Cane syrup makes a comeback, with help from UF

October 5, 2001

QUINCY, Fla. — Grab a biscuit: Homegrown cane syrup is making a comeback.

The richly flavored, distinctly Southern sweetener is returning from obscurity, as small producers revive the art of syrup making and generate new interest in sugarcane farming.

“A few generations ago, sugarcane was a staple crop throughout the Southeast, but now it’s mostly concentrated on large farms in Louisiana and South Florida devoted strictly to sugar production,” said David Wright, agronomist with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

In the Florida Panhandle, the crop all but disappeared after the 1950s, said Wright, based at UF’s North Florida Research and Education Center in Quincy. Today, an increasing number of growers are interested in sugarcane as a hobby and as an additional source of income. They often grow one to five acres of sugarcane, producing a few hundred gallons of syrup each year.

“In the early ’80s we started getting questions about cane syrup production, which surprised me,” he said. “Within a few years it became obvious this wasn’t just a fad.”

Each November at the Quincy center, Wright provides free sugarcane seed stock to anyone interested in growing the crop. Though the center has about 20 varieties available, supplies of the most requested types were increased specifically to aid those wanting to get back into syrup production.

Sugarcane, a member of the grass family, is cultivated on more than 950,000 acres in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Florida and Louisiana are the nation’s leading producers.

The amount of acreage devoted to small operations is unknown, but those farmers seem to be widespread and passionate about their heirloom hobby.

“People come here from all over the Southeast,” he said. “Their operations may be small, but they’re serious about doing it right.”

Besides obtaining the best cane varieties, small producers are interested in management techniques, especially fertilizer use and weed control, said Charles Brasher, a UF extension agent based in Jackson County.

“Management has changed a lot in the last 50 years,” said Brasher, who assists several sugarcane farmers. “Many of the new producers haven’t grown sugarcane since they were kids, so they want to update their methods.”

One such producer is C.A. Dickson, a Jackson County tree farmer who grew up helping his parents make syrup. In the mid-1980s Dickson’s son expressed interest in reviving the family tradition. Using cane varieties obtained from UF’s Quincy center and an antique mill, Dickson now produces about 1,000 gallons of syrup each year, some of which is sold locally.

“There’s an art to making good syrup,” he said. “You have to do things the right way at the right time.”

In late fall when the weather cools, Dickson harvests two or three acres of cane and invites neighbors to add their own crop. The stalks are fed through the mill to squeeze out the sugary juice, which is collected in a vat for cooking. After hours of careful heating and stirring to reach the right consistency, the hot syrup is bottled and ready for use.

Dickson said he’s made a few innovations. He powers his mill with a tractor rather than a mule and uses a gas heating system to cook the syrup because it’s more reliable than a wood fire.

Nonetheless, tradition has hardly taken a back seat to technology.

“One of the most popular places to make syrup now is at folk festivals, county fairs and other big celebrations,” Dickson said. “It’s a good reason to get people together.”

In the 19th and early 20th century, syrup making was a major social event in the rural South, said Royce Lowery, owner of the Carson Ann Syrup Company in Georgiana, Ala. Time-consuming and physically exhausting, the practice declined as farm dwellers migrated to cities and nationally distributed pancake syrups took larger market shares.

“Today, most producers make syrup because they want to, not because they have to,” Lowery said. “It’s hard work, but people want to stay in touch with the past.”

Lowery is working hard to reach those people, either displaced Southerners who grew up with cane syrup or those who’ve only heard about it.

After six years of national marketing efforts including television appearances and a Web site, Lowery’s company sells more than 15,000 gallons of syrup annually, 40 percent of it shipped to areas where Carson Ann Syrup is unavailable in stores. He is trying to secure distribution with a national retailer.

“I’m not sure how big the market can get,” he said. “But tradition is what got me into this business, so we’ll keep on keeping on, regardless.”