It never fails that each time I venture into the Pine Mountain Settlement School digital archives, I am reminded of the resourcefulness, intelligence and ingenuity of our Appalachian ancestors. In planning for our upcoming sorghum stir-off, I began looking through the archives to find photographs of the stir-offs that used to be common place at and around the school. Not to my surprise I found exactly what I was looking for and yet again more inspiration to revive our heritage skills that are still quite relevant and useful but are increasingly hard to learn first-hand. By offering a sorghum stir-off workshop on September 16-17 we hope you will join us as we carry the timeless art of making sorghum syrup “molasses” as many still call it, into the future. If you would like to register for the event please go to our workshop registration page.. If you have any questions about the event or are interested in lodging and meals at our beautiful and historic campus please feel free to email office@pinemountainsettlementschool.com or give us a call at 606-558-3571.
Experienced cookers could tell by sight when the molasses was ready. Then the vat was removed and placed on sawhorses. A dipper and funnel were waiting to transfer the hot sorghum molasses to close-by containers. Anyone who has hovered in the kitchen, eagerly waiting to lick the coated spoons after a cake mix has been prepared can relate to the joy found in the next step of a stir-off. Children gathered around the empty vat with a piece of cane stalk and scraped the bottom of the kettle. Old-timers have fond memories of eating gobs of molasses stuck to the cane stalk. In a region where isolation and poverty were a way of life, and visits to the store a rare treat, sweet homemade sorghum on a stick was often remembered as the best tasting candy in the world. Friends and relatives helped throughout the process so not only was the “chore” made easier, but folks enjoyed the opportunity to visit together. When the fire died down the vat was repositioned on the stones. A fresh load of wood was collected and stacked next to the fire pit. The next morning another load of cane was brought to the mill and the whole process would start anew. However, in the cool autumn air, there was always something special about that initial batch of sorghum molasses that came from the first “stir off” of the season.