We joined a group tour to Clewiston, FL and the nearby sugarcane fields. We started out at the Clewiston museum in the Chamber of Comerce building. After an introductory film about the town, a tour guide joined us on our bus and we headed off for the sugar fields during the harvest season. We were able to watch the field burn off, used to get rid of the cane's leaves, just before harvest, and the loading of the harvested canes. We then headed over the the US Sugar refinery where our guide explained how the cane was processed and the raw sugar extracted. We even drove the whole bus into and through on of the partially refined sugar warehouses. There were literally mountains of sugar piled on the floor! We also saw where the final processing was done and how the sugar we are all familiar with was packaged, and/or bulk shipped. Overall it was very interesting and we learned plenty of things we never knew. Really fascinating. Who knew that Florida supplies 25% of North America's sugar. And at the end of the tour, we each got a foot long section of sugar cane, and a sugar cookie! read more