.

Draining the cane juice into the pan.

Heated by a wood-burning furnace from beneath, cane juice starts to evaporate

Once the cane juice is hot, green plant solids rise to the surface. Wooden paddles are used to skim the undesirable green scum from the juice. Here Cathy and Christy are skimming plant solids out of the hot juice.

Skimmin the scum.

"Tater Hillin'", one of the final stages of the boil.

Christy working on jarring.

Filling up a "Sorgy Bear".

The finished product!

The green juice is raw cane juice. The caramel-colored foam on the right is a byproduct (also delicious!)

Christy, Cathy, and Althea at the North Asheville Tailgate Market