Soy Milk

Gadgets can fill a kitchen. We prefer items that do not require electricity, but some of our most used appliances are electric. We recently purchased a soy milk maker, and we like it a lot.

You take 3/4 cup of dry soy beans, soak them, and then put the soft beans into the soy milk maker, and about 15 mins later, you have soy milk. You pour the milk through a strainer to collect the solids, and then add 2 T sugar, 1/4 t salt and 1/8 t vanilla. That is it! We like the result, and likely this method is costing pennies on the dollar compared to purchasing soy milk from the grocery. We have made tofu from the milk as well.

The reason for this post is not an infomercial for a soy milk maker, but to explain something that will help in eating soybeans in any form. We have found a dramatic taste improvement if we sort beans, and use only whole, intact beans. After sorting them, we prepare boiling water in a pressure cooker. We add the dry beans to the boiling water, and immediately bring them up to 15 pounds pressure. We let them cook for 15 minutes, and then set them aside to slowly cool. The result of this effort is a product that has markedly less "bean-y" flavor.

I suspect that there is an enzyme related to oxidation that causes the "bean-y" flavor. By keeping exposure to oxygen limited (whole beans), and cooking with high heat destroys the enzyme involved in oxidizing a substance in the bean. By following these two steps, we find the end product of the soy milk is much improved, and perhaps even comparable to store-purchased soy milk.

I suggest you get non-GMO (organic) soy beans for your soy milk and tofu production.

Wheat

I do not yet have any experience planting wheat, but I do enjoy bread. We have decided it is time to learn some things about growing wheat.

Winter wheat is planted in the fall, to allow the seeds to germinate, and set some roots. Then in the spring, it is ready to go. I have read that planting wheat in the fall will offer the farmer a 3 to 4 week head start, with harvest earlier next year.

Wheat does well in the western USA with their dry early summers. This is when the grain is maturing, and a lot of rain in this time period could lead to molds and grain quality issues. Our area is not known for growing wheat, but with global warming and the midwest drought, we may be the next wheat growing belt. Anyway, we want to see how it would go.

Earlier this week, I planted a field with a new kind of wheat: Khorsan, or Kamut wheat. It is a old variety, and reportedly has low allergy symptoms for those who are allergic to wheat. We are not wheat allergic, but it may be a matter of time considering the GMO contamination in the general food supply. There is linkage to GMO foods and general increased allergy response. I am also interested in the wheat as it has a different genetic makeup, and may resist GMO wheat pollen if it were around.

I found some references that called for planting Kamut in the fall, and then another references that suggested planting it in the spring. I had a field ready, so I planted it by broadcast, and I will see if it takes and any comes up. If it freezes out, I will just replant in the spring, so no great loss. To broadcast, it is suggested to put out 1/2 of your seed volume in one direction, and then go perpendicular, and spread the remaining 1/2 of seed. This will help to give an even sowing. A small crank broadcaster is suggested, but in the old days, I am sure people just spread by hand. The more even the sowing the better.

So tuck this topic away in your mind, and we will revisit it again in the spring, and again at harvest time. I look forward to the day when I could make a loaf of bread entirely from wheat I grew. That has long been a wish of mine, like a check box on my life list of things I want to do.

Here goes!


Resources:

• Khorsan, Kamut wheat (web)

Agent Orange Corn

I just heard of a very concerning event. The USDA is on the verge of approving a genetically engineered corn which can withstand the powerful chemical 2,4-D. This is one of the defoliant chemical components of Agent Orange. Agent Orange has been linked to "birth defects, cancer, and other health problems." (web) There is an opportunity for you to give critical feedback to the USDA by Friday, April 27, 2012. I stand in opposition of this technology being released to the gene pool.

If this gene modification is approved, a host of chemical companies are working on follow up species. The first two already in work are soy and cotton. "Of the 20 genetically engineered crops awaiting government approval, 13 are intended to be resistant to one or more herbicides." (web) Just as we saw with the exponential use of Round Up, I fear these even more powerful chemicals will dramatically rise in use. This is not the way to confront the weed problem! Already there is a weed that has shown genetic resistance to 2,4-D.

The effect is many fold:

1. Genetic modification to the plant which could stimulate allergic response just from tampering with the corn genes.
2. Increase in the use of the chemical 2,4-D is virtually guaranteed. This will build up in the environment and could affect other vegetable crops.
3. 2,4-D resistance substances made by the gene, and/or the broken down sub-components of the drenching of the plant in 2,4-D would be residuals on the corn. The inserted gene allows the plant to break down 2,4-D. Who is to say the sub parts are any better for our health? Corn is used in a lot of American food, and these substances WILL make it into the food supply.
4. 2,4-D volatilizes, and could affect land miles away from the sprayed crop as noted here. (web)

I encourage you to act.

The USDA is open to your feedback for a limited time. You can submit your feedback here:

http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=APHIS-2010-0103-0001


Resources

• New York Times article (web)
• Tell USDA you don't want Agent Orange corn! (web form)