May I borrow a cup of sugar?

The Pioneer Sugar Plant in Sebewaing, Michigan

One of the sugar beet conveyors to pile the beets (there were about 10 of these).

Maybe there were more than 10 - look at this number.

Sugar beet city block!

The plant being obscured by the mountain of beets in one of the "blocks"

I'm doing lots and lots of baking for the holiday...who doesn't. Doesn't matter what the holiday is - which religion - or mostly which one you're celebrating. They all go great with tons of goodies that a laden with SUGAR. Okay, so I don't bake as much when the the kids were little but every once and awhile the bug just bites and off I go...like now.

There's nothing like passing a HUGE reminder to purchase enough sugar for your baking either. I think I've mentioned before that on the way to our family physician we get to drive through a large farming section on the "thumb" of Michigan. In in this section they primarily grow corn, potatoes, and sugar beets.

Sugar beets aren't much to look at. It's not like sugar cane which has a great visual factor going for it. Beets are a root plant that look quite a bit like, uh, cow pads. They're huge, dense, and heavy. That part probably isn't like the cow pads - just the size.

On the way to the doctors we pass through Sebewaing, Michigan. It's an interesting little town with a major employer - Pioneer Sugar. I'm sure it's not their only plant but I find it fascinating to see. Mostly because I have never seen so many sugar beets all in one spot. Now think about this while you are baking this year. Around this plant there are these rows of sugar beets that are brought in by double long, open top, semi-loads. Now, imagine that load being about like 10 feet wide and 30 feet tall when it's dumped. When you look at these photos of the beet piles - they are about a block long and about 30+ feet tall. And, there are about 50 rows like that. It is like a city of sugar beets. I wish I knew how much sugar that makes but it has to be a lot.

Today when I make some sugar cookies I'll be thinking about little Sebewaing and their sugar plant. Now maybe you will too! Get baking...