Weekend Road Trip: Oatland Island Cane Grinding and Harvest Fest…And Gators!
Recently, we had the pleasure of attending the fall cane harvest festival on Oatland Island in Savannah, Ga. After a nice trek through the woods we entered a clearing where the annual festivities were already underway. A log cabin was the focal point; however, the structure was not the center of attention.
The crowd was busy sampling the wares.
Sugar cane (bottom center in front of hay bales) was available for tasting.
A horse was the sole source of power used to operate the cane grinder. A long pole (a tree trunk) was attached to the grinder and to the horse’s back. The animal then walked in large circles, pulling the log as it went. The motion turned the grinder, which reduced the cane to sweet sugar.
A large vat was used to cook the ground cane sugar. I’ve since been topping my Sunday pancakes with fresh cane syrup.
Making homemade pumpkin soup.
Apple press for making homemade cider. Delicious!
Explaining her craft.
Even the little ones had a great time without a video game in sight. Click the link below for a very brief video.
We left the cabin area to explore. A stroll down this path revealed some pretty exciting sights and breathtaking scenery.
Standing at the edge of the marsh.
Three gray wolves.
A mud-covered alligator sunning itself on the bank of a creek.
Lazy gator floating.
This gator swam by our feet. I used the zoom for this shot. Believe me, I was NOT that close to this animal.
A cougar having a little snack of some sort of meat (another zoom shot).
A wild turkey contemplating the future. This photo was taken the first week in November.
*Due to the troubles with the site earlier this week we’ll be posting details on how to win The Closer 5th season DVD on Monday.
