In Season: Sorghum Syrup

In the mountain South it's known as long sweetnin' for its lingering rich-as-honey finish. Steeped in backcountry tradition, sorghum syrup making is an art--a magical, end-of-summer alchemy bottled in a mason jar.

To Buy

Look for 100% pure sorghum syrup at farm stands or specialty markets, or order online. Unlike molasses, sorghum has a buttery complexity.

To Store

Tuck it into a dark kitchen cupboard, ready to drizzle over baked apples, hot cornbread, or a down-home version of caramel macchiato.

To Cook

Substitute it in equal amounts for corn syrup, maple syrup, honey, or molasses in recipes.

To Party

Syrup-making festivals with hand-harvested sorghum cane and mule-drawn presses are held across the South from late August to mid-October.

Sorghum syrup-making festivals with hand-harvested sorghum cane and mule-drawn presses are held across the South from late August to mid-October. One of the largest festivals, in the beautiful mountain town of Blairsville, Georgia spans two weekends--October 9-10 and 16-17.

• Mountaineer Folk Festival
• Fall Creek Falls State Park
• Pikeville TN 37367
• September 10-12, 2010
• 423/881-5708
• visitfallcreekfalls.com

Cades Cove

Smoky Mountains National Park

September 4-6 and 17-19, November 5-7 and 12-14, 2010

865/436-1200

865/436-7318

• Fall Heritage Festival and Old Timers Day
• Townsend, TN
• September 24, 25, 2010
• 800/525-6834
• smokymountains.org

• 7th Annual Old Mill Heritage Day
• Pigeon Forge, TN
• September 25, 2010
• 865/428-0071
• oldmillheritageday.com

• Dollywood National Southern Gospel Music & Harvest Celebration
• Pigeon Forge, TN
• September 29-October 30, 2010 (closed Thursdays)
• 800/365-5996
• dollywood.com

• Fall Homecoming
• Museum of Appalachia
• Norris, TN
• October 7-10, 2010
• 865/494-7680
• museumofappalachia.org

• Music and Molasses Arts & Crafts Festival
• Ellington Agriculture Center
• Nashville, TN
• October 16-17, 2010
• 615/837-5197
• tnagmuseum.org

• 36th Annual Midway Fall Festival
• Midway, KY
• September 18-19, 2010
• 859/846-4966
• midwayfallfestival.org

• Morgan County Sorghum Festival
• West Liberty, KY
• September 24-26, 2010
• 859/398-1428
• cityofwestliberty.com/sorghumfestival.htm

Shockley's Old Timey Days

Hillsville, VA

September 25-26, 2010 (rain dates October 2-3)

276-733-4953

• Murray's Mill Harvest Folk Festival
• Catawba, NC
• September 25-26, 2010
• 828/464-0383
• catawbahistory.org

Clifford Ruritan Club Sorghum Festival

Clifford, VA

October 2-3, 2010

434/946-2208

• Harvest Festival
• Renfro Valley, KY
• October 1-3, 2010
• 800/765-7464
• renfrovalley.com

Kentucky Wool Festival

Falmouth, KY

October 1-3, 2010

606/735-3402

Sorghum Festival

Michigan City, MS

• Burton Sugar Farm
• October 2, 2010
• 662/224-4950
• burtonsugarfarm.com

Madison County Fair

Marshall, NC

August 26-28, 2010 (Sorghum-making demos August 28)

828/649-2411

• 41st Annual Sorghum Festivals
• Blairsville, GA
• Meek's Park
• October 9-10 and 16-17, 2010
• sorghum.blairsville.com

Voyles' Sorghum Making

Ava, MO

October 9, 2010

417/683-3107

• Homestead Festival
• Harrisburg, AR
• The Whitehall Community
• October 9-10, 2010
• parkerhomestead.com

• October Court Days
• Mount Sterling, KY
• October 15-18, 2010
• 859/498-8732
• mtsterlingtourism.com

• Old School Sorghum Festival
• Garland, NC
• October 16, 2010
• 910/564-5069
• oldschoolsorghum.com

• Prairie Rose Farm Fall Celebration
• Pryor, OK
• October 16, 2010
• 918/695-7481
• prairieroseok.com

• Corn Shucking Frolic
• Pinnacle, NC
• Horne Creek Farm
• October 16, 2010
• 336/325-2298
• nchistoricsites.org/horne/

• 35th Annual Sorghum Day Festival
• Wewoka, OK
• October 23, 2010
• 405/257-5485
• wewokachamber.samsbiz.com

Sourcery

Look for 100% pure sorghum syrup at farm stands and specialty markets (such as Whole Foods), or order online from one of these suppliers. Molasses, a byproduct of sugar making, lacks sorghum's buttery complexity.

• Muddy Pond Sorghum Mill
• Monterey, TN
• 931/445-3589
• muddypondsorghum.com

• Charles Kramer
• Lynnville, IA
• 515/594-4369
• maasdamsorghum.com

• Sandhill Farm, Inc.
• Rutledge, MO
• 660/883-5543
• info@sandhillfarm.org

• Hillside Orchard Farms, Inc.
• Tiger, GA
• 706/782-4995 or 866/782-4995
• hillsideorchard.com

Sorghum Snapshots

View a film clip classic of sorghum syrup making in Flatwoods, Texas--hosted by Mike Seibert, the former District Attorney of Eastland.youtube.com/watch?v=MVkQ-SOL5IQ

Visit Muddy Pond Sorghum Mill in Monterey, Tennessee. youtube.com/watch?v=JESJpXjSBHY

Or, take a pictorial trip to Onion Creek Farm in Dripping Springs, Texas, and watch the harvest of "Honey Drip" heirloom sweet sorghum http://drippingsprings.dsbabble.com/2009/07/21/sorghum-pressing-and-processing--onion-creek-farm-day-two-a-pictorial.aspx.