Rain Crow Primitive Crafts

Mary Smith Berry, aka Mamma Berry and Echol Berry, aka Poppy Berry, who lived in Fairview in Scott County, Virginia, are stripping sugar cane to make molasses. The horse in the background was used to turn a juicing mill which would squeeze the juice out of the sugar cane by running the stalks through a juicing mill. The juice was collected in tubs to be emptied into a molasses stir pan, or vat (usually a copper, tin or stainless steel) to cook until the juice cooks down into syrup called molasses which would take hours. The stir pan was heated by a wood fire underneath and the juice was stirred continuously; a green foam would form to be skimmed off as the juice cooked down. It was a long hot job, but the final outcome was a rich brown delicious syrup which could be eaten on homemade biscuits, to make cookies, or cakes or used as a sugar source which would make all the hard work worthwhile.  Molasses was commonly used in colonial times instead of sugar. 

Old Home Place of Echol and Mary Smith Berry on Bunker Road, Duffield, VA.

The meek might never taste a black walnut. The outer husks of these tree nuts are a mighty fortress, resembling a petrified tennis ball. A standard nutcracker won’t make a dent. Black walnuts must be pounded into submission, by mallets or more. Some people crack black walnuts by running over them with their cars. Back and forth, up and over, until either the shells or the driver give up. The work is tedious and the walnut shells stain everything they touch, including hands and driveways. Once open, not everyone appreciates the strong, pungent, rather bitter flavor of black walnuts. Those who do, however, do so passionately. Black Walnut Pound Cake with Penuche Frosting Makes one 10-inch cake 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, at room temperature 1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 5 large eggs, at room temperature 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 c...