Growing Nutritious Soybeans

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Chart: Nutrients contained in soybeans.
Chart: Nutrients contained in soybeans.
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Packed with protein fiber, vitamins and minerals, soybeans are easy to grow and taste terrific.
Packed with protein fiber, vitamins and minerals, soybeans are easy to grow and taste terrific.
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You can winnow away the chaff from your soybeans with a vacuum cleaner motor.
You can winnow away the chaff from your soybeans with a vacuum cleaner motor.
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Varieties of soybeans to grow include Natto, Jewel, Manitoba Brown and Jacques Brown.
Varieties of soybeans to grow include Natto, Jewel, Manitoba Brown and Jacques Brown.

Learn about growing, harvesting and cooking soybeans and the high nutrients available in this versatile plant.

Growing and Cooking Soybeans

Marinated Soybean Salad Recipe
Soybean and Rice Curry Recipe
Roasted Soybeans Recipe
Fresh Soybeans Cooking Tips
Genetically Engineered Soybeans

My discovery of soybeans led to the creation of my seed company, Salt Spring Seeds, in 1986. I was amazed to find that some varieties of this extraordinarily nutritious crop are delicious when baked, boiled or toasted, unlike the indigestible ones sold in many stores (which you may have already tried and rejected). Most varieties available in North America have been bred for animal fodder or for processing into tofu and other soy products, rather than for direct human consumption. Grow or buy the right culinary varieties and you’ll get a pleasant, soft-crunchy, mild-flavored superbean that you can use in any dish that calls for regular beans — soups, salads, casseroles, even make your own soynut snack food.

Soybeans have been cultivated for more than 5,000 years, most notably in China and Japan. Unfortunately, today we process this wonderful legume in every imaginable fashion instead of simply cooking it up. Soybeans are very high in protein and are the only legume that contains all nine essential amino acids (the only proteins the human body can’t manufacture on its own). They contain no cholesterol and are low in saturated fats and sodium. They are an excellent source of dietary fiber and are very rich in iron, calcium, B vitamins, zinc, potassium and magnesium. But much of this goodness is diminished when they are processed. As the charts below show, tofu contains half as much protein, and much less fiber, vitamins and minerals than cooked whole soybeans.

  • Published on Apr 1, 2003
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