Ronald Jenkins

Popcorn is the only thing Ronald Jenkins says he can cook, besides sorghum molasses, which he has been doing for three years now. For as long as he can remember, he watched his grandfather, the late E.L. Steele, cook molasses.

Ronald Jenkins cooking up sorghum molasses.

“Granddaddy was very serious about his cooking and would not let us come around to the side where it was being cooked down,” he said. Sometimes Steele would let him help by skimming the juice (removing the thick green substance that congeals on top when it is first heated)  while he carefully monitored the molasses as it cooked,” he said. He didn’t let Ronald actually cook until he was in high school.

Jenkins bought an old mill in 2012 from Mose Tuggles, who had grown up working at Steele’s mill and learning to cook with him. He restored it and used it for the first time in 2013 with a temporary cooking pan. He built a cooking house the next year behind his home on Highway 330, west of Bruce. After a lot of research, especially through the University of Kentucky, he built his own evaporator (cooking tray). This year he planted two acres of sorghum and hopes to get 100 gallons per acre. Jenkins cut the cane and began cooking at the end of last week.

In his operation, the stripped cane is fed through the mill and the juice flows from a pipe into the divided trays in his cooking house. Propane burners are used and boiling begins in the first section of tray as the juice flows in and where the skimming takes place. Boiling continues in the mid-section, and at the end of the tray, where the juice is cooked off, a thermometer and watching the consistency determine when it is bottled.

Cousin Andy Davis runs the cane through the mill. Jenkins says all of his “Davis cousins” love molasses, too.

The old family recipes are from his sister, Martha Sue Jenkins Griffin, and are shared on his website, www.jynxsorghumsyrup.com. Last year Ronald shipped molasses to people in Mississippi, Arkansas, California, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Germany and Czechoslovakia, saying that many of his contacts came from engineers of Columbia Gulf, from which he retired.

Jenkins said he always expected to be doing this after retirement. Off and on during his life he was not around the sorghum molasses cooking as much as he wanted to be, but at one point he said he found the time to be with his granddaddy and started raising small sorghum crops of his own.  “Granddaddy was more than eager to teach me to cook,” he said.  “Then two boys later and a busy life of raising a family took hold of my time. Over 20 years went by before I was again in a place in my life that I could look at cooking molasses. My grandfather passed away years ago and a dream continued in my heart to return to cooking molasses.  I love being involved in carrying this family tradition into tomorrow,” he said.

“The final outcome of molasses, including taste, is influenced by what happens from the time the farmer decides he will plant the crop until it has been cooked,” he said. High iron or red dirt makes it strong tasting. With lighter soil there is milder molasses. Too much rain dilutes the sugar content and increases cooking time. “A lot of things affect the end product, including the cook!” said Jenkins.

Wife Janet Jenkins bottling the molasses.

Chunky Apple Molasses Muffins
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup milk
1 Fuji apple, peeled, cored and chopped
Oven 450°. Lightly grease 8-3” muffin pans. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt. Add apples and stir to distribute evenly.
In small bowl heat milk, molasses, oil and egg.
Stir into dry ingredients, mix until blended. Bake five minutes. Reduce heat to 350°, bake 12-15 minutes. Cool five minutes.

Molasses Pie
3 eggs beaten, set aside
1 cup of sugar
2 Tbsp. flour mixed with 1/2 stick melted butter or margarine
1/2 cup molasses
1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
Cook all together until pie begins to get thick. Pour in uncooked pie shell cook slow 325-350° ‘til good and jelled.

Molasses Cake
3/4  cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup chunky applesauce
1 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt, cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves, nutmeg
Cream shortening , sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Add applesauce, molasses and beat well. Combine flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg stir into butter. Pour batter into three greased floured 8” cake pans.  Bake at 350°  for 20-25 minutes Cool 10 minutes.  Remove and cool completely.
Frost between layers and top of cake:
1/4 cup butter
3 Tbsp. milk
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
Combine butter and powdered sugar, cream until light and fluffy. Add milk one tablespoon at a time beating until spreading consistency.

Biscuit, Butter and Molasses
Take a slice of butter about 1/2 “ long, place on your plate. Pour to your preference the amount of Molasses and stir together.  Take your fork scoop up the butter molasses mix and place into the side of the biscuit.