For a little more than a year now, I have been eating sorghum nearly every day in oatmeal at breakfast. While that is the most consistently I have ever eaten sorghum, it has never been unusual for me to buy, eat, and keep sorghum in my house. I grew up with sorghum in Knott County Kentucky and one of my fondest memories is of my father taking me with him once when I was about ten years old to buy sorghum where someone was grinding cane with a mule and cooking sorghum at the edge of the field. For the past twenty-seven years, I have lived in Morgan County Kentucky, the home of the annual Morgan County Sorghum Festival which takes place the last full weekend in September each year. Morgan County is the heart of Kentucky sorghum country although some people in Liberty, Kentucky, the county seat of Casey County in West Central Kentucky, try to make a claim to the title. I must admit that I have never grown cane or actually made sorghum, but I will insist that I am an expert on the subject. I have eaten three quarts in the last year. Over the LAST sixty plus years, I have eaten sorghum made in several states, and in several different counties in my native Kentucky. Deliberately, over the last year, I have chosen to buy different sorghum each time I have bought it and I am now ready to critique and compare these three varieties at least.
 |
| Holbrook Brothers Pure Sorghum--Photo by Holbrook Brothers |
For several years, I have been convinced that some of the best sorghum I have ever eaten has been grown and cooked by Holbrook Brothers Pure Sorghum in West Liberty where I live. Originally, this variety of sorghum was grown and cooked by Dr. William Holbrook, DVM, and his brother Linville Holbrook. They grew several acres of cane every year and were major influences on the creation and perpetuation of the Morgan County Sorghum Festival. Sadly, both of the brothers are now dead. But a second generation son is carrying on the tradition of growing and cooking the best sorghum in the area. When I buy sorghum, I look for a rich, brown color; a sweet but not overpowering taste; and a level of thickness which shows me that the people running the cooker were both skillful and unafraid to boil the syrup down far enough to achieve that rich color and taste without scorching the product. I have always said that there are three qualities that should always be avoided when buying and eating sorghum. Those qualities to avoid are 1) sorghum that is too thin to the point that it runs rapidly off a spoon or a fork at room temperature; 2) sorghum that is mixed with any other form of sugar, syrup, or other additives. Never, ever buy sorghum which says on the label that it contains any amount of corn syrup, dextrose, sucrose or any other additive or stretcher. 3) scorched sorghum should be never be used for human consumption. If it has been scorched, it is good only as an additive to animal feed such as sweet feeds for cattle and horses. There are two early signs that sorghum has been scorched. The first is the odor when you open the jar. If it has been scorched, the smell will tell you in an instant if you are an experienced sorghum eater. The second sign of scorched sorghum is that it will usually be too thick from having been overcooked. But it is also possible to put a fast scorch on it simply by cooking too rapidly with too high heat. While I love thick sorghum, I also hate scorched sorghum. The operator of the cooker must walk a fine line between achieving that wonderful color, flavor, and thickness and overheating and scorching the product. If a sorghum producer, at the point of production on the farm, will not provide you a small spoonful to taste test, walk away and look for sorghum elsewhere. It is also a great idea to look for sorghum which is being made by an active member of the National Sweet Sorghum Producers & Processors Association. Their members are generally dedicated sorghum producers and fully committed to the art of making high quality sorghum. Sometimes, such sorghum might be a little more expensive but it will almost always be worth the difference. They describe their commitment in the following terms:
The second variety of sorghum I have eaten in the past year was made by Oberholtzer's Kentucky Sorghum. It can be bought in a variety of stores and even from Amazon. I have never been to Oberholtzer's production facilities but I can tell you that, based on the large variety of places I have seen it for sale, it is mass produced. While it has an acceptable taste and color, it is too thin which is common with mass produced product. I have heard the claim made that Oberholtzer's Kentucky Sorghum is made by an Amish family and I have no cause to doubt that because of the German last name. It is labeled as "Real" and "Not A Blend" and I have no reason to doubt the validity of those statements. But it is just not the kind of sorghum you can find if you are willing to make a few phone calls, search the Internet diligently, and ask questions of dedicated sorghum eaters in your area. Take a drive in the country and find a farm family who are raising less than 20 or 30 acres of cane, cooking the syrup themselves according to methods one of them learned from her parents or grandparents, and, if you are really lucky, you will find them sweating over a pan of syrup, stirring it with brand new hoes, and taking a break with a piece of squeezed cane for a snack. But, if you don't have the time to find your sorghum that way, come to West Liberty, Kentucky, during the last full weekend of September and find a producer who lives locally, speaks with an Eastern Kentucky Appalachian accent, and offers you a free taste whether they think you are a buyer or not.
The third variety of sorghum I have eaten lately is actually made in Monterey, Tennessee by the Mazelin Family. It is labeled "Pure" and "No Additives". But I found it at my local Save-A-Lot grocery store which is a sure sign it is mass produced since Save-A-Lot is a fairly large chain with more than a thousand stores. This sorghum has a fairly good taste and color but is too thin which is also a signal that it is mass produced. The Save-A-Lot chain is headquartered in the Saint Louis area more than four hundred miles from Monterey, Tennessee, which is another indicator that the sorghum is most likely mass produced. I do not have any particular aversion to this variety of sorghum other than the taste and thinness but I doubt that I will ever buy it again unless I run out and can't find one of my favorite varieties. I do not consider this variety worth recommending although you, as an individual might come to like it.
I understand that some veteran sorghum eaters and producers who read this post might disagree with me and I respect that. If you have a favorite brand of sorghum, please let me know and if I can locate a jar I will definitely try it. If you are a sorghum producer and have the desire to have me try and write about your product, get in touch with me either through this blog or at my e-mail ( rchicks@mrtc.com ) and we can arrange to have you send me a jar. I am also always interested in seeing new recipes using sorghum in any form of food but especially in entrees since there are fewer and fewer people cooking with sorghum other than in baked goods. Now go out in the area near you and find some local sorghum and try it, especially if you have never eaten sorghum. When you do that, please send me a message or a comment on this blog so all of us can see what you found and your reaction to it.
- Recapturing and fostering the study of the art and science of sorghum production.
- Developing and disseminating information concerning these subjects to interested parties.
- Encouraging and promoting the combining of the best methods of the old fashioned sorghum maker with the best of today’s technology to make the best possible products from sorghum cane juice. (National Sweet Sorghum Producers & Processors Association)
The second variety of sorghum I have eaten in the past year was made by Oberholtzer's Kentucky Sorghum. It can be bought in a variety of stores and even from Amazon. I have never been to Oberholtzer's production facilities but I can tell you that, based on the large variety of places I have seen it for sale, it is mass produced. While it has an acceptable taste and color, it is too thin which is common with mass produced product. I have heard the claim made that Oberholtzer's Kentucky Sorghum is made by an Amish family and I have no cause to doubt that because of the German last name. It is labeled as "Real" and "Not A Blend" and I have no reason to doubt the validity of those statements. But it is just not the kind of sorghum you can find if you are willing to make a few phone calls, search the Internet diligently, and ask questions of dedicated sorghum eaters in your area. Take a drive in the country and find a farm family who are raising less than 20 or 30 acres of cane, cooking the syrup themselves according to methods one of them learned from her parents or grandparents, and, if you are really lucky, you will find them sweating over a pan of syrup, stirring it with brand new hoes, and taking a break with a piece of squeezed cane for a snack. But, if you don't have the time to find your sorghum that way, come to West Liberty, Kentucky, during the last full weekend of September and find a producer who lives locally, speaks with an Eastern Kentucky Appalachian accent, and offers you a free taste whether they think you are a buyer or not.
 |
| Oberholtzer's Sorghum Label--Photo by Roger D. Hicks |
The third variety of sorghum I have eaten lately is actually made in Monterey, Tennessee by the Mazelin Family. It is labeled "Pure" and "No Additives". But I found it at my local Save-A-Lot grocery store which is a sure sign it is mass produced since Save-A-Lot is a fairly large chain with more than a thousand stores. This sorghum has a fairly good taste and color but is too thin which is also a signal that it is mass produced. The Save-A-Lot chain is headquartered in the Saint Louis area more than four hundred miles from Monterey, Tennessee, which is another indicator that the sorghum is most likely mass produced. I do not have any particular aversion to this variety of sorghum other than the taste and thinness but I doubt that I will ever buy it again unless I run out and can't find one of my favorite varieties. I do not consider this variety worth recommending although you, as an individual might come to like it.
 |
| Mazelin Family Sorghum Label--Photo by Roger D. Hicks |
I understand that some veteran sorghum eaters and producers who read this post might disagree with me and I respect that. If you have a favorite brand of sorghum, please let me know and if I can locate a jar I will definitely try it. If you are a sorghum producer and have the desire to have me try and write about your product, get in touch with me either through this blog or at my e-mail ( rchicks@mrtc.com ) and we can arrange to have you send me a jar. I am also always interested in seeing new recipes using sorghum in any form of food but especially in entrees since there are fewer and fewer people cooking with sorghum other than in baked goods. Now go out in the area near you and find some local sorghum and try it, especially if you have never eaten sorghum. When you do that, please send me a message or a comment on this blog so all of us can see what you found and your reaction to it.
No comments:
Post a Comment