Post by juju on Mar 1, 2006 10:55:48 GMT -5
Many years ago sugar was a priceless commodity. And only as distant as WWII sugar was rationed and prized as a bartering tool.
Kings and Queens have throughout history given and received sugar as tribute and as royal wedding gifts.
You can make this prized sweet from sugar beets very easily. Make sure you are growing or purchasing Sugar Beets. Try White (Abina
vereduna) or Mangels variety. You can get the seeds from Bountiul Gardens.
www.bountifulgardens.org
Click on the CATALOG, then click on VEGETABLES and then click on BEETS.
1. Scrub the beet well and chop it up into small pieces.
2. In a large pan or dutch oven, cover the beet pieces with water and bring to a boil.
Don't drown them just barely cover them and then bring it all to a boil.
3. Cook the beets til they are tender. The sugar juice is extracted once
these pieces are tender. Now drain the juice through a screened
collander into another pot. Leave the remaining pulp inside the
collander till later.
4. Take this second pot of juice and boil it down to about 1/3 it's
original volume. When done, let it cool. As it cools you'll begin to see
sugar chrystals begin to take shape, so carefully scrape ONLY the
chrystals out leaving the juice in the pot.
5. Continue boiling the remaining juice and removing the chrystals until
it is all gone.
Your sugar will not be pure white and it may have a slight beety flavor, but it will be far superior nutritionally to refined sugar.
Store your sugar in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Use it just as you would refined sugar.
Bet you're wondering what to do with that pulp we still have sitting in
the collander! Take it and spread it out thinly on a cookie sheet for
oven drying or use your dehydrator till dry. What you have now is Beet
pulp and you can give it to your goats as fodder. I add 1 cup sprinkled
on top of their hay. You can also add 1 cup to their daily feed bucket
but mix it all up before feeding them. This is especially good to do
after kidding. ( So I have been told )
I don't do goats, I have been told that they love this and it's a good thing & treat for them.
Kings and Queens have throughout history given and received sugar as tribute and as royal wedding gifts.
You can make this prized sweet from sugar beets very easily. Make sure you are growing or purchasing Sugar Beets. Try White (Abina
vereduna) or Mangels variety. You can get the seeds from Bountiul Gardens.
www.bountifulgardens.org
Click on the CATALOG, then click on VEGETABLES and then click on BEETS.
1. Scrub the beet well and chop it up into small pieces.
2. In a large pan or dutch oven, cover the beet pieces with water and bring to a boil.
Don't drown them just barely cover them and then bring it all to a boil.
3. Cook the beets til they are tender. The sugar juice is extracted once
these pieces are tender. Now drain the juice through a screened
collander into another pot. Leave the remaining pulp inside the
collander till later.
4. Take this second pot of juice and boil it down to about 1/3 it's
original volume. When done, let it cool. As it cools you'll begin to see
sugar chrystals begin to take shape, so carefully scrape ONLY the
chrystals out leaving the juice in the pot.
5. Continue boiling the remaining juice and removing the chrystals until
it is all gone.
Your sugar will not be pure white and it may have a slight beety flavor, but it will be far superior nutritionally to refined sugar.
Store your sugar in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Use it just as you would refined sugar.
Bet you're wondering what to do with that pulp we still have sitting in
the collander! Take it and spread it out thinly on a cookie sheet for
oven drying or use your dehydrator till dry. What you have now is Beet
pulp and you can give it to your goats as fodder. I add 1 cup sprinkled
on top of their hay. You can also add 1 cup to their daily feed bucket
but mix it all up before feeding them. This is especially good to do
after kidding. ( So I have been told )
I don't do goats, I have been told that they love this and it's a good thing & treat for them.
