Hey permies!
We live in sugarcane country but weren't able to secure a press (they are EXPENSIVE), so last year my wife had the idea of cooking down the cane to release the sugar, rather than crushing it.
It worked!
Our photo essay on the topic ended up being the most popular post on my blog (I mean, c'mon! Why not one of my FOOD FOREST posts??? But I digress...) since it went up last November.
Here's that link:
http://www.floridasurvivalgardening.com/2013/11/how-to-make-cane-syrup-at-home-without.html
Since people kept hitting that post and expressing interest, this year I decided to record a short how-to video on making sugarcane without a sugarcane press. If you're in cane-growing territory or have added this amazing grass to your food forest, you should find this interesting:
Sugarcane really isn't that hard to grow. Like sorghum or sugar beets, it's a really good sugar source for small homesteads without mature maples. It doesn't need a swamp, either - we grow ours in regular garden soil without trouble. I may add some to the edge of a banana circle (oh yeah) this coming spring... but that's a topic for another day.
Enjoy - hope this video inspires someone.