Hand-Milling Sorghum

Reader Contribution by Sherry Leverich Tucker
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What a great time I had at the Lawrence, Kansas, MOTHER EARTH NEWS FAIR!

I was asked to come to the fair with sweet sorghum canes and help the makers of “Grainmaker Mills” demonstrate their hand-driven sorghum mill. So, I loaded up a few bundles of cane and headed to Kansas! I also packed a gas fish fryer and a large stew pot so I could cook off small batches of sorghum after we accumulated a couple of gallons of juice.

The weather was gorgeous for the FAIR, and a large number of kind, interested browsers made the day very enjoyable. After toting all my sorghum to the Grainmaker booth, we got started with the process of squeezing the canes. It was a lot of fun, and good exercise to send the canes through the mill. I enjoyed getting kids involved by working the mill. Everyone loves to help squeeze sorghum, no matter what the circumstances!

It didn’t take long to have nearly 2 gallons of juice, and I put it in the pan and started heating it up. This was the first time I ever had cooked sorghum in such a small batch. Heating it up quickly was not a problem, and then the skimming started. Using a large spoon, I was able to manage the scum fairly well – and continued removing the scum through the entire cooking process, as the juice reduced, thickened and darkened.

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