One of my favorite fresh vegetables coming out of the garden this time of year is edamame. It’s a garden soybean, pronounced “eh-duh-mah-may.” Edamame translates as “beans on branches.”
Regular soybeans are allowed to dry on the plants before processing but edamame pods are picked green. In Japan the pods are popped open and eaten out of hand like we eat peanuts from a shell. They are often served in bars along with beer. In fact, the variety that I grow in my own garden is called ‘Beer Friend.’
In the U.S., edamame pods are most often steamed or boiled for about 10 minutes. Toss the pods with butter, salt and pepper. The pods themselves are not very palatable so hold the pod in your fingers, put it into your mouth and slide it back out, using your teeth to squeeze the beans out of the pod. The taste has been described as lightly sweet and nutty. They are just as delicious served slightly cooled, at room temperature, or lightly chilled.
In addition to a snack food and vegetable side dish, edamame is good mixed with other vegetables, stir-fried, added to soups or chili, or in cold salads.
Besides being so tasty, edamame is a nutritional powerhouse. Like all soy products, it is high in phytoestrogens, a natural plant estrogen. A serving of beans from about 35 pods has 125 calories, 12 grams of protein, 13 grams of carbohydrate and 3.5 grams of fat. They are rich in calcium and phosphorous and a good source of vitamin A.
Edamame pods can be frozen for future use. Blanch the pods in boiling water for two minutes; then plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking. Store the pods in zippered freezer bags.
Edamame grows just like bush beans. They need full sun and adapt to most soil types. In spring, after the soil has warmed to 65°, sow the seeds 3 inches apart and 1 inch deep in rows 18-24 inches apart. When the plants are 4-6 inches high, add a 3-inch layer of organic mulch around each plant, making sure the mulch doesn’t touch the stems.
There are several varieties of edamame and their days to maturity vary from 65 to 90 days. All the pods mature over a period of just a few days, so to provide a continuous supply, make successive sowings every week or two or plant several different varieties.
The beans are more flavorful if harvested in the evening and the sooner you eat them after harvest, the richer the flavor and the higher the nutritional value. For peak flavor and nutrition, harvest the pods when they are 80%-90% filled out. It’s hard to describe exactly what that means, but with a little experience, you’ll know when to pick.
Pods are harvested by pulling or cutting them off the plant. Let some pods mature on the plant to provide seeds for next year.
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