Jiaxian: Sweet tongues
Another DIY activity what Jaixian and its surroundings provide and it should be a pity to not to see and try is making a brown sugar from sugar cane.
Teacher Ma, took me to one of that family farm the other day even I had been told before there is no sugar season these days regarding heavy rains. The funny fact, their trademark is an illustrated wild pig. Basically, the most harmful animal to sugar cane. Make your great enemy your friend is always a good strategy.
As soon as we came we were welcomed with passion fruit juice with brown sugar and lemon. Delicious!
Also we had been explained the main differences among all sugars, from the black to the white. So long story short. More white and more crystallized sugar is, less nutritional it becomes. And a lot of times the brown crystallized sugar is just white sugar with added brown color. Be aware of the labeling and composition while you buying.
After a small chat, the father of the family gave us ride to their field. We pulled over and he handed me a belt with the round smoking thing which keeps mosquitos away and short scythe, for cutting the sugar canes.
I was quite afraid (as always) of snakes, fortunately, there were none. We had cut few sugar canes and headed back to farm. I was able to make my own lemonade by pressing the sugar cane plant one by one through a special machine. We added limes which grew on the same farm, iced and the lemonade was done. Sugar cane juice is contributive to your body especially if you feel dizzy or got a heat stroke. It contains a lot of iron as well. So It hit the spot in that moment. The other thing we made was a candy! I was thrown back directly to childhood once I tried it. Same taste as lollipops I used to get at markets in Slovakia. Just without added dyes now.
Basically, the brown sugar and added molasses are melted in a pan and cook until the consistency is fine enough. A small piece can be put in the glass of cold water and when it gets hard, "dough" is ready. As soon as our dough was ready, the owner of the farm and his son started out with somehow relaxing and amazing performance. Afterward, we had been pulling the dough till it became one large noodle. In the end, the last person, Ma, started to tear it into smaller pieces on the plate. They packaged the brown sugar, candies and the brown sugar lemonades what we had produced ( except the sugar that was made in season) for us.
In the end, I was able to find out how much work devours making organic sugar and how less money we (consumers) want to pay for that. Especially when you learned that 100 g of sugar cane juice shrinks to 6 g of final brown sugar product. So wild pig farm ® deserves huge credit and we are thankful for another amazing experience! From that day on I have not been able to eat sweets though. I am over sweetened for few weeks ahead!
