Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-08-07
MAKING siRuP
FOR HOME TABLES
FROM SUGAR eEETe

FOR HOME TABLEs
FROM SUGAR eEETs
Several inquiries have been received
at the county agents office in regard
TO making eirup from sugar bests.
The first step in making beet strip
consists in topping and cleaning the
roots. AZ already stated, the crowns
should be cut or at the point Of tn:
lowest leaf scar The reason for this
Is that the crown or upper part Of the
beet contains q large part Of the salts
taken from the soil In the process nj
growth. It is desirable to have the
strip as free as possible from these
mineral salts which, If present in too
large quantities, would render the sirup
unpalatable. .a4
In cleaning the roots, they may be
placed in a tub or other suitable re-
ceptacle and covered with cool water
to loosen the dirt and to make the
roots more crisp. After soaking for a
few minutes until the dirt Is loosened,
they should be thoroughly scrubbed. A
coarse brush with stiff bristles or wire
Is useful in this work. After the roots
are thoroughly washed they should be
cut into thin slices. A -bladed
israut cutter securely fastened on the
top Of barrel. has been used in field
experiments and found very satisfac-
tory. The upper head Of the barrel
should be removed, so that the beet
slices will fall directly into the barrel.
II a kraut cutter is not at hand, any
slicing device. the simplest Of which
is a butcher knife, will be satisfactory.
The slices should be very thin. The
thinner the slices the more rapidly the
sugar is extracted. In field expert
ments slices only one-sixteenth of an
inch in thickness were obtained. The
slicing box Of the slicer was not used,
the beet root being held in the hand
and pressed against the blades of the
slicer.
Extracting the Sugar.
A bushel of beets will make approx
mately two bushels Of slices, which
should be placed in barrel and COW
cred at once with hot water. About
ten gallons Of water will be rquireu 10
cover them. An excess OF water should
amount Of evaporation required to re-
duce the solution to the desired con-
sistency. If boiling water is used the
temperature of the slices will reduce
the temperature of the water to about
the proper degree, from 10 to so de-
grees c. Q5S to 176 degrees F), for
the extraction of the sugar. The bar
rel should be covered with several
thicknesses Of canvas to hold the heat.
The sliced beets should be permitted
to soak for about sixty minutes, and
the barrel should be agitated from
time to time without uncovering it..
The water should now he drawn off
and strained thru several thicknesses
of cheesecloth. No pressing is required
to remove the juice from the beet If
the barrel is provided with j ia ucet near
the bottom for the purpose, OF drawing
Off the liquid it will be found. con-
venient. The soaking doe:-not- remove
all the sugar from the beet slices, but
by far the larger part of it is extract
ed If the slices are sufficiently thin
and the water is Of the proper tenn
perature. The resulting liquid Is OF
q ught-brown color, with a gsweetish
bitter taste. The refuse beet slices are
valuable feed for chickens, hogs, and
other live stock. ,,es- s.,n J
Boiling the Juice. Dir h
The juice may be placed in a. kettle
or other convenient receptacle, where
1t should be heated slowly until it has
evaporated to the proper consistency.
1t should be noted that evaporation
depends upon the temperature. the
surface Of the liquid exposed. and the
conditions Of the air above the liquid.
In experiments made by the writer's a
thirty-gallon copper kettle was used.
Slow boiling Is important in making
beet strip, and several hours will be
required to complete the evaporating
process. This may be done on the
kitchen stove, or kettle may be sus-
pended in the open, and fire should be
maintained sufficiently hot to keep the
liquid boiling until the proper amount
Of evaporation has taken place to pro-
duce the desired consistency of strip.
Some people like thin strip, while
other prefer a thick product. In boil
ing the juice, care should be taken to
avoid burning. A little experience will
enable one to accomplish the boiling
without scorching the strip.
Skimmino.
While the boiling is progressing, a
scum will rise on the surface Of the
liquid; this should be removed care
fully by means Of SKINNER. An old
fashioned milk skinner, or q basin
with or without small holes In the
bottom. will accomplish the desired re-
suit The ekimmer should, for con-
|venience, be provided with a suitable
handle. A small straight or curved
stick Of proper length, split at one end
and slipped over the edge of the skim
mer. will serve the purpose. The OBJ
ject In skimming is to remove the
scum as completely as possible without
wasting any Of the liquid. This opera
ton removes the strong, beet-like flaw
or and leaves a wholesome and palat-
able product. The removal OF the
scum tends also to keep the liquid from
boiling over. As soon as the strip haN
reached the desired consistency and
has been skinned carefully 1t may be
placed In cans or bottles for future
use. 1t should be canned or bottled
while hot and tightly sealed or cooked
to prevent molding.
Quality Of the Strip.
The strip produced from beets Is
dark In color. This would be objec-
tionable If the product were placed on
the market, but for home use 1t prob
ably would not be regarded as serious,
in view OF the quality Of the product
and the simplicity OF the process. Any