Homemade Soymilk and Soy Yogurt

[Zenbirder]

My newest "Big Girl Toy" is a soy milk making machine. I am so pleased and it is paying for it's self in a very few months. We eat some dairy, but I don't want a cow and we feel the large scale dairys are not humane. So we switched to soymilk a year or so back and like it fine. But that stuff is expensive! So I researched and bought a SoyPower machine.

The night before I soak organic soybeans.

Then load the machine, it takes about 15 minutes to process.
I get fresh soymilk and the residue of the beans is called okara.

This is the okara, it is very neutral tasting, full of fiber and you can use it in other recipes.

Or, the other great thing about okara is that the chickens think it is the best treat ever!

I often make a double batch of the soymilk and make yogurt with it. YUM! I would be happy to share more if anyone is interested. I would also love to hear from anyone else who makes their own soymilk. I still want to try making my own tofu, I have everything I need but the time, we are full bore in harvest season here.

 

[heatherv]

What pretty chics! Nice treat you're giving them!

www.frugalabundance.com is where I've seen about a family making soymilk how you are. Not sure if they have any recipes that could help you there or not, but check it out. They use their soymilk maker to also make rice milk and nut milks.

 

[me&thegals]

Hi Zenbirder--I would love your recipes, especially the one for yogurt. I love yogurt, but my body doesn't care for dairy. I didn't really think about making soy yogurt...

What are you harvesting and where, if I may be so nosy? We have a grain farm in WI and I'm wondering if the typical field-grade soybeans would work for this... You're right about the expense. So, you think your soy milk maker could pay for itself in a matter of months? Wow!

 

[coopy]

I am intrested in hearing more about where to get the soybeans. My dh knows a farmer and he said we couldn't use the field grade soybeans for this.
Zenberder could you tell us more. I would like to make soy butter as well. Can't have nuts.

 

[Zenbirder]

I buy my soybeans at our local co-op, organic by bulk or 25 lb. bag. I think the quality of beans does matter, but I really have not read much about it since we don't have soybeans produced around here. In fact I tried to grow some in my garden this year and couldn't even get one plant. We just somehow don't have the propper conditions.

The only harvest I am doing is my large vegetable garden. There isn't much commercial agriculture around our town, only in the river valleys really. The soybeans were about $1 a pound. You don't use many in a batch so the cost isn't very high.

I have not had my machine for long so I am still experimenting. Soy yogurt is made just the same as regular yogurt. I am using a insulated chest method. I make a batch of soy milk first thing in the morning and put it in two cleaned and microwave sterilized containers with a tablespoon of sugar per each pint. When it cools to the right temp range I innoculate it and move it to the ice chest with a couple of bottles of hot water wrapped in towles. I wrap the whole chest with a big blanket for more insulation. I have been putting a remote thermometer inside the chest to know the temp as well. Then I walk away all day. Before I go to bed I take the yogurt out and put it in the refrigerator. It is so easy!

For innoculating the yogurt I buy a pint of a really quality organic plain yogurt and freeze it in ice cube trays. I put one cube per pint strait from the freezer. It has at least 4 bacteria species, I just am amazed at the idea of cultivating and eating bacteria as a food supply

I am sure you could start with a good quality store bought soy yogurt as well. You just have to make sure the cultures are alive.

This is the link to where I got my machine. I am sure their are other good ones out there but the reviews I read led me to this one.
http://www.soymilkmaker.com/
I paid $130 plus $11 for a spare filter. Shipping was free. They have the older model for less, but I knew I was making an investment that I hope lasts me a long time and I liked the improvements. I have not done the math, but at the price of soymilk and yogurt I know it wouldn't take very long to break even.

 

[Zenbirder]

I forgot to say my soy yogurt come out much less thick than the commercial stuff that has a lot of thickeners added to it. The taste is really great, and so I have been using it primarily for yogurt smoothie drinks. Yogurt and fruit and a splash of agave syrup in the blender. My DH would be happy if he got this for snack EVERY day

 

[me&thegals]

Thanks so much, Zenbirder! I'm amazed at what other people's co-ops sell. Maybe I need to check ours out again, but I would pass out if they sold organic soybeans for $1/lb! I have put this on my mental to-do list for winter--will have to look into all the details. By the way, for anybody intersted, the link to the soymilk maker yesterday showed it on sale for about $99...

 

[Zenbirder]

By the way, for anybody intersted, the link to the soymilk maker yesterday showed it on sale for about $99...

That is for the older model, it should be fine but take a look at the improvements they made on the next model.

 

[krjwaj]

That is awesome, you go girl!!
We buy soy milk regularly and it is pricey. I will have to check this out as an option.
Thanks for sharing and great photos!!