Newspaper Page Text
The ADVANCE, November 29, 2023/Page 10A
Stye Aiiuancg
Syrup
continued from page 4A
ered with burlap to keep
out flies and debris, and
hauled to the kettle by
manpower.
“It is filtered four times
before it goes to the kettle,”
B.L. explained of his mod
ernized process. The juice
is cooked for five and a half
to six hours, with the kettle
coming to a frothy boil and
impurities being skimmed
from the top with long-
handled ladles fitted with
porous cloth. Another part
of the process is the con
tinuous wiping of the rim
of the kettle to keep it clear
of syrup that has boiled
over, and to do so without
burning your hand. In the
old days, children loved to
eat the “syrup candy” that
formed on the rim.
Even with moderniza
tion, syrup making is still
hard work. There are no
short cuts for the cultiva
tion and preparation of the
cane. B.L. welcomes the
help he gets each year from
family and friends.
B.L.’s daughter Lydia,
a tenth grade student at
Vidalia Heritage Acad
emy, said she likes to work
alongside her father in
the fields and in the syrup
house. She seemed at ease
in the cane fields where she
described how the cane left
standing in the field will
be used to seed next year’s
crop. She talked about the
characteristics of the vari
ous types of cane the fam
ily has cultivated. “We have
used Big Red, a chewing
cane that produces a lot of
juice; and we’ve tried Yel
low Gal, that’s a greenish
yellow color. Now we use
Improved POJ,” she said
of the cane favored by her
grandfather, Colen, which
he said has the best taste
and strips more easily from
the stalk.
Lydia, who hopes to
become a large animal vet
erinarian, said she plans to
continue the family syr
up-making tradition. Her
younger sister, Alayna,
echoes her sister’s senti
ments about the family tra
dition. She especially en
joys the people who come
to the annual syrup boiling
and reminisce about their
own family traditions.
B.L. and his father built
the structure they now use
for the syrup boiling. They
have a saw mill and cut the
various types of hardwood
used in the construction
of the syrup house. The
family also has a tractor-
powered grist mill and they
make grits and cornmeal
that are sold alongside bar
becue sauce, jellies — and,
of course, syrup — at the
syrup house.
B.L. is not only a farmer
and master syrup maker, he
is a pastor and city admin
istrator in Mount Vernon.
He just preached his last
sermon at South Thomp
son Baptist Church where
he served for 13 years and
is stepping into a new posi
tion at Southside Baptist in
McRae.
He also smoked the
pork that was made into
pulled pork sandwiches
and sold to hungry crowds
at the syrup making. Sur
rounded by happy chatter
and the lilting strains of
gospel and bluegrass music
inside the syrup house, B.L.
was focused on the task at
hand but still stopped to
converse with guests. “We
do this for the fellowship,”
he said.
As his brother Chris
worked alongside him
skimming the steaming
kettle which would cook
down to about 10 gallons
AMBIENCE — An old buggy decorated with fall finery sifs outside the syrup shed.
GRINDING CANE — "Adopted uncle" Billy Knight is among the family and friends who
gather to help the Horne family during syrup making, Here, he assists Lydia Horne as
she feeds cane into a tractor-powered grinder.
A LITTLE MUSIC—The Kramers from Lyons entertain guests with some toe-tapping gos
pel and bluegrass tunes. They are regulars at the Horne family syrup makings, which
have been held at B.L. Horne's farm since 2019.
SKIMMING — Chris Horne, B.L.'s brother, is enveloped
in steam from the kettle as he works to skim impurities
from the surface of the boiling syrup. This is a task that
demands constant supervision. The fewer the impurities
there are, the clearer and tastier the syrup will be.
SISTERS — Alayna Horne, 13, left, and Lydia Horne, 16,
look forward to syrup making each year. Both plan to
keep up the family tradition,
of syrup, B.L. had been
on the job since early that
morning and was look
ing at finishing the boil
around 9 p.m. His grand
father was known for ac
complishing 20 cookings
during Thanksgiving week.
By the time the day ended,
B.L. and his family would
have cooked 800 gallons
and capped 1100 bottles of
syrup.
The History of Sugar
Cane and Syrup-Making
Sugar cane is an an
cient crop that came to
the New World with the
Southern Europeans. The
plant adapted to the semi-
tropical regions of the
southern United States,
and during its heyday had
an impressive impact on
the economy.
In the early 1920s,
sugar cane syrup produc
tion reached 41 million
gallons— indicating that
Americans were consum
ing about one gallon a piece
per year of the syrup. Sugar
cane syrup production in
the 1920s was about equal
to the production of sweet
sorghum (a close cousin
of sugar cane). By 1950,
sugar cane production had
waned, and was considered
more of a small farm enter
prise.
Table syrup can be
made from sugar cane or
sorghum, both members of
the Gramineae (grass) fam
ily. Traditionally, sorghum
is grown further north.
While sugar cane and sor
ghum are closely related,
they are distinctly different,
right down to the taste.
The type of sugar cane
used to make syrup most
definitely affects its taste.
Sugar cane comes in sev
eral varieties, ranging from
white to purple, grey and
pink, to yellow-green or
green, and can be tinged
with colors ranging from
brown to claret, with names
like Bourbon, Elephant,
Caledonian Queen, Keni
Keni, and many more. The
origins of sugar cane can be
traced to multiple regions
of the world, and some his
torians estimate the crop
may have been cultivated as
early as 8000 B.C. It spread
along the trade routes from
Africa, Asia and China to
THIS WAY PLEASE — A colorful sign positioned on Geor
gia Highway 19 about three miles north of Glenwood
in Wheeler County invites guests to join the fun at the
Horne family syrup house.
t ~L *
1 q ’
\ " i
H l uAkl
JUST ENJOYING THE EVENT — Louella Powell Horne, left,
and Colen Horne greet guests front the front porch of
the syrup house. Louella's father, B.L. Powell of Treutlen
County, established the family tradition of Thanksgiving
Week syrup making, Colen took over the syrup-making
tradition from his father-in-law,
HOW ABOUT A BOTTLE OF SYRUP? — Ginger Horne holds
up a bottle of the Horne family sugar cane syrup. Guests
at the syrup making can purchase syrup, jams and jellies,
barbecue sauce, and freshly-ground cornmeal and grits
made by the Horne family.
IN THE FIELD — Lydia Horne stands in a field of sugar cane
that will be used to seed next year's crop. The family
grows about one acre of sugar cane on the family farm,
but also acquires cane from other sources.
-FARM FSESH;
POPULAR SPOT — Rhonda Herndon Horne of Treutlen
County, sells pulled pork sandwiches and homemade
pound cake at a table on the porch of the syrup house.
Her late husband Colen Horne, Jr., was the business man
behind family operation,
the New World.
Now, there is a re
newed interest in sugar
cane production — and
the machinery involved in
the process — but only as
a legacy. “We don’t do this
to make money. There is
no profit except fellowship
and keeping a tradition
alive,” B.L. Horne avowed.
Like the Hornes, many
families and entire com
munities celebrate fall
each year with sugar cane
grinding and syrup mak
ing. There are even organi
zations that are dedicated
to perpetuating the art of
syrup making as a facet of
American history that must
be preserved.