Homemade TEMPEH in Sandgate Vermont

It's the first of June.  We have been at work outside.  The garden is in great shape.  #1 son has been getting logs to cut into firewood later in the season.  Our newest fruit trees are planted and leafing in the front orchard.  The bees did arrive, if somewhat late for dandelions and fruit tree blossoms.  And if the bears allow, we will have honey this year.

Our newest project has to do with growing mushrooms.  I'm beginning to think I should have called this blog Sandgate Serendipity.  This blog wants to be about more than just what we do with soy beans!  It's really about my family life in a great town in Vermont called             S A N D G A T E.

You read in my last post about the dangers of too much unfermented soy in the diet.  My disappointment turned into curiosity about how to make fermented soy products.  I picked tempeh as it is simple to make and most people have eaten it, unlike Japanese Natto, a fermented product that is an acquired taste.  

I found powdered tempeh starter at one place only, GEM Cultures in Washington.  They have a website:  www.gemcultures.com    but you cannot use the site to order.  You must download the order form and mail it in.  You should also pick up some brewer's yeast (I used a champagne yeast) because the tempeh directions mention using a tablespoon of flour and a teaspoon of brewer's yeast (per pound of soy) when it is humid as the flour helps distribute the tempeh starter culture powder throughout the soybeans and the yeast gives it a nutrient boost.


Now, back to how we made TEMPEH in 10 EASY STEPS

     Step # 1     I soaked 5 cups of dried organic soy beans overnight.
     Step # 2     Removing hulls:  When cool enough, put your hands into the beans.  Rub beans together.  Use a small strainer to remove hulls as they float up.
     Step # 3     I cooked soy beans for 20 mins.  The rolling boil helped hulls float for removal.
     Step # 4     Cooled and towel dried soybeans.  Removed any hulls left.  (Beans must be DRY)


     Step # 5     Added 1 teaspoon Tempeh starter/per lb and 1/2 tblsp Flour and 1/2 tsp Brewer's yeast


     Step # 6     I mixed the beans thoroughly


     Step # 7     I packed beans into locking plastic bags that I punched a grid of holes for air circulation


     Step # 8     I incubated packed beans at 85 degrees F.  My oven's pilot light keeps the oven slightly higher than that so I kept the oven door slightly ajar, used a thermometer and found the temperature to be a balmy 87 degrees
     Step # 9     WAITED ALL NIGHT.  Found beautiful tempeh (took about 18 hours)


     Step #10     Planned to cook and eat tempeh at lunchtime!


Where there are spaces between the steps, please imagine pictures.  Living in rural Sandgate has its ups and downs with respect to the internet.  It is raining and therefore, I cannot upload the pictures. 

Will upload pics as soon as the weather changes....