This is Terry from Sullivan,Mo.I am interested in purchasing a sorghum press,preferably a new one. I do not need one now but will next year when I grow cane.Where can I purchase one? I checked Lehmanns but they do not have one in their catalogs? Any suggestions?

-- Terry Lipe (elipe@fidnet.com), October 02, 2001

Answers

You might consider an old wringer/washer with a motorized wringer.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), October 03, 2001.

OOOOOh! Is that how it's done? Do you cook up the stalks first? Or steam them? Then what do you do with the juice that comes out?? I had a bumper crop of sorghum last year, a "just to see what they look like crop," but the county extension agents out here in the desert had no clue what to do with them. The animals got the whole works.

-- Joyce Mahoney (joycemahoney@yahoo.com), October 03, 2001.

Yes, the stalks are crushed at a certain point, just as is done with sugar cane. The juice is then cooked down to a thick consistency. Originally the presses were set up in an open area and a mule or horse would go round and round to operate the press.

Somewhere in the older messages, by category there is a recent discussion on sorgham molasses.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), October 03, 2001.

To Joyce. You take your raw stems and put them through the press and then take the liquid and cook it over a open flame in shallow pans to evaporate off the extra liquid.I have seen it many a times at the old time days we have. There is nothing like good old tyme sorghum and you can use it for just about anything you use honey or sugar for if you like the taste. To Ken. Thank you for the idea. I would however like to get a regular press because I have a mule and some donkeys and I think this would be a good job for them

-- Terry Lipe (elipe@fidnet.com), October 03, 2001.

Terry it takes a great deal of pressure to squeeze the juice out a wringer want get it. I have looked around a little for used ones and found some, most are $150 to $250 of course they proable will need some work. We are cooking sat on one made 1870. Coaltrain

-- coaltrain (prairierose91@hotmail.com), October 03, 2001.

Thank you Ken and Terry. I've still got some seed, so back in goes another batch next spring.

-- Joyce (joycemahoney@yahoo.com), October 04, 2001.

According to an articles in today's The Tennessean, one family which produces sorghum syrup grows 42 acres. From that they got 8,075 gallons of syrup last year, or about 200 gallons per acre. Their prices range from $3.50 per pint to $19 per gallon. That would be a gross return of around $4,000 per acre for basically a month's work in the spring to plant and a months work in October to harvest, press and cook down the syrup, with just family labor. Gross on the 42- acres would be around $168,000. Apparently commercial sorghum making can be a profitable enterprise.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), October 06, 2001.

I found this information in, of all places, my book:

The national group is the National Sweet Sorghum Producers and Processors Association, 3432 KK Road, Waterloo IL 62298 (618-458- 7727). They are a good source of used sorghum mills.

For further information see Sweet Sorghum Production and Processing, available from The Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, P.O. Box 588, Poteau, OK 74953-0588 (918-647-9123).

I have been told this works with maple sap, and might with sorghum juice: Freeze five-gallon buckets of juice. Water will freeze before the juice, so once ice is removed, the juice is much more concentrated and thus doesn’t need as long to boil.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), October 06, 2001.

Ken, thank you for your input and homework you did. Waterloo is not too far from here so I will get in touch with them. I think that sorghum is just as good or not better than honey and you can use them interchangeably if you like the taste of sorghum and I sure do. Sorghum is also high in iron and I do not think honey is. Sorghum is also a wonderful laxative and I use it on my baby goats and lambs.We have tried to raise bees-so expensive and the bees either die from mites or leave. We are planning in the future to grow cane in our bottom. I see a quart of sorghum go like hotcakes(good on those too) for $6.oo a quart.The smell of sorghum cooking on a flame of hickory would make anyone wanna be a country boy.Baker Creek Seed Company sells some good seeds with names like Mennonite, Rox Orange and Honey Drip. I grew Rox Orange last year and it grew when other things died until my goats got to it. Nothing survives a goat.Thanks again. Terry Lipe. By the way did you ever get your comfrey?I have some if you did not.

-- Terry Lipe (elipe@fidnet.com), October 06, 2001.

Does anyone out there know where I could find some White African sorgham cane seed. My dad used to grow that variety and we can't find it any more. Also when you cook down the juice be sure to skim off the foam or scum that develops. Thought I would put in my two cents worth with my inquiry.

-- BW in okla (go_rillagal@yahoo.com), October 09, 2001.

got a old one that can be cleaned up. e-mail me

-- jack (idontno@pld.com), December 30, 2001.