Sorghum Syrup
Sorghum Syrup
by Erin Otto
Sorghum syrup is typically available in September and early October. Check our current order forms to see if it’s available now.
Or, if you’d like to receive a message when we take orders for sorghum in the fall, sign up for our emails here.
One of our Amish neighbors, Amos, grows this sorghum, and together with others from our community, produces it into sweet sorghum syrup. Every September, we take our kids to watch the process, as it’s quite a site to see – much like the maple sugaring experience of the north. We love to watch the horse-turned crank that juices the canes and the wood-fired vats that cook the juice down into syrup. When it’s chilly outside in the early mornings, the wood smoke and steam linger just below the tree line like a sweet-smelling cloud.
The person operating the spigot will often give each of our children a spoon to dip into the stream of hot sorghum as it flows out into jars. It’s one of our favorite field trips. And this time of year, we like to share this special treat with you.
Sorghum has a unique flavor; if you can imagine the taste of dark maple syrup combined with molasses, and a little bit of honey, you’ll be pretty close to the taste of sorghum. It’s delicious with fresh, hot biscuits. It can be used to sweeten baked beans, or use it in place of the molasses in recipes like pumpkin pie, ginger snaps, and gingerbread cookies for something special. Sorghum is sweeter than molasses, and it doesn’t have the bitterness you might associate with molasses.