Gardening Gwen: Soybeans (aka edamame)

Soybeans are relatively new to the home gardener's planting list. McDonald's made them more popular with their Asian salads as one of the toppings. My first exposure to them was several Christmas' ago. My sister had a foreign exchange student from Japan. Coming from a large family means we do not have a sit-down dinner but a potluck. Our Japanese visitor brought some things that her mother had sent from home to share. Wasabi peas was one (the beer drinkers enjoyed those) and edamame was the other. They looked like hairy pea pods with just a couple lima bean shaped seeds inside. The outsides of the pods were salted so as you popped the inside of the beans in your mouth, the salt on your fingers seasoned the bite. They were also wonderful with beer.
Three years ago or so, Pine Tree Gardens made these available to the home grower in the Asian vegetables section and called them Beer lover's soybeans. I planted them and had great success. It was a small row which provided about two good pickings. I advise using all your bean seeds in one year as the germination rate fell noticeably on my hold overs. The next year I planted them I did them in a larger row and harvested a small handful of beans as something else harvested them the day before I was ready to pick them. Very disappointing to find small, empty stems waiting. Year three I planted one row 8' long followed by a second row two weeks later. I was able to track the timing of the invaders which turned out to be many small field mice. I won't disclose how I found out, but they were dispatched without poison and the owl found many of them before the night was over and fed himself on a field mouse buffet. Ah, the circle of life! I did much better with my harvest and the owl has continued to stay close to the garden.
This year I went back to a single row and have just harvested the first batch. I have acquired a few field mice before the harvest so I think we have cut them off at the pass this year. I picked a gallon pail of them which are simmering on the stove top as I write.
The soybeans are cooked in the pods until the color starts to change to a slightly duller green. This will only take about 10-15 minutes of simmering once you get it up to temperature. Drain and cool them rapidly, using ice water is a good idea. Drain again and salt the pods with a course sea salt or Kosher flake salt. Pop them open and deposit them right in your mouth. Enjoying a beer on the side is optional but recommended.
The year of my crop failure (aka the year the mouse ate my beans) I inquired with the Hmong farmers at my local market if they sold them. They only offered them as dried beans in the fall. I didn't check the grocery stores but did find them last fall in the frozen food section. They were in the pod so I was able to enjoy them in their closest to fresh form as possible. They can also be used on salads, entrees, and many other dishes in between.
Soy has been put into many things which has caused allergy problems for some people and you will see them on the list of allergy items on food labels. It is recommended that you limit the amount of soy young people consume for this reason. Soy is a natural sort of estrogen replacement for women of a certain age. I do fall into this group so find that adding a few to my diet is probably a good thing as I haven't done the soy thing to death this far in my life. Enjoy soy no matter what your gender and I do recommend that you wash them down with a beer.

Soy bean plants