Edamame soy bean

Edamame are tasty soy beans which are harvested green. In Japan they are traditionally served as a snack with beer and are a staple in any sushi restaurant. This legume can also be cultivated in cooler regions. If you love the sweet and nutty flavor of edamame, it is worth growing in the garden, as the beans are rarely available fresh. After harvesting, the green pods are briefly cooked, then sprinkled with coarse salt and pulled straight out of the shell with your teeth. Edamame also tastes great in a salad, casserole or puréed.

Sow the beans flat, about 3-4cm deep, in well-warmed soil (min. 12°C). Good water supply from the flowering stage ensures large, strong, green pods. Edamame are harvested when the pods are well filled but before they ripen and before starch formation begins. Tofu soybeans are ripe when the entire plant has turned brown and the pods rustle when touched. Staggered sowing of edamame extends the harvest window. Inoculation with rhizobia improves the yield.