Sweet Sweet Sugar Cane!

When we brought a youth missions team to Jamaica in the early eighties we took the team to a sugar plantation on their day off. It was really neat seeing the process and hearing the sounds AND tasting the product. I don't think I will ever forget that day. Now that we live here I see people chew on sugar cane all day long. You would wonder about the condition of their teeth.

This gentleman brings cane on his truck every day and parks at the same gas station here in Mandeville.



Since sugar cane is cultivated in Jamaica it is a huge part of the culture. Not only does the country depend on it for sugar but also for rum.

Sugarcane has a large percentage of water, and fiber. One pound of raw sugar cane can give 1.6 ounces of sugar. Once ounce is only 2 tablespoons. So it would balance out I guess. When you see the Jamaicans chewing on a piece of sugar cane, it is only like 6 inches long. So maybe the sugar intake isn't as great as it would appear.

Sugar cane is chewy and sweet. I really like the experience although I couldn't handle a piece everyday!