NewEarth NewTime Tempeh - A Culture of Peace and Superior Protein. By Edward Brungardt and Amanda Joubert.

A story is told of Roman soldiers, subsisting upon a diet of wheat, marching long distances toward Egypt and vanquishing the enemy. Their swift march and victory were attributed to the high levels of energy available to the soldiers through wheat’s superior nutrition and easy transportability. It is an interesting observation that the warlike Aryan cultures were all avid consumers of wheat.

We also hear stories of corn cultures. In the South West of the North American continent Mexico, Central America and the Andes of South America indigenous tribes grew the “Three Sisters”- corn, beans and squash and lived for generations following this reliable agricultural tradition.

The rice cultures of China and Asia in general have experienced long periods of peace and social stability. Confucian values and rural people tending terraced rice paddies bound these communities together in a serene rhythm.

It was China that first grew and used another of mankind’s most important food crops, soybeans. “The ancient Chinese honoured soybeans as one of the five sacred grains essential to the existence of the Chinese civilisation, and considered the soybean both a food and a medicine”

By the first century soybeans were widely grown in China and Korea. Seven hundred years later they appeared in Japan and then Indonesia, and then throughout all of Asia. Europe did not discover the plant until the sixteen hundreds. Due to climate and soil conditions it did not flourish there however. In the mid nineteen forties soybeans did find favour in the U.S.A. and have now spread throughout the “New World” countries and are important crops in many of them.

The Australian soybean industry is relatively small by global standards and soybeans are imported for processing for both human and animal foods. A small but important segment of growers are producing organic soybeans to meet the needs of producers of tofu, Tempeh and other soy products. I am writing this article at my home in New South Wales, Australia, and for those who readers who are local I can tell you that 'Mara Seeds', near Casino in Northern New South Wales is a pioneer soybean grower, being the second farming operation to grow soybean on the Far North Coast. They produce organic soybean excellent for small cottage producers and they will ship them by post within Australia. http://www.maraseeds.com.au/).

Tempeh was first recorded in Indonesia although many believe the Chinese were the originators, perhaps in a different form from the Indonesian Tempeh cultured with Rhizopus oligosporus sporangiospores. These spores were inoculated into cooked soybeans, wrapped in banana leaves and incubated for a time to produce the solidly bound cake of soybean enveloped in the white Rhizopus mycelium.

Tempeh was introduced into the Western English speaking countries as early as 1946 but it became widely popular when William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi published THE BOOK OF TEMPEH in 1979. That was certainly my own introduction to the making of Tempeh. My initial attempts in the early nineties, using the methods explained in the Book of Tempeh were very successful. I was living on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland Australia then and obtaining the Rhizopus spores was somewhat problematic. I had to import them from The Tempeh Lab, which pioneered U.S. production of this soy food in 1974.  The Lab was a project of The Farm in Tennessee, U.S.A. They are still in the culture business today and supply Tempeh culture to individuals and businesses worldwide.

The “supply line” issue for the Rhizopus spores used to culture Tempeh became a matter of concern recently when I decided to pay more attention to food production, preparation and storage. These activities are important for our personal food security and being dependent upon sources across great oceans for basic commodities feels live vulnerability to me. Consequently, we have mastered the process of growing, harvesting and preserving Rhizopus oligosporus sporangiospores and we are happy to be able to supply them directly to home producers in Australia. (pricing and ordering details available here:-)

Making your own Tempeh is a satisfying pursuit. We have just made a fresh batch, in fact we started it at the same time I opened my word processor and began to enter the words that are becoming this article. So the accompanying pictures have been taken as we moved along through the process. The text accompanying the pictures is taken from the instructions I compiled to accompany each envelope of New Earth New Time Tempeh Culture we supply. But, here we are together so let me add a little value to those instructions using the accompanying pictures to illustrate some of the finer points of the “Tempeh Master’s” art.

New Earth New Time Culture Laboratory – Home Garden

Soybeans are very easy to grow and have many benefits for the home gardener. As a legume, they fit easily into the “Three Sisters” farming model of the “corn cultures” of North, Central and South America. Corn, beans and squash (pumpkin) planted in companion and rotation allow the soil to be farmed continuously without depletion. The beans capture and fix nitrogen into the soil benefiting the other two “sisters”. In our own garden we have inter-planted the Mayan heirloom maize “Ontoso”, a white maize suitable for popping and for making tortilla flour, with the beans and pumpkins. The “Three Sisters” tradition featured a climbing bean that used the corn stalk for support. Soybeans are not climbers but they are truly excellent otherwise. Personally, I love the culture mixing, Chinese and Meso American- very recombinant, like DNA mutation in a galactically induced noospheric transmutation!    


Cottage Level Tempeh Preparation

What you will need to make two approximately 470g blocks of Tempeh: These instructions are based upon one pound (453.592 g) of dry whole soybeans. This is equivalent to 2 and ½ cups.
 
Ingredients: 2 and 1/2 cup dry soybeans, water, vinegar, and Tempeh starter culture
                
Equipment: Cooking pot, large mixing spoon, measuring spoons, colander, clean bath towel, 2 snap lock bags (Glad 18cmX17cm are good) a large needle or ice pick (I use a bamboo skewer) or similar for piercing the snap lock bags, an incubator.
       
A Few Words about incubators: The temperature parameters for successful Tempeh making are precise. Ambient temperature varies so an incubator should provide a stable environment ideally between 30- 32 degrees Celsius over a 24 to 30 hour period. Temps as low as 24 degrees to an upward limit of about 33 degrees can be tolerated. During the process of incubation, particularly after about 12 hours, the growing Tempeh produces its own heat. If your incubator does not have a thermostat control to keep temps constant (think egg incubator-poultry industry) you will have to monitor your incubating Tempeh. Overheating, particularly at the later stages can turn a healthy, thriving pure white mycelium of Rhizopus binding your beans, into a grey smelly mush that is an excellent addition to the compost heap.

What do people use to incubate Tempeh? I have seen numerous approaches. Some people find a warm spot next to their hot water heater. Some turn on a light bulb in a closet or other closed space. I found an old fridge and installed a light bulb and a then thermometer to help keep an eye on my temperature range. Due to the 28-35 degree range of tolerance the process is forgiving to a degree. It is very easy, however, to lose an entire batch if the parameters are exceeded for any length of time. Remember, growing Tempeh generates its own heat so I never tire of calling attention to the delicate balance required for a successful outcome.

STEP 1: Boiling and Soaking:  (a) Place beans in a pot and

cover them with water. Bring to a boil and promptly remove from heat. Allow beans to soak over night. Alternatively, boil for 20 minutes and soak for 6 hours.

STEP 2: De-hulling the Beans:

The beans are de-hulled by vigorously rubbing them between your hands squeezing them to separate the loosened hulls from the inner bean. Do this repeatedly. The loose hulls will float to the surface of the water. Rinse and drain the floating hulls into a colander repeating until few hulls remain.

STEP 3: Cooking the beans: Transfer the de-hulled beans into a large pot. Cover with water 2 inches (5 centimetres) deep. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Bring to boil and cook for 40 minutes.

STEP 4: Draining and cooling the beans: Pour beans and water into a colander, drain and transfer to a flat surface covered with a clean towel and spread them thin. Cool until beans are body temperature and skin dry.

STEP 5: Adding the Tempeh Starter: Return the ambient temperature beans to the cooking pot by gathering them up in the towel and pouring them into the pot. (Make sure the pot is dry. Excessive moisture is to be avoided as it can spoil the beans). Measure 1teaspoon of starter. Transfer the beans to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle half of the culture over the beans and mix. Sprinkle on the remaining half and mix again.

STEP 6: Preparing the Zip Lock bags: Tempeh is most easily prepared or incubated in 18cm X 17cm Glad Snap Lock bags or similar.  Two bags will be required. Use a large needle (bamboo skewer or similar) to make holes every ½ to ¾ inch in a grid pattern all over the entire surface of the bags. 

STEP 7: Filling the bags with cultured beans:
Measure two equal portions of the beans and pack each portion into a plastic bag. Seal the zip-lock and pat the beans flat distributing them evenly to each corner of the bag. You can expect the cooked beans to produce a volume of approximately 2 and ¾ cups for each bag. They will weigh about 470 grams each and will lose about 10 to 15 grams of moisture during incubation process, producing two finished blocks of just over 450 grams each.

STEP 8: Incubation:
Place the bags into your incubator. I have discussed some of the issues related to incubation earlier. Depending upon the conditions and stability of your incubation arrangement and environmental factors there will be variations of time and temperature. Ideally, you will maintain at 85 F or 29.5 C for about 24 hours. Here, you see my homemade incubator, an old fridge and a 240volt light fixture installed at the bottom. Low wattage bulbs are essential, try 25W or 40W and observe temperature variation. Look closely at the first picture to see the placement of the thermometer on the back wall. I like to start incubating a batch around 6 PM so I am awake to monitor the temperature sensitive second 12 hours from 6 AM until the batch is completed near 6 PM.   

There is a “Zen” to the art of incubation. Below 75 F (24 C) -
 nothing good will happen; above 89.6 F (32 C) is too hot-
and bad things will happen.

During the first 12 hours or so it is important to keep the culture warm to get it growing quickly and to discourage unwanted organisms that might spoil the Tempeh. So, pre-heat the incubator so it is at optimum temperature when the beans are ready. After I place the bags of inoculated beans in the incubator (below left) I write the day and time I did this (three hours behind schedule!) on the fridge door. Looking to take this batch out at 9:15PM on Tuesday.

During the second half of the incubation period, after 12 hours or so, the culture will be producing its own heat so be sure to check the temperature often to prevent overheating. Below you can see the beans about 12 hours into the process. The first picture shows the groove that are created when the loose beans begin to firm and knit as their weight presses onto the fridge shelf. The second picture shows areas of white mycelium forming and patches where the mycelium has yet to form. Notice the black dots in the third picture. These are Rhizopus spores. The finished product will be dotted with these spores.  

During the second half of the incubation period, after 12 hours or so, the culture will be producing its own heat so be sure to check the temperature often to prevent overheating.

STEP 9: Harvesting:

The Tempeh is done when the entire cake is covered with white mycelium dotted with black and grey Rhizopus spores. The beans are firmly bound together and have a fragrant “mushroomy” aroma. The bagged Tempeh can be handled to test they are firm. The grey or black dots at the airholes are normal culture spores. When Tempeh is mature, refrigerate what is to be used in three or four days or wrap it well and freeze for longer storage. Below, the batch is done! The end has been sliced off and placed on top of the rest of the block. Notice the thick, continuous covering of white mycelium and the tightly knitted beans.

ORDERING TEMPEH CULTURE: One 25g bag of Tempeh starter is sufficient to cultivate 20 blocks weighing approximately 450g.  

25 g Powdered TEMPEH STARTER                            $13.00 (Aust$)
+ $2.00 POSTAGE for a total of                               $15.00 (Aust$)

25 g Powdered TEMPEH STARTER plus 2.5kg
of organic soybeans (enough for 10 450g blocks)       $23.00 (Aust$)
plus postage/ Australia only/variable rate provided by email response    

25 g Powdered TEMPEH STARTER plus 5kg
of organic soybeans (enough for 20 450g blocks)       $33.00 (Aust$)
plus postage/ Australia only/variable rate provided by email response
    
Overseas Orders: Some countries have prohibitions on cultures and spores being shipped to them. Then there is the issue of exchange rates. Well, just send 15 of whatever is your currency; unless you are from Zimbabwe (or somewhere being Zimbabweized) then you should probably send 15 billion.