# Does anyone here make their own sugar and salt and oil?



## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

The title asks the question. 

Sugar comes from cane or beets and for most of us I expect that beets are going to be the most climate appropriate crop. Has anyone here raised sugar beets and then processed them into sugar?

As for salt, I figure the easiest way to make your own is to mine it if you're lucky enough to find a salt deposit or drive on down to the ocean, fill up buckets and buckets with water, drive home and then pour the water into a shallow lined pool and let evaporation do its magic. Has anyone tried this?

As for oil, I've seen oil presses for the kitchen in goes the sunflower and out comes dripping oil and a dry mass of residue. Has anyone tried to do this?


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

Never done sugar beets so I don't know but the process looks pretty simple. On the other hand I have been downstream from a plant in Colorado, and you think animals stink... phew.

I would say that if you were near the ocean then it would be worth your time but any further away you would do better to trade for it. Fuel and travel etc. Looks like you get about 1 lb for every 6 gallons of water so not too bad.

I don't plan on making any. I will just substitute animal drippings.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

"As for salt, I figure the easiest way to make your own is to mine it if you're lucky enough to find a salt deposit"
I live about 30 mikes from a salt mine that the Indians used to work. I've picked up chunks of salt there. I've never tried digging/mining for large amounts but I'm sure it is still available.


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

sugar cane is cut, crushed, and the watery juice from it is boiled down until a thick syrup is left. called cane syrup, it is then allowed to crystallize to become granular. the white sugar we use today has been bleached. old time sugar was sold in cones and you would scrape off what you needed. boiling sugar cane was an all day, long, long day job.


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

How interesting. Never thought of it.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

I did sugar beets last year. Never again. Never, ever, ever again. Yuk!

Growing the buggers is easy, harvesting them is easy. Cleaning them up, shredding them up, and boiling them into a pulp is not hard. But the stink! Geez, the stink. And it's A LOT of work for a little tiny, tiny bit of .... something... not sugar really, just some dirty looking grey crystals that STINK and we would never put on our food.

I've been stocking up on 25 lb bags of sugar ever since.


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

if you can grow sugar cane, you can peel the stalks and chew the pulp inside for a candy like sweetness.


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

I grow a little stevia and various fruits. We get free apples and pears from a friend with an orchard, and know the local honey guy. We make herbal teas that are sweet enough without any sugar.

Salt, had to stock up on store bought.

Oil is store bought too, although I can cook down some lard when needed. Applesauce is a good substitute for oil in sweeter recipes.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

Many parts of the country have maple, boxelder, and other trees that can be tapped in the spring to make maple sugar, maple syrup, maple candy.


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## kappydell (Nov 27, 2011)

shumway seeds put out a leaflet on how to make beet sugar; they also sell sugar beets. since my parents kept bees, i just use honey for darn near everything.
as for making oil - the only technique that does not require a press (for sunflower seeds) boils them and skims off the oil. I would rather render the solid animal fats. melt them down and use measure for measure for oil. 
Salt? It takes a LOOOOOOOONG time to evaporate enough salt water to get any appreciable amount of salt.
But it can be done, even if it is not very cheap or efficient.


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

goshengirl said:


> I did sugar beets last year. Never again. Never, ever, ever again. Yuk!
> 
> Growing the buggers is easy, harvesting them is easy. Cleaning them up, shredding them up, and boiling them into a pulp is not hard. But the stink! Geez, the stink. And it's A LOT of work for a little tiny, tiny bit of .... something... not sugar really, just some dirty looking grey crystals that STINK and we would never put on our food.
> 
> I've been stocking up on 25 lb bags of sugar ever since.


Ditto... I can second this.

I tried beets last year. No problem growing. Shredded a large pot ful. Cooked down. By the time I was done I had about 5 tables spoons of essentially beet molasses, but never got it to crystalize. From what I read you need "industrial level" equipment to really do it properly. If you wanted your own sweetener, I think I'd try to going bee keeper route instead.


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