The Nectar of the Gods is Made in Finger-Sorghum From the Fields to a Pumpkin Tablescape with Spice Cookies

I chaired a series of events called the Three Stars of Tennessee in 2008. It centered around a museum exhibition of Tennessee art, artifacts and antiques. On Halloween we held a tablescape luncheon where everyone created their own designs. Lunch was served and then we had mini lectures from two friends. Sally Shy of Memphis spoke on Etiquette and Event Decor. Anne Byrn of Nashville, "The Cakemix Doctor," shared tales with us from her many best selling books. Anne autographed books, everyone oohed and aahed over all fifty tables and Sally had us in stiches over some of the events she has orchestrated such as the wedding of Peyton Manning, luncheon with the President, and cocktails with George Hamilton. I thought this table so beautifully represented the season and the event.

Autumn in Tennessee to me is SEC football, the gorgeous leaves changing colors in the Smokey Mountains, cotton picking, church bazaars, corn mazes and the making of sorghum. I love the cool crisp days this time of year with beautiful blue skies, or sweater weather as I call it. Last week I went to the sorghum field.

Sorghum Spice Cookies

Sorghum is the "nectar of the gods." Sweet sorghum syrup is known in some parts of the country as molasses, but molasses is a byproduct of sugar cane or sugar beets. This elixir is made from the sorghum cane. It’s pure and natural, with no additives. Its color is much lighter than the blackstrap variety and there’s no comparison to the taste.
In years past it was an important source of sweetener with twenty million gallons being produced annually at the turn of the century. Some farmers grew it as a cash crop but the majority just had a patch of cane for their own use. Most neighborhoods had at least one farmer who had a mill and evaporating pan where everyone would bring their cane to be squeezed and cooked into syrup. With the decline of the family farm and the production of other sweeteners most of these operations have faded with time.
A family in Finger Tennessee continues to make sorghum on their farm following a thirty five year tradition started by Victor Stoll. His wife, Esther, now oversees the operation which produces about 8,000 gallons a year, with the help of her children and grandchildren.

It’s a family operation from start to finish. In the spring, sixty acres of clay soil are planted with sorghum seed which will yield 150 gallons of product per acre. The clay retains moisture and is ideal for this crop that looks a lot like corn without the ears and has seed heads instead of tassels. The crop is ready in 90-120 days, but harvesting before the cane is ripe will cause you to lose a lot of the sweetness and soon after the first hard frost, the juice in the cane will begin to sour.
In September and October, the canes which can reach 25 feet tall are cut off close to the ground and piled in heaps in the field by the Stoll sons and son-in-law. The “head” of seeds are removed and the leaves dry out leaving the cane. The juice is extracted from the canes in the field into tanks using a presser attached to their tractor’s PTO. In olden days, a pair of mules walked in a big circle turning the sorghum mill linked to their harnesses by a long arm. As they walked the stalks were squeezed through rollers crushing them and squeezing the green juice out of the cane into tanks.

The Stolls take the tanks of juice in a pickup truck to the sorghum house for cooking. The juice is piped through a strainer into the first compartment of the evaporator pan which is a metal cooking trough measuring about 7 x 18 x 1 atop a brick fire pit. The actual process of ‘cooking’ sorghum requires a lot of energy to remove the moisture and reduce the juice into syrup. LP gas fuels two large gas burners which blow heat beneath the pan. This pan is divided into compartments so that several “batches” can be cooked at one time facilitating a continuous cooking process. As the juice boils, the sorghum maker uses a long wooden skimmer to remove the foam which is the impurities cooking out of the juice. Two industrial window fans pull the steam off the bubbling brew giving the impression of a house on fire. But the sweet aroma assures you otherwise.
As it begins to turn from juice to syrup, the sorghum is moved to the next compartment by raising gates in the pan that divide the sections and another batch fills the first compartment. When the syrup reaches the final stages after about twenty minutes of boiling, it’s here that cooking becomes a fine art. Only Nathan, Herman and Steve have the know-how to oversee this phase. The gauges are closely monitored and the temperature is regulated to keep the syrup plus or minus two degrees of the optimum 232 degrees for the desired consistency. Remove the sorghum too soon and it will be too runny, wait too long and it will be thick and have a strong taste.

During the cooking process the natural sugars are concentrated with six gallons of juice reducing down to one gallon of syrup. When the sorghum reaches perfection, it is collected in buckets, poured through the strainer and then into the jars which are filled by the grand daughters, Darra and Jolyn. Labeled with the Stoll name, the product is cased for shipment to stores and customers throughout the country. Other grandchildren inventory and store the product for shipment. Esther manages the orders and welcomes customers to the sorghum house where she sells the nectar fresh off the fire, along with a sorghum cookbook. All the while she cares for her family and hugs any of the fifty grandchildren who might slip into watch the cooking process from time to time. Her children and grandchildren, except for one live nearby in this tiny community in McNairy County.

In addition to the sorghum, they grow other produce and vegetables and raise a rare breed of chickens. Esther’s husband Victor whose health now prevents his day to day involvement has the largest documented Purple Martin colony in North America. As you approach the sorghum house, you can’t help but notice the hundreds of birdhouses, gourd lines and racks which house the migratory birds. In the last thirty years, more than 12,000 nesting pairs have claimed the Stoll farm as their summer home, always leaving before the sorghum is ready.

Sorghum Spice Cookies
1/2 c. margarine; 1/2 tsp. salt; 1/2 c. vegetable shortening; 2 1/4 tsp. baking soda; 1 1/2 c. sugar; 2 tsp. ground ginger; 1/2 c. sorghum; 1 1/2 tsp. ground cloves2 eggs, lightly beaten;1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon; 4 c. flour
In a large mixing bowl, cream margarine, shortening and sugar. Beat in sorghum and eggs; set mixture aside. In another large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cloves and cinnamon. Blend thoroughly with wire whisk. Gradually mix flour mixture into creamed ingredients until dough is blended and smooth. Roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. Dip tops in granulated sugar; place 2 1/2-inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 deg. for 11 min. Do not overbake. Cool on wire rack. Store in tightly-covered container to maintain softness. Yields about 3 dozen cookies. These cookies are soft and chewy and freeze well.

Sorghum and the cookbooks are shipped aroung the world

Mrs. Victor Stoll (731) 934-4831

494 Sweet Lips Road Finger, TN USA 38334

For more Tablescape Thursdaysvisit http://betweennapsontheporch.blognet.com/

For more Foodie Friday visit http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/
For more Ultimate Recipe Swap visit http://www.lifeasmom.com/
For more Friday Feasts visit http://momtrends.blogspot.com/
For more Food on Friday visit http://annkroeker.wordpress.com/
For more Recipe Swaps visit http://grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com/

For more Fight Back Friday visit http://www.foodrenegade.com/