In my last post I had mentioned Sorghum. Yeah, I love it, what can I say! Most everyone where I came from does. There's nothing quite like it. You can use it in recipes and it will add a deeper, richer flavor that is wonderful.
This is the second installment of Sorghum saga. I hope you enjoy this.
Sorghum Popcorn Balls
Well, we had the adventure with sorghum in the country. This is a succulent treat made with the sorghum we carried home that day.
None of the six of us children had ever had or even heard of a popcorn ball. But mom had. Dad had gone to the store and got some popcorn. And it seemed like every day when he came in from work he had another little something in a little sack that they were all secret about. When we would ask mom, she would just say “never mind”. Never mind was never a good answer for me, even when I was little. But she finally did tell us one morning when we was getting ready for school that she would have a surprise for us when we got home. All of us kids could not imagine what kind of a surprise it could possibly be. We thought about it all day at school.
I even told my teacher first thing when I got to school that she needed to hurry up and get our day over so I could go home early. She laughed and said she wasn't in control of the time. I asked her, ”Who is, I need to talk to that person?' She said, “Honey, it doesn't work that way. We have so much time we need to be here and noone can change that.” She asked, “Why do you want the day to hurry and be over?” I told her that mom said she will have a surprise for us when we get home. And I need to hurry up and get home. I was in the first grade and there was a lot of stuff that just didn't make my list of things to be concerned about. So many hours at school each day was one of those things.
I knew what my mother was doing at each and every hour of the day. After all, I had spent the first five and a half years of my life with her alone every day of the week. So I really didn't want to be at school any way. And here, today she has a secret that I don't know about. It really upset me that she was doing something without me. Time ticked by slowly, but it did tick by. When we got on the school bus to go home, I sat by my oldest brother. I asked him if he had figured out what mom's surprise was. He said, “what”, “what are you talking about?” I said' “how could you forget that mom said she would have a surprise for us when we got home?” He said, “I don't know but I did.” I was so mad that he could dare to forget a surprise from mom.
This day it seemed like it took forever to get home. When the school bus stopped, the six of us jumped off the bus and went running to the house. As usual, our mom was there at the door waiting for us to get in. She always said she was taking a head count. She wanted all of hers, but she didn't want any extras. I can tell you now that if the other kids had have known what was in store for us, they would have gotten off at my house.
We got in and mom had the biggest smile on her face. She was a pretty woman anyway, (still is, I might add) but when she smiled I just thought she was beautiful. I threw my little satchel down and started jumping up and down. “Where is it, where is it?”, I asked. “Where's what?” she asked, still smiling. “You know, you know, you promised us a surprise, where's our surprise?” She said, “Ok, ok, turn around with your back to me, shut your eyes and don't look till I tell you to.” The six of us lined up in a row, (could have been a firing squad, and we would not have know any different) with our backs to mom and she went to the kitchen and all the while telling us not to look and keep our eyes shut.
She came back to the family room and said “turn around and open your eyes”. We all did, and one at a time our mouths flew open and our eyes got big. I started jumping up and down again saying, “What is it, what is it?” She had this large cookie sheet full of these round balls. They were beautiful , even tho I didn't know what they were. I said, “ohhhh, can I have one?” She started laughing and said, “They are popcorn balls”. She started handing them to us one at a time. When she handed me mine, I smelled of it. Oh, I recognized that smell. It was sorghum. She had made us sorghum popcorn balls. They were the best things we had ever eaten. Yes, she let us eat one before supper. Then we got another one after supper. We all loved that surprise. I remember one of my brothers trying to bribe her with being good if she would make us another surprise. That didn't work. She said you will get a surprise if you're “not” good, but it will definitely "not" be popcorn balls.(written by:pjg 08-13)
Here's a recipe for Sorghum Popcorn Balls
3/4 cup sorghum molasses
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Cook sorghum and sugar over low heat to firm ball stage (250 degrees). Add butter and soda. Pour over popcorn (about 8 quarts, popped) and form into balls. Dip hands into cold water to handle hot mixture. Makes 18 to 20 popcorn balls.
I hope you give this easy recipe a try. I know your children or grandchildren will love it, and to be truthful, you will too! What better time of the year than now to hone your skills with sorghum. Everyone around you will love you for it, especially if you share. ggg And with all the pie baking that goes on between now and the end of the year, you can use it in your recipes.
A quick rule of thumb: When you are using sorghum, if a recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, add 1 and1/3 cup of sorghum, then decrease liquid by 1/3 cup.
Well, there you have it. Another little episode of "Fun Little Pieces" of life. I hope that as you read some of my writings that you feel as though someone has been writing about some of the fun stuff in your life. My desire is to conjure up happy memories from a time gone by. Maybe even some you had long forgotten. If you remembered something from days gone by, share it with someone, so it will not be lost and forgotten.
I pray that as you start today, you will ask God to be your guiding force, going ahead of you and laying out the path for you to follow today, one step at a time. God always has our best interests at heart. He will see you through what ever today brings. I just thank God today, that He is my soft place to fall, when I grow weary. Remember, He is your soft place to fall, also! If God has a refrigerator, your picture is on it!!!! God Bless You!!!
May blessings beyond measure be yours today!
hugs, Patty
Showing posts with label sorghum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sorghum. Show all posts
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Sorghum Making Time
I had mentioned in my last post about going to Kentucky to visit my mom and family. I had a great time, and when I left to come home, I came home with a most precious commodity. Two quarts of home grown and home made Sorghum Molasses!!! That is some precious stuff!! My brother helps a man make it each year. Of course, it does help having an insider to supply your Sorghum. ggg
It is just about Sorghum making time. It has to be done before the sorghum cane is frosted on. So, there really is a short window of harvesting, pressing, and cooking. If you happen to be a benefactor of the real deal, real Sorghum Molasses, that has not been cut with sugar cane, it is absolutely amazing. A lot of the cookers have got to where they will cut the mixture with sugar cane, I'm guessing to stretch the product, otherwise, there is no reason to EVER add sugar cane to sorghum cane. When I buy sorghum at a store, any store, if it has been cut with high fructose corn syrup or sugar cane, back it goes to the store. If you know what the real deal tastes like, then you can quickly tell the difference. "That mess ain't worth bringin' home!" I know there are a lot of people that will quickly disagree, but, we all have opinions, and these are mine. gggg
This time of year always reminds me of the good days of my younger years. This is a story that I wrote about Sorghum days in the country. I hope you enjoy.
Sorghum Making in the Country
There was an elder gentleman, and I'm sorry to say, that I can't remember his name. I can still see him and his wife in my mind. A really sweet and jolly couple. They loved people and especially children. They really loved my dad and all of us. When dad was a little “scoundrel”, he knew them well. Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Beliles was their names. They were good friends with mamaw and papaw and they helped each other out in the olden days. I'm talking about seventy years or eighty ago, at least. Through the years they remained friends. So, this couple grew lots of sorghum.
Every year in the fall, dad would watch the calendar and when it got to be sorghum making time, he would go get mama and papaw and then stop and pick up the rest of us and head off way back in the country. It was on one of those little dirt roads that once you got on it, you set your clock back in time at least fifty years. You did not see anything that even looked remotely new. You would see skeletons of the real early pieces of machinery just setting by the road and collecting more rust with each passing day. A child's mind would wonder to what kind of prehistoric creature that was. I asked one time, only to find out it was a dead piece of machinery.
Well after what seemed to be many, many miles we finally reached our destination. Mr. and Mrs. Beliles farm. They had a huge farm. Most of it was bottom land on the Mud River. If it didn't flood in the crop growing season, they had a good crop. If it flooded during harvest season, it didn't matter whether they had a good crop or not, they didn't get it out. So, they was really at the mercy of the river.
It was on the river side that they had their sorghum making equipment set up. They had what they called a water house that they could wash and keep everything clean. They had a spring that run year around with the most sparkling water. As compared to the water in the river which was muddy all the time and that's where its name came from.
It was amazing to watch Mr. Beliles' mule walk around and around non stop for hours at a time crushing the sorghum that was hand fed into the grinder. Then at the other end watching this green juice come from the spout that was catching the juice. Then this juice would make its way to this huge flat vat and the cooking process would start. There were several different stages of making the sorghum. The stage that we waited for was when the sorghum had cooked and it was then run out into these large stands. I remember the really big lard can stands that dad would buy at the store full of lard. That's the size these stands were. They were probably eighteen to twenty inches tall and maybe twelve to fifteen inches across.
They would put the sorghum in those stands to cool down enough so they could pour them up in smaller containers. They usually had gallon, half gallon, and quart sized containers. When they got the large stands empty, that is when the fun for the kids started. They kept aside lots and lots of short sorghum stalks. They cut them down to about a foot in length.
All the adult men on site were helping. The ladies were watching all the children. Mamaw and Papaw visited with all the older people gathered there. The men would get a large stand empty and hand it to one of the kids and a short sorghum stalk. OHHHHH man you talking about something good!! We would get to scrape every last tell tale sign of sorghum out of that can with our sorghum stick. We would lick and smack on those sticks and guard our cans from a stray finger off someone elses hand trying to get a taste. I would really bristle up if anyone tried to sneak a taste from mine.
Before it was over and time to go home I would be covered with sorghum from head to toe. I had this mass of golden hair that went half way down my back that would be so matted and sticky. But everyone of us was the same way. Dad would take the boys down to the river and let them jump in and get it all washed off them. Mom would take me to the fresh water spring and wash me up. Boy, that water was sooooo cold. But it felt good and tasted good. And mom was just happy she didn't have to wash all that stuff off me when we got home. By the time we left, we were all dry anyway.
It was always great to know that for a while, we would have a lasting treat. Because we always left with one of those large stands of fresh homemade sorghum. There's nothing like a fresh homemade biscuit, piping hot, with homemade butter, and covered with sorghum.
Keep your eyes peeled this fall, you just may see someone or find out where there is someone in your states, counties, or communities making sorghum. If you do, think back to simpler times and a simpler way of life where sorghum making was a community affair and the more the better.(written by:pjg-08-13)
I hope and pray that this has brought back memories of when you were younger and life was simpler. A time when we had time for one another. A time when it took longer to do anything that was done, but, we still had time for the things that mattered in life. I pray that for us today, we will still keep the things that truly matter, first and foremost in our lives. For me, it is God first, husband, family, friends, country and world. I pray that my priorities are correct in the eyes of God. And sometimes, depending on the need, they may shift a little, but I try to make sure God always stays at the top. Try to keep God at the top of your list, because I guarantee you, you are at the top of His!!!
Watch out for a second part of this story. I will have a few recipes to share also.
Hugs and blessings beyond measure, Patty
It is just about Sorghum making time. It has to be done before the sorghum cane is frosted on. So, there really is a short window of harvesting, pressing, and cooking. If you happen to be a benefactor of the real deal, real Sorghum Molasses, that has not been cut with sugar cane, it is absolutely amazing. A lot of the cookers have got to where they will cut the mixture with sugar cane, I'm guessing to stretch the product, otherwise, there is no reason to EVER add sugar cane to sorghum cane. When I buy sorghum at a store, any store, if it has been cut with high fructose corn syrup or sugar cane, back it goes to the store. If you know what the real deal tastes like, then you can quickly tell the difference. "That mess ain't worth bringin' home!" I know there are a lot of people that will quickly disagree, but, we all have opinions, and these are mine. gggg
This time of year always reminds me of the good days of my younger years. This is a story that I wrote about Sorghum days in the country. I hope you enjoy.
Sorghum Making in the Country
There was an elder gentleman, and I'm sorry to say, that I can't remember his name. I can still see him and his wife in my mind. A really sweet and jolly couple. They loved people and especially children. They really loved my dad and all of us. When dad was a little “scoundrel”, he knew them well. Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Beliles was their names. They were good friends with mamaw and papaw and they helped each other out in the olden days. I'm talking about seventy years or eighty ago, at least. Through the years they remained friends. So, this couple grew lots of sorghum.
Every year in the fall, dad would watch the calendar and when it got to be sorghum making time, he would go get mama and papaw and then stop and pick up the rest of us and head off way back in the country. It was on one of those little dirt roads that once you got on it, you set your clock back in time at least fifty years. You did not see anything that even looked remotely new. You would see skeletons of the real early pieces of machinery just setting by the road and collecting more rust with each passing day. A child's mind would wonder to what kind of prehistoric creature that was. I asked one time, only to find out it was a dead piece of machinery.
Well after what seemed to be many, many miles we finally reached our destination. Mr. and Mrs. Beliles farm. They had a huge farm. Most of it was bottom land on the Mud River. If it didn't flood in the crop growing season, they had a good crop. If it flooded during harvest season, it didn't matter whether they had a good crop or not, they didn't get it out. So, they was really at the mercy of the river.
It was on the river side that they had their sorghum making equipment set up. They had what they called a water house that they could wash and keep everything clean. They had a spring that run year around with the most sparkling water. As compared to the water in the river which was muddy all the time and that's where its name came from.
It was amazing to watch Mr. Beliles' mule walk around and around non stop for hours at a time crushing the sorghum that was hand fed into the grinder. Then at the other end watching this green juice come from the spout that was catching the juice. Then this juice would make its way to this huge flat vat and the cooking process would start. There were several different stages of making the sorghum. The stage that we waited for was when the sorghum had cooked and it was then run out into these large stands. I remember the really big lard can stands that dad would buy at the store full of lard. That's the size these stands were. They were probably eighteen to twenty inches tall and maybe twelve to fifteen inches across.
They would put the sorghum in those stands to cool down enough so they could pour them up in smaller containers. They usually had gallon, half gallon, and quart sized containers. When they got the large stands empty, that is when the fun for the kids started. They kept aside lots and lots of short sorghum stalks. They cut them down to about a foot in length.
All the adult men on site were helping. The ladies were watching all the children. Mamaw and Papaw visited with all the older people gathered there. The men would get a large stand empty and hand it to one of the kids and a short sorghum stalk. OHHHHH man you talking about something good!! We would get to scrape every last tell tale sign of sorghum out of that can with our sorghum stick. We would lick and smack on those sticks and guard our cans from a stray finger off someone elses hand trying to get a taste. I would really bristle up if anyone tried to sneak a taste from mine.
Before it was over and time to go home I would be covered with sorghum from head to toe. I had this mass of golden hair that went half way down my back that would be so matted and sticky. But everyone of us was the same way. Dad would take the boys down to the river and let them jump in and get it all washed off them. Mom would take me to the fresh water spring and wash me up. Boy, that water was sooooo cold. But it felt good and tasted good. And mom was just happy she didn't have to wash all that stuff off me when we got home. By the time we left, we were all dry anyway.
It was always great to know that for a while, we would have a lasting treat. Because we always left with one of those large stands of fresh homemade sorghum. There's nothing like a fresh homemade biscuit, piping hot, with homemade butter, and covered with sorghum.
Keep your eyes peeled this fall, you just may see someone or find out where there is someone in your states, counties, or communities making sorghum. If you do, think back to simpler times and a simpler way of life where sorghum making was a community affair and the more the better.(written by:pjg-08-13)
I hope and pray that this has brought back memories of when you were younger and life was simpler. A time when we had time for one another. A time when it took longer to do anything that was done, but, we still had time for the things that mattered in life. I pray that for us today, we will still keep the things that truly matter, first and foremost in our lives. For me, it is God first, husband, family, friends, country and world. I pray that my priorities are correct in the eyes of God. And sometimes, depending on the need, they may shift a little, but I try to make sure God always stays at the top. Try to keep God at the top of your list, because I guarantee you, you are at the top of His!!!
Watch out for a second part of this story. I will have a few recipes to share also.
Hugs and blessings beyond measure, Patty
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