I always grow sugarcane and wanted to also try sorghum this year and wondered if anyone else was. I have Florida Red sugarcane and 3 other varieties but lost the receipt. I think it was a green, a red and a black one. Those cuttings may have also dried out, only 1 has sprouted so far. For sorghum, I have Honey Drip from Baker’s Creek, and was looking at the EFN selection and possibly getting another type. Might also be getting some of the more ornamental sugarcanes like Hilo Buddha.
For both of them, my big question is this. How do you get juice from them without a juicer? Can you boil or blend them? I know you can chew on sugarcane like a carrot, but that is not a very effective way to use it. Is there a different way or do I just have to find a place to juice them?
With Sorghum you can put it in a crockpot. We have a member who does that. Not sure about Sugarcane. You may have to split the canes.
Planning on getting some dual use Sorghum this year. Kassaby or Korjaj. Or perhaps Tops 76-6. Grain and syrup.
Thanks! I remembered seeing someone boiling them in a pot, but couldn’t find the post. I thought about growing a variety for grains, but the idea of threshing and winnowing just doesn’t appeal to me. Otherwise I would probably be growing quinoa as well.
Threshing sorghum? Easy peasy. Place in an old pillow case. Beat it around. Done. We rinse and dry ours. With Quinoa wash well as it has Saponins.
With White sorghums make Ponk. Green seeds boiled. Sort of sweet cornish but crunchier.
You might like this older thread Sweet Sorghum and this one Sugarcane
@resonanteye shared the sorghum technique in the jams and jellies thread.
I tried this technique. It works but you end up with a lot of liquid to cook down.
I might try to construct a press.
They have the sugar cane juicers on eBay for $205. They should work well for Sorghum. I grew up making sorghum molasses commercially. If you want to make good molasses, make sure that you don’t put any nitrogen on it in the last couple months at least.
I posted, probably on an already mentioned thread, that I am doubling down on sorghum this year. I want enough for syrup, and corn has not been doing that well for me. I also enjoy the grain and have been adding it to my breakfast porridge. I should try cooking it in a rice cooker…
Anyhow, I have Coral sorghum which is a dual purpose type. Also got from EFN years ago.
I know syrup is the big sorghum product. But try the one few talk about. Sorghum Juice. Delightful and nutrient dense. White seeded sorghums have less in plant tannins. The darker the seeds the more tannin.
When making Sorghum Juice we pasteurize it in bottles. It will keep safely for 2-3 months in a fridge. Not as long as syrup of course. But you can also use it in recipes as a sweetner as well.
What is the difference? Is it like cane juice, where it is just pressed and uncooked? Or is it processed in some way?
Exactly like cane juice. Not boiled down. It is a bit grassy/corn flavor and not cloying like sugar cane juice. Tons of mineral nutrients in it.
my mind immediately wants to try to pressure can it. the syrup, like maple, lasts forever it seems. if you dry the grain out really well it also lasts forever.
i use a big pan to cook down the liquid slowly and thicken it.
we eat both the grain and the syrup but i haven’t drank the juice straight. it feels like I’m wasting the syrup I’ll make! i need every drop to get my pint and a half for the year