About two-and-a-half miles (4 km) from where I was raised, there was a huge field beside a creek. All along the creekside, the land owner grew sugar cane. When the cane was ready for harvesting and processing, the farmer occasionally allowed groups to come by and watch. I was able to go see this one day as a child and still remember it!

First, the stalks of cane have to be pressed to extract the juice. This is usually done by feeding the stalks into a "cane press." Sugar cane is very thick and tough, so it takes a lot of force to turn the rollers to squeeze the juice. The pressing mechanism was often powered, at least in the old days, by a mule or horse which walked in circles, towing a line that was attached to a large timber mounted atop the press. One person feeds the cane stalks into the rollers, and a second person either leads (from the front) or drives (from behind) the mule as shown in the photo below.

^{_{Sugar cane press at Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site (TN), photo from Johnson City Press}}

The juices are collected in a large pot /cauldron beneath the press. When full, it is taken off to the side and placed above a wood fire. The juice is boiled for a while (with frequent re-stoking of the fire) until the liquid is reduced in volume, leaving a syrup behind, called "first syrup." The syrup is allowed to completely cool for a day or two, then the fire is restarted and the syrup boiled again to thicken and allow sugar to be extracted.

During this second boiling, frequent stirring and careful watching is required, making very hot work for whomever is stationed beside the boiling pot to do the stirring (with a boat oar or something similar). The result is a much thicker syrup which is called molasses. When it cools, it can be sealed in jars for storage or transport.

Sometimes, the molasses is boiled yet a third time, resulting in an even thicker syrup referred to as "blackstrap molasses" — each successive boiling results in a darker syrup, with the third boiling yielding an almost-black, very thick, viscous liquid (as black as a leather strap, so someone once thought).

Besides being a natural sweeting agent that can be made at home, it is also healthy because of the vitamins and nutrients in it:

[Blackstrap molasses] contains significant amounts of vitamin B6 and minerals, including calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese; one tablespoon provides up to 20% of the recommended daily value of each of those nutrients. Blackstrap is also a good source of potassium. Blackstrap molasses has long been sold as a dietary supplement. ^[1]

Molasses is used in The South for recipes, from baked beans to molasses cookies. I will share one recipe that I've had for many years. This particular variation of the old-fashioned molasses cookie was taken from a free recipe card hanging in the spice section of a grocery store many years ago, compliments of Durkee®, but similar recipes abound in community cookbooks and heirloom "family secrets" passed down through generations.

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MAGIC MOLASSES COOKIES

2/3 cup butter or margerine, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp Durkee® brand Pumpkin Pie Spice

In large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar, stir until well-blended. Add molasses and egg; blend well. Combine flour, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice. Add to molasses mixture; mix well. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in additional sugar and place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake in upper part of oven at 350°F for 10 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute; sprinkle with additional sugar, if desired. Remove from cookie sheets, cool on wire racks. Store in airtight container. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

PREP TIME: 10 minutes COOK TIME: 30 minutes
HINT: Chill dough for one hour for easier handling.

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