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Sugar Cane Tools
Stripping | Cutting | Cooking | Testing
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STRIPPING
TOOLS - Pictured here are two types of strippers used for
harvesting. The upper type is designed so the spring tension of the metal
keeps it against the stalk of cane. The bottom type is designed so
the pitch of the metal and spring tension keeps it against the cane. Both
work well, but the upper one probably works better with smaller cane while
the bottom one works better with the larger cane. A friend in Hartford,
Alabama sold and relocated his hardware store a few years ago. In cleaning
out the warehouse they came across 100 of the upper type which were
subsequently purchased by one man. They are probably in antique shops all
across the Deep South (USA) by now. |
| CUTTING TOOLS - After stripping, the cane has to be topped, cut, and hauled to the mill. Several tools are available for this process. Above I have pictured, from top to bottom: | |
| 1.
A cane axe, used for cutting cane. 2. A heavy hoe, good for cutting cane off flush with the ground. 3. A cane hook, used for cutting cane. 4. A homemade machete, too heavy to use for topping. 5. A regular cane knife, good for topping and cutting. 6. A heavy machete, good for topping and cutting. GO TO TOP |
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| COOKING
TOOLS - When the juice is heated, impurities rise to the surface. To skim
them off we use the tools pictured here. Regular kitchen splatter screens attached to short handles make excellent skimmers. They are fragile, however, and have to be replaced every year. For heavy work we use stainless steel bowls in which I have drilled small holes and attached long handles. These are helpful for working all across the kettle. Each time the syrup foams up it leaves a residue on the sides of the kettle. We wipe this with the terry cloth rags and wash them in a barrel of water we keep handy. GO TO TOP |
| TESTING
TOOLS - Here are three testing tools which may be used to see if the syrup
has reached the right consistency.
The boiler - Dip up a boiler of syrup, hold it up and pour it out. When the syrup begins to reach the right consistency, the last drippings will fall off the boiler in thin sheets rather than small drops. Some experienced syrup-makers use this as their only method of testing. The thermometer - I used it one year but didn't find it to be too consistent. A temperature of around 226 to 228 degrees makes a good syrup, but it's hard to gage with any accuracy. The hydrometer - This gauges the density of the syrup. We use a 0 to 50 hydrometer made by Chase--USA, and a reading of 32 to 34 makes excellent syrup. The higher the number the more dense the syrup.
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This page last updated October 12, 2008
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Thirteen Oaks Farm and Cane Mill
Hartford, Alabama