Molasses and the People Making It
|
|
Molasses and the People Making It
|
If you have never had molasses it is hard to describe the
taste and sensation of this strong thick sweet syrup. Think about a warm
piece of gingerbread fresh from the oven and the way it smells and tastes.
The underlying flavor in gingerbread is derived from the distinctive flavor
of molasses. Molasses is one of the foods that played a part in the history
of our country. Because sugar was expensive and had to be imported, early
settlers learned to make their own sweetener from crops that could be grown
in the United States. Molasses was also an important source of iron. Sorghum
was more adaptable to the climate of more areas of the United States than
sugar cane was. The
Molasses Act dealt with the problem of farmers using domestic crops
for sweeteners rather than importing sugar cane
products.
|
|
Mildred Bunton and her husband Fred, carry on the tradition of molasses making in their community. They live in rural North Carolina and every year before the first frost they cut the sorghum and turn it into a sticky sweet syrup. In the past molasses making in Appalachia was a big social event according to Mildred 's husband Fred. People would walk for miles to watch the molasses boil. They would gather and gossip, tell jokes, ( clean ones not dirty ones as Fred put it), and play music. Since it takes four to six hours for the molasses to boil, There was plenty of time to catch up with all the news of the community. Although not quite so many friends and neighbors gather together today, there is still one part of the process that remains the same. When the molasses turn just the right color and consistency, it is time to take the homemade biscuits out of the oven and dip them in the vat of delicious syrup. |
