Thrashing It Out!

[digitS']

Yesterday was a very pleasant fall day. I made use of several hours of it to thrash out what needed to be thrashed out. The threshing floor:

I decided to put the tarp down on the lawn instead of making room on the concrete in the carport. Flailing about with a tool handle worked fine for this little amount - 4 sheaves of naked oats (Nude Avena).

Didn't come up with much but about what was expected from a few grams of seed from Fedco:

After weeks of hanging, it still needs a few days in a basket if I'm going to get all the seeds for next year. Someone who has grown these oats before said just cooking them as one would brown rice works fine. They can then be eaten for breakfast or any meal.

The thrashing of the soybeans was a little uglier. I'll spare you the messy part but I did keep my big feet off of them! Here I am sorting out the trash:

One small handful at a time . . . The result was okay:

For some reason I used the camera for size comparison and took the picture with the cell phone . There are 7 pounds here. I could buy that much organically grown soybeans for less than $20. I like growing soybeans but sowing, tending, harvesting, & processing probably amounts to about 10 hours of work . . .

Who was it who said that I could extend the brief edamame season by blanching and freezing? I wish I'd thought of that at the right moment :/. I think I could risk stagger sowing this variety (Bei) in this short season area. That's probably true with the one called "Beer Friend." Having a week or 2 is just not enuf time to get my brain in gear and get plenty harvested for edamame. Soon, the opportunity has passed I'm faced with the less-desirable tofu.

Oh well, give me a couple more years and I'll get it figured out !

Steve

 

[lesa]

Gee, it sure looks like you have it figured out to me! I think growing something from seed to finished product is priceless! I am still deeply impressed when I think about you making tofu!!

 

[Southern Gardener]

Very impressive indeed! I just went back and read your threads on making tofu and coffee out of dandelion root. I've eaten tofu once and I didn't like, but your version sounds much better.

 

[digitS']

Well, homemade tofu is good, Joan and Lesa. Tofu at the soopermarket is so - incredibly - bland :/.

When it goes from living seed to the dinner plate on the same afternoon, tofu is nutty! I don't mean "healthnut" or "dippy" - I mean it tastes something like peanuts .

Howsomever . . . edamame is hard to put down! Bet you can't eat just 1 - kind of tastiness! I can understand why a variety is called "Beer Friend" in Japanese. But . . . soybeans for edamame are harvested when the seeds are almost fully mature. That almost is a little difficult to deal with.

I have a feeling that a Japanese gardener may sow seed on nearly a weekly basis or have a number of soy varieties that mature at different times. Oh, that would be great!! And, I don't even think my budget for beer would necessarily balloon. I, probably, wouldn't even balloon! It seems to me that edamame is quite a healthy snack !

Steve

 

[seedcorn]

are your soybeans clear hilum or black? So how do you make tofu? Does the black change the flavor? I know it wouldn't be snow white but I could care less about that.

 

[digitS']

Well, the North Korean variety that I had in 'o9 & last year had those black hilums. (Did he say "North Korean" . . ?! Hey, all this seed was sent to me by a retired US Navy guy .)

I've grown the Bei each year until I decided that it was the best to stay with. I'd guess it could be called "clear." (At least, it may have diplomatic immunity and be suitable for processing .)

The tofu looks a little like unbleached wheat flour. It isn't Snow White (but, how many of us are ?). I still think the finished product looks like big, puffy clouds!

The edamame is pretty much - green. It is just the whole pod boiled in salty water - then you pop out the beans and eat them! You gotta get your hands dirty. Probably leave finger prints on everything, including the beer bottle.

digitS'
who'd better be careful what he says . . . no telling who might be listening !

 

[digitS']

Here is how I make tofu (click).

Oh, and you can see that I had some of the black hilum, North Korean soy in the mix of beans . . .

'

 

[NwMtGardener]

I found it fascinating that you posted this link about making tofu cause guess what i had for dinner last night... Tofu! And i was wondering to myself about the process of making tofu. So now i know! Its been years since i bought tofu, and i combined it with quinoa into these delish veggie patties - the recipe is on the internet, search "baked quinoa patties." i added gorgonzola cheese instead of feta, and put fresh tomatoes, dill and chives from my garden. Even my hubby liked them btw i always buy some kind of herbed tofu, so its not bland!

 

[vfem]

That does look like a lot of work Steve! I'm proud of you for it though... yes, you could buy it... but right now you know how high the quality is, and have no question hard work got it done. Your blood, sweat and tears are priceless.... remember that!

I gotta say, I am really thinking about doing some grains. I haven't the room like I would like... so we'll see how 2012 goes first. Life hasn't even been remotely fair this year for me to risk anything further. Done failing for awhile!

 

[thistlebloom]

Your grains are beautiful Steve! Are you saving some of those oats for next years crop?
You'll need to share with us how they cook up!