SOYBEANS: GROW 'EM AND FREEZE 'EM

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

When you have a big pan full, wash the pods and blanch them to aid in the removal of the beans. (If you don't have a blanch ing kettle, just fill any large pot with enough hot water to cover the legumes.

Bring the liquid to a rolling boil . . . put in your harvest . . . allow the kettle to return to a full boil . . . and then blanch the pods for five minutes.)

Meanwhile, fill your sink or another large pot with very cold water, and—when the boiling time is up—immerse the steaming vegetables in the cold bath ... adding more water, if necessary, to cool them completely. Let the pods remain in the chilly soak for another five minutes.

Removing the beans from their hulls is easy: All you have to do is squeeze the seeds out over a bowl or pan. If youngsters help, they'll probably soon discover that—when you squish the pods just right—you can "shoot" the beans a great distance. (Let 'em have a bit of fun at first, and the tads will probably accomplish the rest of the job very quickly and efficiently. Ever since my daughters were quite small, they've really enjoyed taking over this chore.)

Next, transfer the shelled beans to freezer containers, leaving an inch or so of "head room". Then seal, label, and freeze 'em ... and transfer the empty hulls to your compost heap.

Although green soybeans contain only about one-third as much protein as the dried variety, they're still higher in this essential nutrient than any other vegetable . . . and their succulent, nutlike flavor makes 'em the most palatable, nutritious. low-starch garden produce around. Furthermore, besides containing vitamin C (which dried soybeans don't), the green edibles are also richer in vitamin A than are the dried legumes.

I find the tasty morsels ideal for use as a meat extender . . . that is, I merely use less meat and add soybeans to my recipes for soup, stew, etc. (This same technique can be employed when preparing hamburgers, meatloaf, and almost any casserole that calls for ground meat.) The remarkable vegetable can also be used as a side dish all by itself.

So why not grow protein in your garden this year? Then, after you've used up your first soybean crop—probably in a variety of ways that I've never even dreamed of—you'll want to plan to plant even more next season!

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print