How to Make Sugar From Sugar Beets

Years ago, when sugar was an expensive commodity, many people of lesser means made their own sugar from sugar beets. Every farm and every home garden had a spot reserved for beets, and a day was set aside to cook the beets down into sugar. While beet sugar is now out of favor and most people no longer raise sugar beets in their gardens the process is simple and easy; just follow the below steps.


Things You'll Need:
A pound or more of sugar beets
A large pan
Colander
1
Wash and scrub the beets to remove any dirt or residue.

2
Chop small or shred the beets.

3
Place the beets into a large pot and add enough water to keep them from sticking. Cook until the beets are soft and are losing their color.

4.4
Strain the beets, reserving the juice. Freeze the cooked beets for Borscht, cakes or dispose of, if desired.

5.5
Put the juice back on the stove and let it simmer until it reaches a thick, syrupy consistency. Stir constantly. The syrup should be similar in thickness to honey or corn syrup.

6.6
Remove from heat and let cool. As the syrup cools it will begin to crystallize. Cover with a dish towel or cheesecloth and let sit overnight.

7.7
Remove the crystallized beet sugar from the pan. Pound or otherwise break into small sugar crystals.

8.8
Use as you would store-bought sugar. Store as you would any sugar.



Note:
Beet sugar will not be pure white like store-bought sugar. It will still have a tinge of color.

secondary method

Instructions

1
Cut the leaf end and root tip off all the sugar beets. Scrub the outside of the beets under cold running water using a nylon-bristled brush.

2
Shred the cleaned sugar beets directly into a stockpot using the medium to small openings on a cheese grater.

3
Rinse the grater over the stockpot so all the juice and bits of sugar beet are washed into the pot. Continue adding water until there is just enough for all the grated beet to float off the bottom of the pot.

4
Bring the sugar beet liquid to a low boil over medium-high heat with the lid on. Immediately remove the lid and reduce the heat to medium-low.

5
Stir the sugar beets every five minutes. Skim off and dispose of any foam that forms on the surface. Cook the shredded sugar beets for one hour.

6
Line a colander with a doubled-over piece of cheesecloth and rest it over a mixing bowl. Pour the contents of the stockpot into the colander so the pieces of sugar beet are strained out. Fold the cheesecloth up over the pile of shredded beets and press down into the colander to extract any remaining liquid.

7
Pour the filtered liquid back into the stockpot and return it to the stove over medium-low heat. Simmer and continuously stir the liquid until it achieves a dark shade and has the consistency of pancake syrup. This may take as long as a couple hours depending on the amount of water that was added and the exact temperature of the stove.

8
Remove the stockpot from the heat and sprinkle in the granulated light brown sugar. Stir the two ingredients together thoroughly.

9
Lay two silicone pan inserts into the jelly roll pans. Divide the raw sugar syrup between the two pans by pouring it in the center of each and allowing gravity to spread it out.

10
Slide the pans of beet sugar into a preheated 150 degree F oven and turn on the convection fan. If the oven you are using does not have a convection fan, leave the oven door open slightly and place a fan just outside the open door facing away. Allow the syrup to dry for four to six hours or until it breaks apart when pressed.

11
Move the hardened pieces of dried raw sugar to zip-top freezer bags, leaving the dark runny molasses behind in the pan. Seal the bags and wrap them in a kitchen towel so you can use a meat mallet to break the sugar granules apart. Store the raw sugar in an air-tight container on a cool, dark, dry shelf.