To prepare green soybeans for immediate use, canning or freezing, the shelling process is unique. Wash the pods. To make them easy to shell, heat the beans in the pods 5 to 10 minutes in boiling water. Cool promptly in cold water. Squeeze the pod and out comes the bean.

To Serve At Once

Cook shelled soybeans in lightly salted water for 15-30 monutes or steam them this long rather than boiling them. Season them with crisp bacon or salt pork and other seasoning. Cold cooked beans are excellent in salads.

To Preserve Them In Glass Jars (allow 4-5 lbs of pods to make 1 quart)

Cover the washed shelled beans with boiling water and boil 3-4 minutes. Pack hot into jar, cover with fresh boiling water, leaving 1 inch head space. Process pint jars in pressure canner at 10 lbs for 60 minutes or 70 minutes for quarts.

Freezing

Pack soybeans that have been boiled 3-4 minutes and cooled into containers leaving 1/2 inch head space. Seal and freeze. Soybeans may be frozen in the pod after boiling for 3-4 minutes.

Preparing Dried Soybeans For Use

Allow 1/3 cup dry soybeans for each cup cooked soybeans. One pound dried soybeans measures about 2 1/2 cups. One cup dry soybeans will yield 2 1/2 to 3 cups soaked soybeans.

Pick the hulled, dry soybeans. Wash them. Cover with twice their volume of water and soak 8-10 hours. The beans can be cooked by two methods, cooking them in the soaking water and adding water if necessary. Refrigerate while soaking.

1. Simmer in a partially covered pan until tender (about 2 1/2 to 3 hours or longer if the beans are old).

2. Add water. Add 1 tablespoon fat. Bring to boil and skin off husks and foam for 5 minutes. Cook in a 2 or 3 quart pressure saucepan at 15 pounds pressure for 20 minutes or 10 pounds pressure for 30 minutes. Do not fill this size pressure cooker too full of soaked beans- not more than 6 cups at a time.

Can be used any way that navy beans are used. Recipes next week.

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All recipes compiled by Desi Ellis.

Revised: 21 Nov 00