Glycine max – Edamame

Prized for its nutrient-rich properties, Edamame (Soybeans) is a member of the pea (legume) family of vegetables and has been a staple of Asian cuisines for thousands of years.

Easy to grow and harvest in your vegetable garden, Edamame can be enjoyed as a healthy snack and makes flavorful additions to soups, stir-fries, noodles, and salads.

What are Edamame / Soybeans?

• Soybeans are one of the most important world crops and are grown for oil and protein.
• Edamame beans are immature soybeans harvested when young and tender.
• Soybeans can be consumed in many ways (tofu, soymilk, sprouts, miso, soy sauce). Edamame beans are served fresh, often steamed, while still encased in their pod. They are eaten shelled.
• Edamame is native to northeastern China, where the young soybeans have been cultivated for thousands of years.
• Edamame is an upright, bushy annual legume with dark green leaves and small, white to purple-pink flowers blooming from mid-summer to fall.
• They are followed by clusters of green, furry pods containing 2-4 plump, pale green beans.
• Fully matured soybeans are light brown and are rather tasteless. Edamame beans are sweet and nutty.
• Edamame has become a popular snack food and is regarded as an alternative source of protein to meat.
• Fresh Edamame beans and pods are available in the summer, while frozen Edamame beans are available year-round.
• Like most other beans, Edamame beans fix nitrogen and add nutrients that improve the soil, benefitting the plants that are growing beside them. Beans are great for heavy nitrogen users.
• Popular Edamame cultivars include Agate, Black Jet, Envy, Early Hakucho, Shirofumi 90, and Madori Giant.

Health Benefits of Edamame

• While Edamame has become a popular snack food, it also offers promising health benefits.
• Low glycemic index: making it a good snack option for people with type II diabetes.
• Proteins: one cup of cooked Edamame contains 37% of your daily protein needs. Proteins benefit a healthy immune system and help maintain healthy bones, hairs, organs, and muscles.
• Soy Proteins, unlike animal proteins, help reduce bad cholesterol.
• Folate: one cup of Edamame covers 100% of your daily folate needs. This B vitamin helps reduce the risk of certain birth defects and is also important for reducing depression.
• Isoflavones: can reduce symptoms of menopause (hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings) and prevent osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular illness.
• Copper: one cup of Edamame contains 27% of your daily needs. Copper supports immune health, keeps nerve cells healthy, and forms collagen, which helps make up your bones and tissues.
• Iron: one cup of Edamame contains 20% of your daily recommended intake. Iron can help prevent anemia.
• Vitamin K1: one cup of Edamame contains 56% of your daily recommended intake. Vitamin K can help reduce cardiovascular disease risk by minimizing blood clotting.
• Fiber: may help lower harmful cholesterol levels and improve your heart health. Fiber also helps regulate the digestive tract and keep your digestive system healthy.
• Nutrition Facts (per 100 grams): 140 calories, 8.63 grams carbs, 11.5 grams protein, 7.57 grams fat, 5 grams fiber.

Cooking with Edamame

• Edamame must be cooked before eating and is typically boiled (5-6 minutes) or steamed (3-8 minutes).
• The shells are inedible and should be discarded after cooking.
• Once cooked, the beans can be squeezed directly out of their pods and eaten lightly salted or mixed with flavorings.
• In Japan, boiled Edamame is popularly served as a snack item with beer at bars.
• Edamame can be eaten hot or cold and tossed into salads, soups, noodles, and stir-fries.
• The beans can also be blended into hummus, pesto, artichoke dip, and other spreads, scrambled into eggs, or chopped into salsa.
• Edamame beans are an excellent substitute for Fava beans, Lima beans, or green beans.

Growing Edamame

• Edamame grows up to 2-3 ft. tall (60-90 cm) and 2-3 ft. wide (60-90 cm), depending on the variety. Like bush beans, Edamame plants are usually self-supporting and do not require staking.
• Edamame performs best in fertile, acidic (pH of 6.0), moist, well-drained soils in full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day) in a sheltered location.
• If the soil lacks nutrients, add well-rotted organic matter or compost 2-4 weeks before planting.
• While fairly drought-tolerant, Edamame plants will produce more if they are kept moist throughout the growing season.
• Bean plants do require consistent and even moisture once they have formed flowers.
• Depending on the variety, Edamame takes 75-110 days to harvest after planting.
• Edamame is a warm-season crop that grows best between 60-70°F (15-21°C).
• Sow seeds outdoors in the spring when the soil has warmed to at least 55°F (13°C) and air temperatures have reached at least 60°F (16°C).
• Planting in cold, wet soil can cause soybean seeds to rot.
• Sow ¼ to ½ of an inch deep (0.5-1 cm) and 2-4 inches apart (5-10 cm) in rows 2 feet apart (60 cm). Water thoroughly. Germination takes 1 to 2 weeks.
• Thin seedlings to 6 inches apart (15 cm) when the plants are 4 inches tall (10 cm).
• Weed around plants regularly and keep them well watered.
• Beans are soil builders. They rarely need any fertilizer during the growing season.
• Mulch to retain moisture, keep the soil cool, and control weeds.
• Rotate crops: Prevent problems by not planting beans in the same location more often than every 3 years.
• Edamame beans are susceptible to a few pests. Keep an eye out for aphids, Mexican bean beetles, root-knot nematodes, slugs, snails, stink bugs, whiteflies, and wireworms.
• Edamame beans are susceptible to diseases, including anthracnose, powdery mildew, soybean rust, root rot, stem rot, stem blight, and white mold.

Harvesting and Storing

• Harvest when the pods appear full and green.
• Yellow pods mean that the Edamame beans are no longer at their peak in terms of flavor and texture.
• Ripe soybeans are ready for harvesting when the leaves start to fall, often leaving just brown stems with plenty of hanging pods.
• When harvested fresh, Edamame should be used immediately for the best flavor and will keep for 1 to 2 days when stored in the refrigerator.
• Once cooked, the Edamame can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
• Frozen Edamame will keep for 6 to 8 months.

Best Companion Plants

• Celery and beans seem to help each other.
• Collard intercropped with beans can increase the yield of both crops.
• Corn benefits from the nitrogen added to the soil by the beans. Edamame planted near corn protects it against chinch bugs and Japanese beetles.
• Cucumbers do well when planted with beans, as they are mutually beneficial.
• Kale profits from being grown with nitrogen-fixing legumes like beans.
• Marigolds attract beneficial insects that deter pests like Mexican bean beetles and whiteflies.
• Potatoes protect beans from the Mexican bean beetle. In return, beans planted with potatoes protect them against the Colorado potato beetle.
• Spinach benefits from the natural shade provided by the beans.
• Summer squash benefits from the nitrogen added to the soil by the beans. The large leaves of the squash vines create a protective mulch that helps retain moisture while suppressing weeds.
• Strawberries and beans are mutually helpful, both growing more quickly than if planted alone.
• Swiss Chard and beans are mutually beneficial. The nitrogen-fixing legumes enrich the soil, while Swiss chard helps increase the chlorophyll production of the legumes.

Worst Companion Plants

• Do not plant beans near garlic, onions, chives, leeks, scallions, shallots, peppers, wormwood, fennel, or gladioli.
• Alliums such as garlic, onions, chives, leeks, scallions, and shallots will stunt the growth of the beans.
• Most plants dislike fennel, and it has an inhibiting effect on them.