# Not so much a recipe as an ingregient,



## wdbrand (May 24, 2007)

but a most versital one. Mostly forgotten in the last 50 years or so. But an important one 50 years ago. That's molasses. Was a main stay for cooks. Cornbread, cracklins and molasses fed more than one hungry mouth when I was growing up. Course cracklins are a thing of the past/memories, but a substitute is available. Buy a bag of meat skins[they sell a pack that says cracklins] and crumble them up, add to cornbread mix and a spoonful of molasses and take a trip back to the early 20th century. Was made local here and all thru the mountains. Without molasses, most folks never would have developed a sweet tooth. Tryem on buckwheat cakes sometime, or a simple biscuit.


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## surfchunker (Apr 10, 2006)

I can remember as a kid I used to love the foam when they made it ...


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## WV Cobbmullet (Dec 2, 2008)

Don't know which I like best on biscuits molasses or honey. Just got a jar of mo that came from the Amish country in Ohio think it's a little more on the bitter side than most, but not bad.


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## Finger_Mullet (Aug 19, 2005)

As a kid we would go to grandmaw's neighbor at molasses making time. They grew sugar kane. They would bring it in from the field and run it in a twister thing. They had a huge vat under a shed beside their house that they would boil the juice that was squeezed out of the kane. After a while it got thick and black. At the end they would drain the vat and get it ready for the next batch. Us kids just played in the yard. I wish I had enough sense to pay attention to how it was done. I just remember the thing they ran the kane in. It would twist the hell out of it and the juice would run down in the vat. At the end of the day those that helped got some to take home. No money ever exchanged hands for those that helped. I guess they got paid in molasses. 

As far back as I can remember there was always a mason jar full of molasses sitting on my grand parents table. There were biscuits for every meal. They were cooked first thing every morning and they were in a basket wrapped up in a towel. After grandpaw cleaned his plate he would grab that jar and pour out enough to cover the bottom of his plate and grab a biscuit or three and sop it up with the biscuits. 

I have not eaten molasses in years. Would love to know who still made them in out area. I guess it is a dieing art. 

Darin


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## wdbrand (May 24, 2007)

Up until a few years ago a feller at our hunt camp made them, so I got fresh. No more tho. I stop at any ole timey country store I see and look for them. A simple label usually means local and fresh. Just buy a jar and try them before you leave. Don't ever pass up a jar of honey labeled sour wood either. And don't even look in the grocery stores. They got molasses, but not what you will be looking for.


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## wdbrand (May 24, 2007)

The more I studied on it, the more uses I thought of for molasses. Anything baked had them in it years back. Mainly because there was no money for sugar and cane could be grown and turned into molasses for free. Let's see: Was used in corn bread, cakes, cookies. On hams to sugar cure and hold the pepper, on biscuits and pancakes. I stir fry a lot and most stir fry calls for ligth corn syrup. I use molasses. TV dinners with stir fry, I use molasses instead of sweet and sour or duck sauce. I'm sure some folks on here can add to this list.


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## wdbrand (May 24, 2007)

Finger, I should have added local farmers markets. Or a dunkard community. Sometimes the best bet. Just read the label.


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## RAYTOGS (May 8, 2010)

I love the stuff, when i get my christmas tree every year in floyd co. I pick up a new jar . Thats 250 miles for the juice and its worth the trip. I had some tonight with some homemade biscuits my wife made , daaaamn good stuff.


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## wdbrand (May 24, 2007)

Did it have a Cana label on it?


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## Kenmefish (Apr 21, 2000)

It was made in Hood VA in recent years. I will check it out and let you know if they are still doing it.


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## wdbrand (May 24, 2007)

WV, that was probably the second or third cooking. Dark comes off on the second cooking and has a slightly bitter taste. Blackstrap is the third and has more of a bitter taste.


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## the pyromaniac (Oct 9, 2011)

@wdbrand, where in the mountains are you?


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## wdbrand (May 24, 2007)

pyro, PM sent.


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