Soybeans

(Glycine max)

Soybeans are one of my favourite crops and the one that first got me interested in seed saving. Soybeans originated in northern China and have been an important crop there for 5000 years. Soybeans are grown on a huge scale across North America but almost all of it is destined for livestock feed. Over 50 percent of Canada’s soybean crop has been genetically modified by Monsanto to resist Monsanto’s own herbicide, Roundup. This allows large-scale farmers to douse their fields in more chemicals to kill every plant but the soybeans. What better reason is there than that to grow your own soybeans?

Although all types of soybeans can really be used interchangably for most uses, here's the basic breakdown of our soybean types. Our beige soybeans are good all purpose varieties for making tofu, soymilk, soynuts or adding to soup. Our black and other brown varieties are more flavourful, making them good in soups, chilies or anywhere else you might use regular dry beans. Edemame soybeans are those that are eaten when the green seeds are plump in their pods at the same stage as shelling peas. Any variety can be used for edamame although some varieties have been bred for flavour and sweetness. For a late summer treat, just steam the pods whole, pop the seeds out and eat with a little butter and salt. Fresh edemames also freeze well.

Soybeans should be planted after risk of frost and after the soil has warmed, around here in early June. As a general rule they should be planted at the same time as corn. Soybeans are drought tolerant plants and tolerant of less then ideal soil, due to the fact that they fix nitrogen. Like most plants however they grow best in a healthy, fertile loam. Although slightly lower yielding than dry beans, they make up for it in the fact they are higher in protein (40% compared to 25%). They grow to knee height and can be planted quite densely, in which case they will form a canopy to shade out weed seedlings. We harvest ours in September at around the same time as our dry beans. Soybeans produce perfect, self-fertile flowers and cross pollination is rare, making it easy to save seed.

Each packet costs $3.00 and contains approx. 60-100 seeds or 15 grams.

Shirofumi - One of my favourite edamame varieties. This mid-season edamame produces heavy yields of plump pods with three or four sweet, dark green seeds. This is the main variety I grow for our own eating, I find it’s almost always among the most productive and it bears over an extended time for more continuous harvesting.

Hidatsa - My earliest maturing edamame, light green seeds produced on compact plants. Along with Shirofumi this is one of the varieties I grow lots of for our own food. Not quite as productive as Shirofumi but significantly earlier, with slightly larger seeds. The pods tend to mature uniformly on each plant, which makes it good if you want to freezing a bunch at once.

Grand Forks - An excellent buttery tasting edamame and a fine dry soybean too. This heirloom from Grand Forks, BC is always among the earliest of our varieties to mature. Two toned brown and gold seeds.

(New) Hakucho -

(New) Tohya - 

(New) Natto - A very productive small-seeded beige soybean. It would be great for processing into tofu or soymilk. 

(New) Bounty - A good multi-use soybean for either dry beans or edamame. The medium sized seeds are beige when mature and dry.

(New) Manitoba Brown - A rich chocolate-brown soybean. One of the best for edamame and when dry it makes amazing baked beans. Early maturing and dependable.

Agate - Big yields of medium sized brown and gold soybeans. A good multi-purpose variety. 

Alta - A high yielding beige soybean good for making tofu, soymilk or just cooking like dry beans. 

Diekman Black - A rare black seeded soybean. Slightly smaller seeds than Black Jet but highly productive.

Black Jet - High yields of jet black dry soybeans. Introduced by Johnny’s Select Seeds of Maine.   

Pando - Another good edamame, with very large green seeds.   

Cha Kura Kake - Very beautiful bi-coloured brown and gold seeds. Fantastic whether used dry or for edamame. One of my largest seeded varieties. 

St. Ita – One more fine edamame. Larger, darker seeds than the others.