Soybean Seeds

Soybean Preparation Methods

Growing soybeans can be a profitable enterprise for any farmer. And if you collect enough, you should be able to have some available for your private use. So, if you grow soybean seeds and harvest them for your personal use, you should consider these cooking methods below. Doing so can help you get delicious food that is right for your family and your farm.

Properly Preparing Dry Soybeans

After you plant soybean seeds and they grow into full beans, you can harvest them and cook them in many different ways. Dry soybeans are often the most common way that people cook beans. There are a few reasons for that. People usually don’t take the time to soak them because this can take nearly a full day. When you want to cook right away, you need to use methods that work for your beans.

However, dry soybeans can take a long time to cook, even if they are thoroughly soaked. That’s common for any bean but is often worse for soy. That’s because they are very dense and provide a rich array of flavor when cooked properly. Trying to prepare beans on a stove often takes the most amount of time but will produce a relatively firm and rich texture that is hard to get with other methods.

Pro tip: you can speed up this process a little if you sift through your beans and find any that may not cook well. Typically, these include broken beans, discolored ones, or those that look unappealing. Cooking these beans is not only a waste of time but can be dangerous if they are rotten. This process should take no more than half an hour or even less, depending on how much you are cooking.

Making Beans on a Stove

Usually, you don’t want to cook dry soybeans on a stove. As a result, you should at least soak them for four hours before you cook. This fast-soak method can be done while you’re at work or out on your farm. Just leave them in a large bowl of water and cover the top so that nothing can get inside. Drain the water once you are ready to cook. They should be less firm and easier to prepare now.

After draining the water, rinse off the beans and place them in another large pot. Measure out how many cups of beans you are cooking. Now, cover them with three cups of water for every one cup of beans. This level should help the beans absorb water and become delicious while they cook. Cook them on a stove for about three hours on a simmer-level heat. Cover the pot to trap more heat.

Check your beans after three hours to see if they are ready. If they aren’t soft and fluffy, you may want to cook them for another hour or so. Be prepared for a size increase – soybeans will more than double when they are fully cooked. This factor is something that they don’t tell you when you buy soybeans seeds, so make sure to take that into account.

Using a Pressure Cooker for Soybeans

If you don’t have a lot of time to wait for your soybeans to cook, you may want to try a pressure cooker. You can cook dried beans in these machines without having to soak them. While you can always soak them, this step isn’t strictly necessary. You’ll get better beans if you do soak, though. With a pressure cooker, you can soak them for as little as one hour and get pretty good results.

Rinse your beans – whether you’ve soaked them or not – and place them inside of your pressure cooker. Now, add four cups of freshwater and close the machine. At this point, you can cook soaked beans for 10 minutes, and they’ll be ready to eat. However, you can cook dried beans for 15 to 20 minutes, and you’ll get a similar result. Remember: soaking is still the best choice for your beans.

While you might be ready to eat, you need to let your cooker release its pressure. This process can take around 20 minutes to an hour or so. Don’t worry – your beans will stay warm inside of the cooker. And don’t try to skip this step: doing so may damage your pressure cooker. Patience is always the key with soybean seeds, so watch a movie or read a book until your cooker is depressurized.

Reusing Your Seeds

If you have leftover beans that you did not cook, don’t let them go to waste. Instead, you should dry them out and collect the soybean seeds. This process is simple and shouldn’t take up too much time. When you finish, you’ll have a decent number of seeds that you can use to plant for later crops. While you won’t have enough to replace your last crop, you can at least supplement what you have to purchase.

Seeds for soybeans are simply the beans themselves highly dried. Take these beans and place them in ventilated containers to help dry them out. Keep the area at a cool temperature – no less than 32 but more than 70 degrees Fahrenheit – and keep them away from any creatures that may eat them. Curious dogs may eat soybeans while cats may bat them around and damage their surface.

A closet or storage room is often a good choice because you can lock it away from your animals and your family. Try to minimize sun exposure, as well, because this may cause the beans to sprout. Typically, you want them stored in water-tight containers as well to prevent excess moisture. However, you can also put them in glass jars with cheesecloth covers, too, to help them dry.

Do You Want High-Quality Bean Seeds?

If you are interested in buying soybean seeds, please contact us at Online Seed Sales today. Our professionals have years of experience working with farmers like you. We strive to provide the best beans that your money can buy at prices that you can afford.