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Published October 13, 2008 10:50 am - Elton Lee has been making sorghum for 70 years. Having a sweet time with sorghum A family tradition By GINA KINSLOW Glasgow Daily Times FOUNTAIN RUN — Elton Lee has been making sorghum for 70 years.
On Saturday, he and his family made more than 20 gallons of the dark brown, sticky syrup. According to Elton, there is no secret to it. “Just hard work,” he said with a smirk. Sorghum or molasses is made from sugar cane. The sugar cane is fed through a mill that squeezes the liquid from the plant. “I rigged that up with a four-speed Ford transmission, a Plymouth rear end and an International cog on top,” Elton said of the mill. The mill is powered by a tractor. At one time, Elton used a mule to operate the mill. “I got tired and the mule hit me in the head,” he said. It took being kicked just once for Elton to switch from mule power to tractor power. “With this way, you don’t have to stop and rest the mule,” Elton said. The liquid is caught in a stainless steel tank and drains via a garden hose to a long stainless steel pan a few yards away. The pan is heated by a wood fire and the light brown liquid, which has a hint of a greenish tint, is cooked in the pan for nearly three hours. How do you know when it’s finished? “You can tell by the way you push the paddle through,” Elton said. The sorghum is ready to be put in jars when it becomes thick and turns dark brown. 
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