Sugar production in the Danish West Indies
Okay kiddo, let's talk about how sugar was made in the Danish West Indies a long, long time ago.
First, there were these really tall plants called sugar cane that grew in fields in the islands. The workers would use big knives to cut down the sugar cane and then they would take it to a sugar mill.
The sugar mill was a really big building with big machines inside. The workers would put the sugar cane through the machines to crush it and get the juice out. The juice was collected in big vats and then strained to remove any bits of the cane that didn't get crushed.
After that, the juice was cooked and boiled until it was really thick and sticky. The workers would stir the juice the whole time, so it wouldn't burn. This part took a really long time, sometimes all day and all night!
When the juice became thick enough, it was poured into big molds called "puncheon barrels." These were huge wooden barrels that had a hole in the middle. The workers would put a straw in the hole and blow air through it to make sure there weren't any bubbles in the sugar. Then, they would leave the sugar to dry for a few weeks until they couldn't see any more liquid at the bottom of the puncheon barrel.
Finally, the sugar was taken out of the puncheon barrel and put into bags or boxes. The Danish West Indies would export this sugar to other countries, like the United States or Europe, so that people all over the world could enjoy sweet treats made with sugar.
That's basically how sugar was made in the Danish West Indies, kiddo. Pretty cool, huh?
First, there were these really tall plants called sugar cane that grew in fields in the islands. The workers would use big knives to cut down the sugar cane and then they would take it to a sugar mill.
The sugar mill was a really big building with big machines inside. The workers would put the sugar cane through the machines to crush it and get the juice out. The juice was collected in big vats and then strained to remove any bits of the cane that didn't get crushed.
After that, the juice was cooked and boiled until it was really thick and sticky. The workers would stir the juice the whole time, so it wouldn't burn. This part took a really long time, sometimes all day and all night!
When the juice became thick enough, it was poured into big molds called "puncheon barrels." These were huge wooden barrels that had a hole in the middle. The workers would put a straw in the hole and blow air through it to make sure there weren't any bubbles in the sugar. Then, they would leave the sugar to dry for a few weeks until they couldn't see any more liquid at the bottom of the puncheon barrel.
Finally, the sugar was taken out of the puncheon barrel and put into bags or boxes. The Danish West Indies would export this sugar to other countries, like the United States or Europe, so that people all over the world could enjoy sweet treats made with sugar.
That's basically how sugar was made in the Danish West Indies, kiddo. Pretty cool, huh?