Sharing seeds is probably the purest meaning of the word heirloom; Seeds that have been handed down from grandparent to parent, to children and siblings, marking part of their family history.
Last week my mother brought me soy beans from her Ohio garden to plant in Greenport. She has been growing them for many years and has always shared her seeds. From her mother's favorite yellow tear drop tomatoes to the arugula that her best friend, and Italian neighbor of 50 years used to grow, she keeps an inventory perfectly tagged. So even though my 73 year old has lost many of her friends and family over the years, she remembers them when she tends to her garden.
With my mother's seeds, this will be the second year I am planting soybeans or edamame as we know them in New York. Last year my naughty squirrel neighbors feasted upon them before germination so this year I started them indoors. I will plant them on Mother's Day this Sunday and think of her.
Farmers' Almanac Tips on growing Soy beans
http://www.farmersalmanac.com/home-garden/2010/03/22/grow-your-own-soybeans-heres-how/
Plant seeds an inch or so deep, in rows about 2 1/3 feet apart. Your plants will grow about 2 1/2 feet tall with a bright green color. *Save a portion of your harvest for replanting, and you’ll never need to buy seed again. *Just remember to plant them in a new plot since soybeans and other legumes should be rotated.
Harvest the beans when they are fully-grown and ripe. Feel the beans inside of the pods. If they are firm but not hard, they should be ripe. You should harvest the soybeans before the pods turn yellow. You could test the beans by
picking a few pods, boiling them for five minutes, and then running them under
cold water to cool immediately. Pop the soybeans out of the pod and taste them.
If they taste good, they’re ready to harvest.
Want to try a recipe for soybeans/edamame? Visit www.seasonedfork.com We will be making a side dish of quinoa with edamame tomorrow at our cooking class at 6 p.m. Call 631-477-0066 for details.
