> This reminds me again of how many different natural sweeteners there
> are. I've made maple syrup and sugar; that's something that anyone can
> do on any scale. I like maple sugar in almost everything except coffee.
The processes for making cane sugar is very similar to Sorghum Molasses
except you go beyond the molasses stage. You could make sugar from Sorghum
molasses. Similar process for beet sugar.
Let's see:
Honey. Easy to get, just take the caps off the comb and drain.
Maple Syrup. Collect sap in the spring then boil off the water.
Other trees can also yield a sweet sap.
Sorghum Molasses. Grow Sorghum, cut the whole stalk, squeeze out the
juices, boil off the water.
Cane sugar. Same as Sorghum except the molasses is taken a few more steps.
Beet sugar. Grow sugar beets, harvest roots, mash, squeeze, boil off water,
continue as cane sugar.