HOME-GROWN SUGAR

New Zealand Listener, Volume 13, Issue 323, 31 August 1945, Page 18

HOME-GROWN SUGAR

(Written for

"The Listener’ by DR.

MURIEL

BELL

, Nutritionist to the

Department of Health)

"Tene are some types of fruit can be preserved without sugar, Those that are highly acid, like blackcurrants and gooseberries, can be preserved simply by the usual heat process, without the addition of sugar. There are ways and means of reducing the acidity of thesé highly acid fruits_when they are about to be served. The method of choice is to add precipitated calcium carbonate which (unlike sodium salts) does, not leave any nasty taste, nor dissolve when it is in excess. A teaspoonful per pint will mean a considerable reduction in the amount of sugar needed to sweeten the fruit. The same can be done in cooking rhubarband the calcium carbonate has the advantage that by precipitating the oxalic acid- in the rhubarb it causes oxalate to be excreted without its ever having been absorbed. A number of country people with the garden space to spare have been growing sugar beet for the purpose of using an extract made from them to sweeten fruits, or to use in chutneys. One eighth of the weight of sugar beet roots harvested in the late autumn consists of sugar, and this quantity is increased somewhat if the roots are lifted and left on the ground for a week before use. The extract is made as follows: Take 4lb. of the sugar beét- roots. Soak in 4% gallon of water, scrub and

thinly peel. Have ready one gallon of boiling water. Slice the roots thinly; a marmalade shredder can be used. Put the sliced root immediately into the boil-' ing water. Boil for 40 minutes in a covered aluminium pan. Strain: Return the hot residue to the pan; add 1% gallon of water and boil for a further 40 minutes. Cool, and squeeze through muslin. Mix the two lots of liquor. Boil down to a syrupy consistency (about 1 pint) and bottle in sterile bottles. Some housewives boil it still further and make a spread which tastes like yeast-extract. It has been stated that when the syrup has been used for preserving or for sweetening fruit, it is impossible to tell that it was sweetened by homegrown sugar. Those with more sensitiye palates will probably detect an earthy taste. The extract can be used for preparing chutneys also. The fuel question has to be consid-ered-the long boiling certainly runs away with the fuel. It would therefore be economical to arrange to do it when the stove is going for some other purpose. The season for preserving is some months off yet, but those gardeners who wish to grow sugar beet should plan their gardens now in readiness.