I grew up with an antique sugar cane mill and a 50gal cast iron caldron on my step-dad's parent's farm. (You use the cauldron to cook the cane juice down to make syrup/molasses/sugar) When we were kids cane was grown every summer. We would cut short sections and chew the sweet pulp. You can find sugar cane here in south Georgia for next to nothing or nothing at all while it's in season.