Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge - Hosts Sugar Cane Boil Nov. 17

NEWS RELEASE

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
2700 Suwannee Canal Road
Folkston, GA  31537

http://www.fws.gov/okefenokee


For Immediate Release     Contact: Art Webster (912) 496-7366 ext. 233   Arthur_Webster@fws.gov

Date: November 8, 2012

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge to Host
Old Fashioned Sugar Cane Boil

Have a sweet tooth? Grab your friends and family and come on out to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, November 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and take part in a traditional sugar cane boil at the historic Chesser Island Homestead. Visitors can assist with the grinding of sugar cane using a traditional mule-powered grinder and sample the sweet cane juice produced in its purest form. Then stick around and watch as the vat of juice is boiled down to make authentic cane syrup – the perfect addition to any kitchen table and try the syrup on homemade biscuits baked on the wood stove!

In addition to witnessing a hands-on demonstration of the early techniques used to process sugar cane, visitors will get a glimpse into the life of the "Swamper" families that pioneered the Okefenokee Swamp. Sugar cane was an important staple for families homesteading the Okefenokee frontier. Most of these "Swamper" families made extensive use of sugar cane and cane-related products such as cane syrup and wax. Sugar cane still continues to be used today for a variety of purposes; it is often used as a preservative for fruits and meats and its numerous medicinal properties make it a staple in many households.

A five dollar refuge entrance fee is required, unless visitors possess an America the Beautiful Annual Pass, Senior Pass, Access Pass, Refuge Annual Pass, or Duck Stamp. For more information about this and other programs, please contact the Richard S. Bolt Visitor Center at (912) 496-7836 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov. Connect with our Facebook pages at www.facebook.com/okefenokeewildliferefuge or www.facebook.com/usfwssoutheast, follow our tweets at www.twitter.com/usfwssoutheast, watch our YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/usfws and download photos from our Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwssoutheast.

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