Vintage Sugar Kettles

I love sugar kettles in the landscape.  They are quite popular here in Louisiana.  In the old South, each cane plantation in Louisiana had its own sugarhouse. The cane was crushed using an animal-powered three-roller mill. The extracted cane juice was heated, clarified, & evaporated in a set of large open kettles of decreasing size which were enclosed in brickwork over a furnace.  A lot of kettles were melted down for our nations war efforts so there are not as many originals as there used to be.  An original sugar kettle made of iron can cost up to thousands of dollars.  They range in size from 2 feet in diameter to 7 feet.  At least, that's the biggest I've seen.  Fortunately for people like me on a limited budget, they make reproductions in fiberglass. 

You may remember this sugar kettle from last week's tour of Hillcroft.  This is a spectacular example of a water feature using the kettle.  I love the big green balls floating in the water and the tiki torches on each side sitting at an angle.

This one is also from the Audubon Pilgrimage...

This WAS my sugar kettle.  In 2010, we added a pergola and this outdoor kitchen.  I put in this flower bed in the corner.  It had a fountain in the middle that shot up a spray of water.  It's not there anymore though.  Last year, we put in a pool and a pond feature.  But I have high hopes for this little kettle.  Once we get our garage built on, I plan on putting in between the carport and house.  My kettle is 4 foot wide and is a reproduction.  Even the reproductions are high to me.  My husband bought it for me for Christmas one year and I think it was between $200 and $250. 

Thanks for stopping by!  I'm sharing with:

Outdoor Wednesday @ A Southern Daydreamer

Cowgirl Up! @ Farm House Porch