Cannabis Chronicles

One of the interesting developments of the ever evolving Internet is the movement towards websites where the content is provided by everyday people. Wikipedia is probably the premiere example of the explosion of this phenomena, it’s quickly evolved into being a referenced and quoted source, and the information is provided by dedicated experts, enthusiasts and volunteers.

And with the growth of free blog hosts like Blogger and WordPress.com, anybody can have their own blog, or submit their own story to a site where citizen news reporters give their own take on the news. This has dramatically increased the amount of information available online.

When the 3LB originally put together our Molasses Manual and Guano Guide/Manure Manual back in 2003, it actually was more comprehensive than what existed at Wikipedia.¹ Today, information abounds, and subjects that were once more difficult to research are now quite easy to access.

Sweet Sorghum was one subject that wasn’t particularly easy to find online references for back in 2002-2003 which has been much easier to research today. And one of the most interesting resources we found on the making of Sweet Sorghum comes from a site that hosts citizen news reporter of all kinds², including one who reported on the West Virginia Molasses Festival.

The West Virginia Molasses Festival
Where Sweet Sorghum is Made and Sold on Site
By Lisa Hayes-Minney, published May 17, 2006

Sweet molasses takes time and hard work, but West Fork Park volunteers believe the delicacy is worth the effort. They begin in late May planting sugar cane; soaking Honeydew, Orange, and Tracy cane seeds overnight before sowing.

In September, with the harvest of their spring labors, they work overtime to make the sorghum for the West Virginia Molasses Festival.

On the first day of the festival cane stalks are ground through the mill, releasing the juice. The juice then enters the long, flat “evaporating “pan” which is divided into controlled sections. Volunteers bustle back and forth at the pan, working up a fire of soft wood, moving juice through the controlled sections - from one end of the pan to the other.

When heated, proteins and non-sugars form a greenish foam called “skimmings” which rise to the surface. For three days, workers stand over the heat to skim the juice. As skimmings are cleared, the amber color comes through. Skimmers test the liquid for desired density and color by watching syrup drip from their skimming paddles. Experience tells them when the sweet syrup is ready.

Molasses is then sold in the festival’s country store, where jars fly across the counter. The syrup sells out quickly - until the next batch is finished.

The process may seem simple, but this thirty-nine year tradition requires the work of masters. Yet, even above the challenge of molasses making, this festival includes all the highlights of small town life.

From there the article goes on to report about the various activities that round out this particularly sugary festival. Apparently, it’s a 40 year old tradition that’s chock full of “food, music, molasses and fun”.

Sounds sweet doesn’t it!

1. this can be seen by looking back at the wiki revision history to the Molasses entry that existed when we were originally researching details of the making of molasses - 2003 Molasses Wiki entry [↩]
2. http://www.associatedcontent.com/ [↩]