Still a Gypsy

I am happy to report that I was tutored in making my own soymilk, and it was a success!

From my friend Patsy at Homesteading Today:

It IS easy! The 1st time can be a little intimidating, but don't let that stop you! The recipe is very easy to halve or double.
Soak 2 C dry soybeans in 2 qts water about 10 hours. Increase soaking time if temp is much below 70* & shorten if its much above 70*. After soaking, drain & rinse, drain & rinse again. At this point, you can refrigerate if you need to, & finish the next day.
Add 6 C fresh water to soybeans & grind/puree in blender a little at a time. (Like maybe 1/2 C at a time). Meanwhile, start heating 2 1/2 qts water in large pot. If using a meat grinder, grind the soy beans twice using the finest blade & heat 4 qts. water.
Add the ground beans to the heated water. Heat to a boil, stirring often, & watch carefully, as it will foam up suddenly as it begins to boil.
Line a colander with a sturdy piece of cotton cloth ( I use dish towels) & set it over a large container. When bean mix boils, pour it into the cloth to strain off the milk. Pull up the sides of the cloth & squeeze with spoon, potato masher, etc. to remove as much milk as possible. The grainy stuff left is okara. Put it into a container with hot water. Stir, then pour into colander, too. When in cools some, you can squeeze the cloth by hand for the last little bit of milk. This makes 3-4 qts milk. I use the okara fresh or dried as an extender- meat loaf, spaghetti, oatmeal, etc. (use your imagination) It has little flavor, & I figure it adds nutrition. Its easy to dry in the dehydrator. You can also dry it in a very low oven. Turn often or stir to dry the okara evenly. The damp okara will keep a few days in the fridge, indefinitely if dried.
I know this sounds like a lot of work, but it really isn't. And it really doesn't take long, except if it boils over.....it foams up FAST!!!!
Patsy

This was a great experience. I will let you all know in the morning how it tastes on cereal. I'm pretty excited about having learned this. In other homesteading news, I planted a garden, a VERY small garden, and I purchased a water bath canner. Looking forward to what I can grow in the garden. also looking forward to preserving my food. That will be its own post. It has rained all day tody and it rained yesterday too. Good for me. I want to plant other things too, but one payday at a time.

Also, since the soymilk is cooling to the perfect temp for soyghurt, I've decided to drag out the yoghurt maker....after that it will be yoghurt cheese. I'll post results!

I made my own laundry detergent. Half bar Fels Naptha, 1 cup borax and 1 cup washing soda. I grated the fels into a pot of water, boiled it and melted the soap down, then I added the hot water to the cups of powders, and then I mixed, all three together in a five gallon bucket while adding more hot water to fill the bucket. This should last me a while! I went back to wiping with cloth, as I really don't want to be putting that down the draiin, plus, I don't like how toilet paper breaks up on me. Cloth is much more durable and can be machine washed. I can pour the whole bucket of rags in the washer and let the thing do it's work.