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2ajsmama

I've got edamame!

2ajsmama
11 years ago

It's supposed to take 90 days and be ready all at once. I have a few plants that have fairly big pods on them, but they're still fuzzy (do they stay that way?) and there are smaller pods too. Some of the smaller plants still have blossoms. How/when to harvest?

It's been really hot and dry here - I just planted these late May/early June, was surprised to find pods already but had flowers last week.

Comments (2)

  • zeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
    11 years ago

    Soybean pods stay fuzzy, even when ripe. The pod itself is inedible at all stages.

    You can harvest edamame when the pods are fat & the seeds are visibly bulging. To see if they are properly ripe, pick a few pods, throw them in boiling water for 5 minutes, remove them, and cool them under cold running water. You can easily pop the beans out by squeezing the pod. If you like the taste, they are ready to harvest.

    You have a little control over flavor & texture, depending upon the stage the beans are in when you harvest. Picked while the pods are green, the beans will be sweet & tender. I like to harvest my edamame a little riper, so I wait until the leaves in the row begin to turn yellow, or when the first pods begin to change color. There is a very short harvest window for this stage, only a couple of days. If large numbers of the pods begin to change color, the beans won't be as sweet... but you can still use them like you would limas.

    As a rule, all the soybeans on a plant ripen at the same time, as will most of the plants in the same row. There might still be some undeveloped pods, and you could just pick the fat pods & let those continue to grow... but IMO, it's not worth the trouble. On my soybeans, those late pods are usually single seeded. I just cut the whole plant at the base, then sit at a table outside to remove the pods.

    After harvest, you need to cook the pods quickly, or the beans within will continue to ripen & lose some of their sweetness. The optimal cooking time will depend upon seed size, the weight of the batch, and the amount of water in the kettle. If I am freezing them (they freeze well) I cook one pound of pods for 5 minutes; after cooling the pods under cold running water, I taste-test one, and adjust my cooking time accordingly. You can also steam the pods, checking them once a minute after 5 minutes.

    If shelling large numbers of cooked pods, invite family or friends to help. It's fun to pop the beans out, and they can eat edamame while they work. It will get easier to find volunteers to help after that. ;-)

    Soybeans really love heat. Mine are growing like crazy this year. They will grow & bear with moderate water, but they will really excel if you give them plenty of water. My area had record summer rainfall in 2010, and it was my best soybean harvest ever. Unlike common beans, they seem to like muddy feet.

  • 2ajsmama
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks - it seems like I don't have many pods, but there are some large ones - most are small and like I said some plants still have flowers. This is just way earlier than I expected them - because of the heat? I have been trying to keep them watered as much as the lettuce but can't say that they have ever had muddy feet.

    Not enough for a party - but I will see if any are ready tomorrow, I will try them at market tomorrow afternoon and tell people to cook that night.

    I never noticed the pods being *that* fuzzy (though not smooth like snow peas) when I ate them in restaurants. Maybe I've got a super-hairy type LOL.

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