Here is Uncle Steve, Brittany, and Alexander headed to Dad Hitch’s barn for a look see.
Dad grew the sugar cane and harvested the stalks with a machete when the time was ripe for making molasses. He stacked the stalks and took the cane to the mill which extracted the juice placing it in a box. Dad then boiled it, straining off the green skimmings. When the skimmings turned yellow and the molasses was thick, it was done. The molasses was then run through a cloth over a large lard can (also called a lard stand) to strain the last of the skimmings. The night before boiling the sugar cane juice, Dad whittled little cedar paddles for the kids about 10 to 12 inches long so the kids could eat the warm skimmings. (Lorena favored eating the warm yellow skimmings to the molasses themselves.)
Lagniappe, 2004