Soy milk is not farmed; it is a processed beverage made from soybeans. Soybeans, the key ingredient, are the crop that is farmed.
To clarify, the question "How is soy milk farmed?" is based on a misunderstanding. Soy milk doesn't grow in a field; it is produced in a manufacturing process using soybeans that have been farmed.
Understanding Soy Milk Production
While soybeans are cultivated on farms, soy milk is created through a process involving these harvested beans. The making of soy milk primarily involves extracting the liquid from soybeans.
According to traditional methods and common practices:
- Soymilk is traditionally made by soaking soybeans in water overnight, then grinding the beans with water added during grinding.
- This process extracts the soy solids into a liquid base, which is then often heated, filtered, and fortified to create the final soy milk product.
Methods for Making Soy Milk
The process for making soy milk can vary, but the core idea is to extract the protein and oils from the soybean into a liquid.
Here are the primary ways soy milk is made, drawing from the reference:
- Traditional Soaking and Grinding: This classic method involves:
- Cleaning and soaking dry soybeans in water, typically overnight, to soften them.
- Grinding the soaked beans, with additional water added during the grinding process to create a slurry.
- This slurry is then usually heated and filtered to separate the liquid soy milk from the solid pulp (okara).
- Using Processed Soy Products: An alternative approach utilizes already processed forms of soybeans to streamline the slurry creation:
- Full fat flakes
- Grits
- Flour
Using these forms allows producers to create the necessary soy slurry more quickly before further processing steps like heating, filtering, and packaging.
In essence, soybeans are farmed crops, and soy milk is a manufactured product derived from these beans through soaking, grinding, and other processing steps.
