Small Batch Homemade Sugar Cane Syrup the Modern Way

Here's a look at a modern method of making cane syrup at home. The main difference in this method from the old cane mills is the modern stainless steel sugar cane juicing machine.




Unlike the older way of crushing large quantities of cane in a cane mill, in this modern method all of the dirt is washed off the cane before juicing. This results in a cleaner product that requires less filtering.

This method is very doable for the home gardener with a large patch of cane. The juicing machine is not cheap, but if you like to drink fresh cane juice it may well be worth the investment. Also, it could be shared with other gardeners who also have an interest in juicing cane, whether for fresh juice or for syrup-making.

If you'd like to see how they did it in the old days, have a look at this video where some old Florida farmers show how they juice and cook about 60 gallons of cane juice into some fine syrup.