Ernst Grain & Livestock Non-GMO Soybeans, 46 lb Bag

Honestly, I had buyer's remorse the same day I purchased this because I was able to find clean soybeans from a local Asian grocer for cheaper ($0.99/lb) the day of the purchase. However, to the seller's (PetFoodStation) credit, the purchase was shipped super quick so I never had the chance to cancel my order. Onto the review.I had spent a couple days looking for soybean listings in my free time. For a nation that produces so much of the world's soybeans, it is shockingly difficult to find them for a reasonable price. I suppose it's because the demand for the beans themselves is low, while the vast majority are processed into other foods. Currently soybeans are $16 a bushel (60 lbs), but they are being sold for upwards of $10/lb sometimes, though one is the raw unprocessed beans, while the other is cleaned, sorted, and packed, contributing to the cost. Still, as someone who had enjoyed being able to buy raw soybeans for approx $0.30/lb in China at the local Walmart, the prices online here in the US were hard to swallow. When my local Indian grocer had run out of soybeans and did not plan to restock (their supplier had discontinued soybeans), I knew it was only a matter of time before I ran out of my raw material for homemade soymilk. Something needed to be done.Much googling, emails, and phone calls to soybean distributors later, it was clear that there wasn't any avenue for cheaper soybeans unless I'm willing to purchase multiple tons at a time. After scouring the listings on Amazon and eBay, I ended up making the purchase for this Ernst Grain's Soybeans, Non-GMO (50 lb). At $1.30/lb, it was cheaper than the cheapest listing I could find on eBay, which was $1.40/lb at 160lbs. That one was cleaned and all, but the quantity was too much, and I thought, "how bad could the cleaning be?" I'd soon have my answer, and by the end of this review, hopefully you will too.The bag arrived 3 days after the order in a bulging, somewhat flat cardboard box. The box was practically about to burst, since it was really too flat for the bag of soybeans, but the bag inside was perfectly fine. Despite Amazon saying foods cannot be returned for a refund, the seller did include on the packing slip that returns will be accepted within 30 days of purchase for unopened goods, but the buyer has to pay return shipping + a 25% restocking fee.I removed approx 2.5lbs of soybeans from the bag. The first two photos show the state of the soybeans and the amount of debris. A couple stems here and there, some small pods, blackening soybeans, broken soybeans, etc. The third photo shows everything I had removed from those soybeans. It wasn't much, but the manual sorting took quite a while - well over half an hour for me. I had grabbed handfuls and put them in a plate, picking out the undesirables by hand. Maybe there is an easier method. All in all, I'd estimate about 2% of the total had to be discarded.Since I only use soybeans for making soymilk, I went right ahead and prepped. The fourth photo shows the beans after they had been thoroughly rinsed and soaked overnight. These are black hilum soybeans, and the black markings are clearly visible, but fret not - they make no difference to the color of the final product. The soaked beans went into my Ninja pressure cooker for 15 minutes on high, with natural pressure release. The reason I pressure cook them is because they can be thoroughly cooked in minimal time and without constant observation, since the beans are likely to froth over when boiled in a normal pot. Once that was done, I poured everything into my Joyoung blender, and used the nut butter setting (max speed for 1min, level 8 speed for 1 min). Then I poured the mixture into my Carrollar nut milk bag, and squeezed out as much of the liquid as I could. One curious point of note was that I was left with much less solid than usual in the bag compared to my usual soybeans, meaning these soybeans were broken down into much finer particles that were strained through the bag. This is not a bad thing, as it means I was able to make more soymilk from the same quantity of beans - I measure out my beans beforehand and always use a bit over 200g.Photos 5 and 6 show the final product after being boiled once more. It's definitely soymilk, alright. I'd wager these beans would fare better for other applications, like making tofu, due to how much more concentrated the soymilk was when it was strained out of the bag. I'm taking some sips from the cup as I write this, and the flavor is a bit nuttier than my previous batches, possibly because the skins (if that's what they're called) of the beans stayed on, when normally food-grade soybeans are sold with them cleaned off. It's not bad. Do note that if you're following my steps for making soymilk, that you can dilute it to taste with water. I prefer to keep it concentrated so it takes up less space in the fridge, and boil some water whenever I want to drink some, mixing the two 50/50.The biggest problem with these beans, for me, is that I have to clean them meticulously by hand. As half an hour had passed, I started developing a serious appreciation for our industrial society and modernization; a specialized machine could've done in seconds what I spent over half an hour doing. Scaled up, it means I'd be spending over 10 hours making this bag of soybeans fit for human consumption. Even at minimum wage, the time spent is not worth the money saved. From what I can tell, though, after adequate processing, the beans are suitable for human consumption. But for the reasons above, best to stick to the intended use - animal feed - and look elsewhere if you want soybeans for YOU.5* because the product is good and as described - the listing did specify that the product may need additional cleaning and was processed in a feed-grade facility. Simply because the product isn't totally suitable for MY needs doesn't mean the product itself is bad. I hope this review can help anyone else who's in a similar boat.Edit: Amazon scrambled the order of the photos and I can't reorder them, so the photo numbers in the review are wrong. However, the photos are pretty self-explanatory. I also made another batch of soymilk and can confirm the soybeans here yield more soymilk because they are reduced to a finer pulp in my blender, allowing for more to seep through the soymilk bag and contribute to the soymilk. That is a plus in my book.

This is absolutely worst product I have ever purchased from Amazon. Not sure whether it is intentional or not. In 3rd world country, businesses add rocks to soybean and other beans to add weight and make money. Not sure, whether that is the case here.

ok good

Ordered because it is fast and convenient. I live in the city so bulk soy is hard to get quickly and I am doing my food storage prep this month. This is animal feed grade, meaning has some stems, seed pods, a few sunflower seeds, a few bad beans, including the bean hulls, and it is dusty. But, for storage, in a SHTF scenario there will be time to winnow, wash, and pick out the bad beans and other stuff. Now that I have some food stored, will I buy again? NO. I'd be better off finding a co-op or a farmer, or buying smaller bags of soy at my local Asian market that are already cleaned and sorted. Going forward, at my local store I can buy clean ready to cook lentil beans for just $0.04 more than these which is a better deal overall, just in small quantities. NOTE: if you want to use these as seed, quite a few say maybe 25% are damaged / split. Fine for food but not the best for sprouting a large crop.

Need to clean out a few twigs, stems, rocks, and one or two corns. I found 3 black soy beans of a different species. Must wash because of some dirt and I hang dried them in mesh bags. High mineral content, but any grinder mill can handle it.Human grade if you clean it, but may need to use blender after boiling or pressure cooker due to mineral content. Would recommend this only for animals.

They are good soybeans, no stones, no halves.

The soybeans aren't the same as the photo posted. it looks dirty and low quality soybean.

This company is the fastest shipper I have encountered on Amazon. Often ships the same day and next day at the latest. Product is always top quality. Will continue to order from them as I don't believe that there is a vendor that offers the high quality beans at a lower price.