Rich in Iron! Brer Rabbit Molasses

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Brer Rabbit Molasses, c. 1948

 

Hi Guys!

You've probably heard of Brer Rabbit:  he's the beloved folk character from the Old South who was immortalized in the Uncle Remus tales of Joel Chandler Harris!   Brer Rabbit is a clever trickster who always manages to outwit the predators who want to eat him!  He's constantly turning the tables on bigger and more ferocious characters, and for that reason, kids love him!  

That's where Brer Rabbit Molasses comes in!  See, molasses is traditionally used in all kinds of dessert food, especially in the South!  Kids dig dessert; heck, who doesn't?!  So it's only natural that Brer Rabbit would give his name to the stuff.

 

 

Brer Rabbit's Modern Recipes for Modern Living, c. 1930s

 

Today, molasses isn't as popular as it used to be.  I'm guessing that as refined sugar became cheaper and more widely available in the 1920s and 1930s, old-school molasses began to take a back seat.  It's probably not a coincidence that we start to see Brer Rabbit Molasses hitting it hard during that time.  During the Great Depression, they made several different little giveaway cookbooks that were packed full of mostly tasty-looking recipes!      

 

 



Fine and dandy, but Brer Rabbit also tried to sell people on the idea that their molasses was good for you!  Just about every page in these cookbooks asserts that the stuff is "rich in iron" and that you can't live a healthy life without it!  And who knows?  Maybe that's all true!  But I tell you what:  no kid is going to be fooled by a molasses milk shake.  That's about the same as spinach lollipops.  It's just plain nasty!





Cut to the late 1940s and Brer Rabbit is looking up-to-the minute, like he just stepped out of a Warner Brothers cartoon feature!  He's full of vim and vigor, and you can tell that molasses must be doing him a world of good!  And why is that, you ask?

Well, because...


 



OK, that spoils it for me, right there.  I gotta ask, what's next?  Liver milk shakes?  I mean, this whole list reads like the Ten Least Wanted in terms of foods that kids like!  Desserts are awesome!  Being healthy is awesome!  But as much as you might try, those two things will always be mutually exclusive!  Seriously, what kid thought this, ever:





I think you see what I mean.  But you know what, they are still making Brer Rabbit Molasses today, so they must be doing something right.  I imagine the stuff is pretty good and if you use it like God intended, it probably makes for some great-tasting eats!  It's fine if you make cookies and cakes with molasses and they're not 100% good for you -- that's what dessert is all about anyway!  You can get your iron in that liver or better yet, just take a pill!  No need to put molasses in everything.

So that's my piece for now -- I hope you guys have a great holiday with lots of swell treats to eat!

See you next time!


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Brer Rabbit Molasses, green label, 1919


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