The Joys of Edamame
(Page 3 of 5)
BEST VARIETIES FOR THE GARDEN
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To evaluate the edamame varieties now offered in seed
catalogs, I enlisted the help of two astute gardeners in
other parts of the country, gardener and photographer David
Cavagnaro in Decorah, Iowa, and C.R. Lawn, a seeds person
in Canaan, Maine, to augment my plantings in Bellingham,
Washington. Together we tested the same five varieties: two
stalwarts, 'Envy' and 'Butterbeans,' from Johnny's Selected
Seeds in Albion, Maine; two Japanese newcomers to the
United States, 'Sayamusume' and 'Misono Green,' from
Territorial Seeds in Cottage Grove, Oregon; and the variety
'Shirofumi' from Fedco Seeds in Waterville, Maine. The
three of us planted these five edamame varieties during the
last week of May in our respective locations, and we all
enjoyed enough warmth and sunshine to get our crops off to
a running start.
By the middle of August in Iowa and Maine, and early
September in Washington, we were all picking and grinning
as we discovered just how delicious homegrown edamame can
be. We all agreed a good edamame variety had to have a
sweet, buttery flavor with a tender, but slightly crunchy
texture. But there is another important attribute of good
flavor. C.R. Lawn summed it up best: "There's a nutty
flavor that I look for in edamame. It's the nuttiness that
gives body to the flavor."
For earliness, there were two clear winners, 'Envy' and
'Shirofumi.' For an early harvest, 'Shirofurni' had the
sweetest, most tender beans; it got rave reviews in all
locations. But 'Envy' shouldn't be counted out. 'Envy,'
which is touted as a first early variety, was easily 10
days earlier than 'Shirofumi' for me in cool, coastal
Washington State. In the hotter summers of Iowa and Maine
(yes, Maine can have hot weather!), it wasn't significantly
earlier than 'Shirofurmi.' While 'Envy' wasn't as sweet as
other edamame varieties, it did have a robust, nutty
flavor, which coupled with its earliness should earn it a
spot in any short-season garden.
'Sayamusume' received the real honors for flavor. It took a
little longer to mature but was well worth the wait.
'Sayamusume' was about a week later in maturity than the
other varieties in Iowa and Maine. Another edamame
connoisseur, Steve Peters of Seeds of Change in Santa Fe,
New Mexico, says, 'Sayamusume' is everything you want in
edamame: It's plump, tender, sweet, with a buttery flavor,
and it's consistent from pod to pod."
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