me standing in front of the stripped cane 1965
molasses making is very hard work-moms cousin from Washington State-Phillis Wright-2008
Marvin Wright our photographer for 2008-Phillis' husband 2008+learning+to+strain+the+juice.JPG)
Phillis skimming the green juice-2008
grandpa scrapping the pan 1977 (NOYE: the silver bucket we used)
grandpa's watchful eye 1977
grandpa, grandma and dad feeding felicia molasses 1977
1965-richard, john, grandpa john and me (that truck is setting in hurdland)
ME-1965-one bad hombre
everyone setting around watching the molasses cook 1965
grandma crawford and david straining the molasses-1977
grandpa and grandma crawford christmas 1977 (probably the last picture of them together)
grandpa feeding the fire 1977
grandpa, dad and me 1977
molasses cooking in 1977
dad and splitting wood in 1977
dad and I cutting wood in 1977
a look at dad thirty years apart 1977-2007
Bobby 1977
1965 molasses coming up
Grandpa Crawford's watchful eye 1977
Green molasses ready to cook 1977
me throwing pummies in 1977
the is ready-1977.JPG)
the boss of the BOG BOSS (mom) 2008
Aunt Glinda moving the juice from the mill to be strained for the second time 2008
feeding the mill 2008
ME.....in 1965
scraping the pan 2008
pouring the juice into the pan to start cooking it into molasses 2008
the fire keeper...lighting the fire to start the cook 2008
raw cane juice being sqeezed from the cane stocks and the first straining 2008.JPG)
Uncle Gerald, Aunt Connie, me and Bailey 2008
What the cane looks like after being smashed 2008
youngest brother bobby and his son Pierce, The finally straining into the cooling containers-2008
Frog Eye stage 2008
it's coming up 1977
scraping the pan 2008
skimming the molasses as it cooks. 2008Below is an article I wrote for the Manor Care Nursing home about two or three years ago. It's molasses making time once again and I'm home for it instead of in Afghanistan (where I have been the last two years). But, I may not get to finish this year out. I may be headed to Texas on a security detail thanks to hurricane Ike. I thought you might like to read it and see some of the photo's from 1965 to present. My Aunt Glinda told me that she thought my grandparents would have been proud of the job we did. Well, I know they are and I know they were with us. If you looked around, listened, smelled and felt what was going on, then one knows they were there.... enjoying the festivities with the rest of us....and smiling.
I have changed the article a little to bring it up to date.
RE-LIVING THE PAST
I was asked by Mrs. Horn if she could write a story about my mom and dad reliving or bringing back the past by making molasses. After thinking about it for awhile, I decided that it could only really be told by someone that had actually been through the process and knew the history. So, I decided to write it myself. I hope you enjoy it.
I have changed the article a little to bring it up to date.
RE-LIVING THE PAST
I was asked by Mrs. Horn if she could write a story about my mom and dad reliving or bringing back the past by making molasses. After thinking about it for awhile, I decided that it could only really be told by someone that had actually been through the process and knew the history. So, I decided to write it myself. I hope you enjoy it.
TIME......It passes so quickly and we don’t even realize it most of the time. We are just kids and then we have kids and then they have kids and then you realize it......YOUR GETTING OLD!
It has been thirty-one (31) years since the last batch of molasses was cooked at my grandparents farm. Three generations were there then and now we are lucky enough to have three generation with us now. My youngest brother was only two or three years old. Now he has a son five years old and a daughter turning two. I have been in law enforcement twenty-eight years and for the last two years, I’ve been over seas. MY kids are grown.....HOW QUICKLY TIME PASSES. It sure doesn’t seem like it has been that long ago.
In 2004, while I was overseas, dad started talking about planting sugar cane and cooking a batch of molasses so his kids and his grand kids could see at least once before he was unable to do it at all. I guess that was all it took to peak the interest of everyone old enough to have an interest. SO.......with that, the LONG process started. The field was plowed for the first time in probably 31 years and the cane was planted. That was the easy part, it just had to grow now. In the fall and under the watchful eye of dad, the cane was about ready and equipment now needed to be found, cleaned and readied. My brothers, sister and the rest of the family started the three month long process of helping dad dig the old cane mill out of the ground and resetting it, building the new furnace, finding the belt that went from the tractor to the mill and cleaning it up, fixing the tractor so it would run, making new strainers, finding new containers for the juice, finding the existing stripping and corn knives and then.... trying to get the pan down off of the barn wall, where it has hung since the last time it was used in 1977. I’m not to sure, but I think I helped grandpa hang it. Dad told me that grandma had treated it with beef towler to keep it from rusting. After getting it down and turning it over to look at it, dad said "after all these years, the towler is still on the pan." With a puddy knife and elbow grease they started scraping it out and after awhile, the shinny bottom started to show through. Excitement was building and molasses was going to be a reality once more.
When dad said the cane was ready.... the work began. The family all showed up (except for me, who was still overseas) to help get it stripped of it leaves, then the heads were cut off and then the long, tall stalks of cane were cut down, loaded into the wagons and trucks and brought in from the field. The old tractor was fired up and driven down to the mill, the belt was hooked up and with crossed fingers and breathes held, the power take off was engaged and the mill started turning. With everything working... they started feeding the cane into the mill and started watching the juice run into the pans for the first time in 31 years.
Mom and dad wrote me and said that over 70 people were there to watch. Barbeque grills were brought down to the cook area, my brother set up the cider press and made fresh apple cider and about eight hours later........the FIRST batch was ready to come off the fire. I felt like I was there from looking at all the pictures mom was sending me and the letters telling about everything going on. It brought back a lot of memories of when I was a young boy. Grandpa and his straw hat, corn cob pipe, overalls and a stone jug of cider and Grandma straining the cane juice. The apple cider we use to make, the smell of the molasses cooking and TIME that has past by.
Well, I home this year and getting to enjoy the process of molasses making for myself once more. It is really nice to be able to spend time with the family and friends while the molasses is cooking. So in closing I guess what I am trying to say is, DON’T LET TIME PASS YOU BY! Make time to spend with family and friend while they are here....oh....and smell the molasses cooking.
It has been thirty-one (31) years since the last batch of molasses was cooked at my grandparents farm. Three generations were there then and now we are lucky enough to have three generation with us now. My youngest brother was only two or three years old. Now he has a son five years old and a daughter turning two. I have been in law enforcement twenty-eight years and for the last two years, I’ve been over seas. MY kids are grown.....HOW QUICKLY TIME PASSES. It sure doesn’t seem like it has been that long ago.
In 2004, while I was overseas, dad started talking about planting sugar cane and cooking a batch of molasses so his kids and his grand kids could see at least once before he was unable to do it at all. I guess that was all it took to peak the interest of everyone old enough to have an interest. SO.......with that, the LONG process started. The field was plowed for the first time in probably 31 years and the cane was planted. That was the easy part, it just had to grow now. In the fall and under the watchful eye of dad, the cane was about ready and equipment now needed to be found, cleaned and readied. My brothers, sister and the rest of the family started the three month long process of helping dad dig the old cane mill out of the ground and resetting it, building the new furnace, finding the belt that went from the tractor to the mill and cleaning it up, fixing the tractor so it would run, making new strainers, finding new containers for the juice, finding the existing stripping and corn knives and then.... trying to get the pan down off of the barn wall, where it has hung since the last time it was used in 1977. I’m not to sure, but I think I helped grandpa hang it. Dad told me that grandma had treated it with beef towler to keep it from rusting. After getting it down and turning it over to look at it, dad said "after all these years, the towler is still on the pan." With a puddy knife and elbow grease they started scraping it out and after awhile, the shinny bottom started to show through. Excitement was building and molasses was going to be a reality once more.
When dad said the cane was ready.... the work began. The family all showed up (except for me, who was still overseas) to help get it stripped of it leaves, then the heads were cut off and then the long, tall stalks of cane were cut down, loaded into the wagons and trucks and brought in from the field. The old tractor was fired up and driven down to the mill, the belt was hooked up and with crossed fingers and breathes held, the power take off was engaged and the mill started turning. With everything working... they started feeding the cane into the mill and started watching the juice run into the pans for the first time in 31 years.
Mom and dad wrote me and said that over 70 people were there to watch. Barbeque grills were brought down to the cook area, my brother set up the cider press and made fresh apple cider and about eight hours later........the FIRST batch was ready to come off the fire. I felt like I was there from looking at all the pictures mom was sending me and the letters telling about everything going on. It brought back a lot of memories of when I was a young boy. Grandpa and his straw hat, corn cob pipe, overalls and a stone jug of cider and Grandma straining the cane juice. The apple cider we use to make, the smell of the molasses cooking and TIME that has past by.
Well, I home this year and getting to enjoy the process of molasses making for myself once more. It is really nice to be able to spend time with the family and friends while the molasses is cooking. So in closing I guess what I am trying to say is, DON’T LET TIME PASS YOU BY! Make time to spend with family and friend while they are here....oh....and smell the molasses cooking.
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