The Laker/Lutz News

Southern Syrup Makers Association

Festival features sugar cane syrup, and moonshine

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The Pioneer Florida Museum & Village has been raisin’ cane for years, at a festival featuring the art of making syrup from Florida sugar cane.

Jasper Starnes, of Zephyrhills, doesn’t mind getting steamed up, especially when he’s working on skimming any impurities from the 60 gallons of sugar cane juice boiling in the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village Cane Mill. When complete, the juice is boiled down to 6 gallons of sugar cane syrup. (Fred Bellet)

But this year, the event on Jan. 8 added a new element — showcasing the history of moonshine.

Pasco County’s history is replete with stories about moonshiners, and this year, for the first time, the pioneer museum shared part of that history with event-goers.

Jeffro Cotton, of Lithia, volunteered to man the moonshine shed, where he talked about  ‘moonshinin’ and explained how the mash was fermented into alcohol.

Meanwhile, visitors to the event had the chance to see demonstrations of syrup-making from sugar cane and to taste entries in the Southern Syrup-Makers Association Syrup-Tasting Contest Steve Melton, of Trilby, president of the Southern Syrup-Makers Association presented Jack Whitehurst, of Williston, with the first-place ribbon for his cane sugar syrup.

This year’s event had the largest turnout ever for tasting during the event.

Whitehurst said the key to making the syrup was taking his time and doing it the way the old-timers did it.

Beyond syrup-tasting, the event also featured Tarpon Springs Distillery, which offered samples of its products, and had a couple of moonshine cocktails and bottles available for purchase.

Event-goers also had a chance to do a little shopping, grab a bite to eat, enjoy live music and stroll around the 6.5 acres of building displays.

Published January 12, 2022

Jeffro Cotton, of Lithia, volunteered to man the moonshine shed, where he talked about ‘moonshinin.’ He explained how the mash was fermented into alcohol. Leon Rookey, of Dade City, right, passes by the old still, which is covered in verdigris, the green pigment that forms on weathered copper.
Steve Melton, of Trilby, president of the Southern Syrup Makers Association, right, congratulates Jack Whitehurst, of Williston. Whitehurst won the first-place blue ribbon for his cane sugar syrup, in what was the largest turnout ever for tasting during the event. Whitehurst said the key to making the syrup was taking his time and doing it the way the old-timers did it.
Steve Melton, left, president of the Southern Syrup Makers Association, is ready for more oak wood, as Joe Moragues, a volunteer, adds it to the fire, boiling off the 60 gallons to 70 gallons of sugar cane juice. Moragues’ wife, Jena, also is a volunteer. She helps out as a ‘cane stripper,’ she says, with a laugh.
Five-year-old Tanner Weeks, of Dade City, manages to recline on his dad Kyle Weeks, of Dade City, as he was talking cane with Joy Dew, of Dade City, about replanting the sugar cane stalk at home.
Little did 6-year-old Nikolai Hinson, of Dade City, know, but he was tasting the sugar cane syrup that was voted No. 1 by the Southern Syrup-Makers Association Syrup-Tasting Contest. Nikolai, his 9-year-old sister Isabella Hinson, and their aunt Marcia Nichols, who was visiting the family from Minnesota, tasted all 12 samples for judging.
Smoke billows from the chimney atop of the Cane Mill at the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village. The fire must be hot enough to boil the 60 gallons to 70 gallons of sugar cane juice down to 6 gallons to 7 gallons of sugar cane syrup.
After sampling the dozen sugar cane syrup entries in the Southern Syrup-Makers Association Syrup-Tasting Contest and listening to a U.S. Sugar presentation, Sid Lehman, of Frostproof, bit into the source of the cane syrup, a sugar cane stalk. Lehman, a snowbird from Indiana, said it was not only his first sugar cane festival, but it was his first time at the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village.
Steve Melton brings out the first-, second- and third-place ribbons to be awarded to those winning sugar cane syrup entries. The popular vote gave Jack Whitehurst, of Williston, 77 points out of 259. There were 12 samples from association members in Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

 

 

 

Pioneer Florida Museum hosts a sweet and spicy event

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Eleven-year-old Jonah Uilk, of Minnesota, enjoys a cotton candy treat. He was vacationing in Bushnell with his family. He and his mother, Heidi, and grandmother, Diana, were browsing the vendor booths. Ulik, who said he loves cotton candy, thought it was funny that the treat turned his mouth blue. (Christine Holtzman)

Whether they were tasting chili samples, watching syrup being made, or cuddling up with an animal at the petting zoo — there were lots of ways for people to enjoy themselves at Raising Cane, a Sweet and Spicy Event, held on Jan. 12 at the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village in Dade City.

There was a Chili, Chili Verde and Salsa Competition, sanctioned by the International Chili Society, which offered cash and trophies for the first, second and third place winners.

And, there were two local chili challenges, with the City Chili Challenge featuring police chiefs, chamber executives and other local dignitaries. Also, there was a local chili challenge, which was open to anyone who wanted to put their chili or salsa to the test.

Event-goers could pay $5 for a tasting cup to sample and vote on their favorites from the two local chili challenges.

Museum volunteer Marcus Copeland, of Dade City, skims out the impurities in the sugar cane juice that is boiling in a large kettle during the process to make sugar cane syrup. Around 80 gallons will boil for approximately 4 hours. When the process is finished — about 9 gallons of the sweet and sticky concoction will remain as viable syrup.

In addition, there was a Southern Syrup Makers Association Sugar Cane Competition, and there was a petting zoo, featuring baby chicks, rabbits, goats and a horse.

Those who enjoy music could listen to various bands, and could do a little dancing, too.

And, vendors offered a variety of goods.

In addition to the chili and syrup tasting, attendees could take a stroll through the Pioneer Museum to catch a glimpse of Florida life from a bygone era.

Chris LaBorde, director of research with the U.S. Sugar Corporation in Clewiston, and Wayne Davidson, an agronomist with the Florida Sugar Cane League, helped educate the crowd about sugar cane and passed out samples so people in the audience could compare texture and flavor.

Karen Brown-Blonigen, of Tampa, dressed in period clothing, plays a mountain tune on her Dulcimer inside the Pioneer Florida Museum.

Steve Melton, president of the Southern Syrup Makers Association, was there, sharing his knowledge about cane syrup.

Melton said that sugar cane syrup was the staple sweetener more than 100 years ago.

It was frequently used for cooking, and families usually kept a bottle on the table, he said. Its popularity waned over time because of the labor-intensive process needed to produce the finished product.

Perhaps the highlight of the day was a visit to the sugar cane mill to watch the labor-intensive process involved in making a batch of sugar cane syrup.

By Christine Holtzman

Published January 16, 2019

Nine-year-old Mariah Robinson, of Zephyrhills, gazes at a baby chick at the petting zoo. She was at the event with her grandmother, Anne Benedini, of Dade City.
Steve Melton, president of the Southern Syrup Makers Association, puts another log on the fire that is used to heat the large kettle, to boil the sugar cane juice into syrup.

 

Debbie Richter, of San Antonio, left, and Pamela Garrison, of Dade City, sample a taste of chili made by Veni Miller, of Bubba and Cha Cha’s Chili in Georgia. There was a professional chili cookoff and a local chili competition. Event-goers could purchase a sample cup and try up to 10 different types of chili.