In my Harvest Monday, August 19, 2013 post I mentioned that next year I will plant 2 different varieties of vegetable soybeans (a black and a green) to make side-by-side comparison for taste and texture at the young soybeans stage.
I do not have to wait until next year.
That Thursday, my garden friend Mary N of Mary’s Veggie Garden brought me a gift of young Tohya soybeans she just harvested from her Vassar farm garden so I could make a comparison now. I have such thoughtful friends.
It was good timing as I still had young black soybeans in the garden.
Left: Tohya Soybeans. Right: Black Soybeans
Top 2 rows: uncooked soy beans
Bottom 2 rows: cooked soy beans
To make proper comparison, I needed to cook both varieties in the same pot. In order to tell which is which, I chose, for the Tohya, the 3-beans pods and for the black, the 2-beans pods.
The verdict: The differences were very slight and I liked them both. Will definitely plant both varieties next year.
The Toyha had a more buttery texture and was a bit sweeter than the black. However that was not a true comparison as Mary’s soybeans were harvested at a less mature stage (the pods were filled out but still retained their bright green color and would be sweeter)compared to mine (my pods had started to show signs of yellowing). If I harvested mine while the pods were filled but still bright green, I believe the beans would have the same sweetness.
Johnny’s seed describes Toyha as: Early with delicious, buttery flavor and tender-firm texture.
Because Mary’s experience with toyha was positive, I am going to plant this variety next year.
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The photo below was posted on August 19, 2013.
The 3 stages of young black soybeans
Click here and scroll down to learn more
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The photo below shows 3 stages of the black soybeans as they mature.
Black soybeans
Left: pod is completely yellowed, beans are oval, soft and reddish brown
Center: pod is turning brown, beans are oval, soft and purple/black
Right: pod is dry, beans are round, hard and black
Placed the shelled beans from the above pods in a pot, covered with water, add a bit of salt and boiled for 7 minutes. The soft beans (from the left and center pods) had a creamy texture. The dried beans (from the right pods) were a bit hard in the center but still edible, which surprised me, as I thought for sure they would be rock hard. None of the beans had a strong soybean flavor, another surprise.
Will shell and save all the dried beans I have collected for planting next year.
Am going to devote a good portion of the garden to planting black soy beans next year so I can have a few pounds of soybeans (both young and dried) to experiment with.
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The following photo shows one day’s harvest, the best single day harvest. Shared with family and friends. Ate many as is. One day I overindulged and paid the price with a tummy ache. For a small fruit, they were packed with sweetness.
Figs
Not too many fruits left on the tree, may have another week of harvest. With summer coming to an end, doubt the many green ones on the tree will have time to ripen.
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My patriotic garden
This is the scene that greets me every time I go up and down the driveway
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Copyright © by Norma Chang. All Rights Reserved. Do not use/repost any photos and/or articles without permission.
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Beautiful figs and soy beans. I wish my figs would ripen. I have some that have a bit of brown on them, but they don’t seem to be changing anymore. I have a feeling it is another year without figs. I’ll probably give them another year to try though.
Hello Daphne,
Thanks. Hope your figs ripen for you, I think if the weather stays warm they will.
Just seeing the name Johnny’s Seeds brings me back to Maine. Their factory/business is just up the road from where I was raised. 🙂 Interesting about the sweetness of soy beans and the relative ripeness. I look forward to next year to see how it goes.
Hello Maureen,
Glad to know my post brought you back to your childhood home in Maine and took you on a pleasant trip down memory lane. I too am looking forward to next year’s soybeans planting.
Norma, you really got me inspired to plant more fig trees. Our family love figs..we planted 2 trees last year but no such good harvest as yours yet…probably it’ll be better next year…Fortunately, our tummy are quite TOUGH…so, we’re on our way to plant a few more:)
Hello Annie,
I would love to plant 2 more fig varieties but I can only overwinter one in my garage. Do you keep your fig trees in the ground year round?
Through your blog post, this year I got inspired to plant a fig in a big tub to take inside during the winter, but we also have 2 figs planted directly onto the ground last year. It overwintered to -20C, survived and we even started to have a few fruits this year..so perhaps it is not necessary? but the fig in the garden were planted against a wall (for extra warmth…I will still experiment with leaving the one fig in the tub to overwinter inside the house because I know you’ve done it that way with success:)
Hello Annie,
I think planting your fig trees against a wall protected it. Looking forward to updates in the future.
Really interesting comparison — I haven’t grown soybeans for a few years, but this has put them on my list for next year. I like your flowers — the colors are so cheerful, as are the little resident turtle and frogs!
Hello Siobhan,
Thanks. my flowers and garden friends keep me very happy.
Do you mostly use these in recipes or eat them plain?
I do love to snack on them right out of their freshly steamed shells.
It’s going to be 90 here today so summer is still going strong.
Happy Gardening
Hello Kim,
I ate them plain as a snack right out of the shells I also shelled them and add to salad and stir-fries.
Yea, keep rubbing it in, our night time temp has been in the 40’s, this has got to be shortest summer.
I’ve never grown soybeans or figs, so it was very interesting to read your post. They both look worth trying and yours look great!
Hello Patsy,
Fig tree is very easy to grow. What zone are you in? You may be able to leave your fig tree in the ground year round, I have to overwinter mine in the garage.
Soybeans are also easy to grow, if you like edamame, it is worth while growing.
Homegrown black soya beans and figs….my dream, Norma. One day…..I will grow my own too! You are my inspiration, Norma. THANK YOU!
Hello Angie,
You are welcome. I am sure when you are not so busy you will find time to grow your own soybeans and fig.
Beautiful Figs! I wish we could grow them in our area! I’ve never grown soybeans sounds like a fun project!!
Hello Rick,
Thanks. What zone are you in? I am in zone 5/6, grow my fig tree in a large container and bring it into the garage for overwintering. If you like edamame you will find growing soybeans worthwhile.
The black soybeans are so pretty. I’ve never seen black ones. I am quite jealous of your fig harvest. They look amazing and I hope you made some jam out of some of those this year so you can enjoy them in the winter, too! 🙂
Hello Betsy,
No, I did not make fig jam, instead froze some, when thawed they taste almost like fresh.
I can’t believe how many figs you have! That is quite a harvest. I would have likely eaten a lot of them as well. Every time I see them at the farmer’s market, I scoop them up. 🙂 And how thoughtful of your friend to share her soybeans. I’m glad you were able to make your comparison early.
Hello Kristy,
I was surprised too, had to go back into the kitchen for another container.
I am very fortunate, have wonderfully thoughtful and caring friends.
Beautiful figs and black soybeans, thanks for the comparison, it’s very interesting. How big is your fig tree?
Hello Mac,
My fig tree is about 6 feet tall and wide. Will have to prune before overwintering as it is getting too large for the garage space assigned to it.
Very interesting to see the progression of the maturing black soy beans. I wish I could grow them here but they always seem to resent our cold nights and they always seem to attract the local bunnies.
Hello Michelle,
It was fascinating to observe the colors of the beans at different stages.
I absolutely adore both the figs and soybeans. I could have eaten myself silly at your place@!
Hello Barbie,
They were both delicious. Too bad the season is coming to an end.
Norma, how interesting! Thank you for sharing this with us, I’ll look out for those black ones!
Hello Celia,
Hope you are able to find black soybeans seeds where you are, I am looking forward to growing a lot more next year.
I am very jealous of your fresh and delicious beans, they look juicy and healthy 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Hello Uru,
They were delicious and I love the color.
I agree.. planting both would be spectacular next year. But those figs.. wow, it would be so tempting not to eat more than my share! I, too, would have a stomach ache, Norma! xx
Hello Barbara,
Well, I should know better at my age, but then where is the fun?
Wow!! Look at all of those figs – that is amazing 🙂
Hello Alyssa,
I was surprised at this year’s bountiful harvest, sad to see the season coming to an end.
I would love to try to Tohya…they sound fantastic! You make me feel I need a fig tree in my life =)
Hello SM,
Fig tree is easy to grow and low maintenance. May be your Dad could add one to his garden.
Norma, I love the picture of the soybeans, as they mature the color gets darker…cool!
And figs…they look amazing.
Have a great week ahead 😀
Hello Juliana,
Too bad the soybeans colors all turn to gray or black after cooking. The figs were sooooo sweet. A great week to you too.
Thanks, Norma for this good garden update! Your soy beans are very interesting. I love to eat them too! What a lot of fresh juicy figs & your front garden loooks fantastic, those colours & flowers are amazing too! Till now, I have had 40 ripe figs! 🙂
Hello Sophie,
I had fun writing this update and learned a great deal about black soybeans through the process.
Reblogged this on rr25599.
Oh, those figs!!! How amazing! I trust they were worth a bit of a tummy ache 😉
Hello Melissa,
They were worth the tummy ache but I will not do it again.
You are such an angelic, pure inspiration to hang out with, dear Norma 🙂 How I adore your passion for vegetation!
Thanks for sharing your heard earned treasures and those eye-soothing, soul-soothing pictures 🙂
Hello Nusrat,
Thanks and you are welcome, glad you enjoy my post.
What a fantastic fig harvest, Norma! Very impressive and how nice to enjoy them right off of the tree in your yard. Nice work, too, comparing the black and Toyha soy beans. I’d no idea there were so many varieties of soy beans, Thanks for today’s lesson. 🙂
Hello John,
Thanks and you are welcome. Unfortunately fig season is coming to an end and pretty soon the tree will be put away for winter storage until next spring.
There are many more varieties and choices for the yellow (green) soybeans than the black but I am happy with the one I have so am saving seeds.
i like the beans is it same as edaname( the japanese beans with salt)
Hello Cquek,
Yes it is. Edamame is the Japanese name for immature green soybeans usually in the pod also available hulled.
Hi Norma,
I enjoyed your write-up, especially the color progression in your black beans. In a few weeks I should have dried Toyha.
Hello Mary,
Thanks. It would be so neat if the beans retained their individual colors after cooking. Guess Toyha is an heirloom since you are saving your own seeds.
I simply LOVE figs! Yum!
Hello YC,
Figs are one of my favorite fruits so glad I am able to grow a tree in the Hudson Valley.
This post inspires me to plant several varieties of various vegetables next year so that I can compare the characteristics of the different varieties.
Hello Sheryl,
It is a lot of fun and I learn a great deal from these comparisons and experiments.
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment.
Norma,
It’s always so inspiring to visit your blog and see what you’re growing. I’m still just working on herbs.
Hello Mireya,
Thanks for stopping by and for taking the time to leave a comment. Glad you enjoy my post. Working on herbs is a good start and I am sure you will expand from there.
Your figs look heavenly Ms. Norma. I haven’t had figs in such a long time. I wish I had some right now 🙂
Hello Kay,
May be you can find some at the Union Square farmers’ market. One of these days I am going to take the train to NYC just to check out the market.
I love all the colour you have in your patriotic garden and what a lovely sight to greet you every time you return home. And your figs look wonderful and I’m so pleased you were able to enjoy them instead of the birds getting to them xx
Hello Charlie,
I forgot to mention that the hummingbirds love the garden too. Could not get a photo, they are too swift.
The birds and other critters got some of the figs but I manage to get most.
Hello Norma, I hope you are doing well. Thanks for posting photos of the stages of the soy beans as they mature and dry. Will you be drying some this year to make some soya milk drinks? Happy early Chinese Mid-Autumn festival to you and your family. Take care, BAM
Hello Bam,
I am doing well, thanks. Happy Mid-Autumn festival to you and your family too, will you be celebrating and eating moon cakes? Have a favorite?
Unfortunately, this year I only planted enough soybeans for eating at the immature stage an a bit for seed saving, planning to devote more real estate to soybeans next year.
What a great fig harvest Norma, I am jealous. As I mentioned in an email a while ago, our wild life stole and ate our three figs and they weren’t even ripe (that I know of). Damn birds. Next year I will net the tree so the birdies can’t get to the fruit. I was so disappointed.
The soybean taste test is an interesting experiment, I do love soybeans boiled in their shells and eaten as a snack, so tasty and nutritious too. Do you know if your seeds are GMO?
Hello Eva,
My figs are coming to an end. Ants discovered the figs. This morning when I went to harvest, the ripe, and not so ripe, figs were all covered with ants and they were eating away.
I do not know for sure if my black soybeans seeds are GMO, I think/hope they are as they are not hybrid.
Hi Norma, i’ve always use fermented black soy bean but never see the real things….
such a shame, btw my giant peper is still sprouting, cant wait to transfer it to my garden….
Hello Dedy,
Glad to learn that your giant pepper is doing well, you have so much better growing environment than I do, am sure you will get bountiful harvest.
I’m so jealous of your figs! They look beautiful and I bet it tastes heavenly.
Hello Anne,
Oh yes, they were juicy and sweet as honey.
Beautiful patriotic garden and those figs! Wow, what a bounty!!
Hello Sandra,
Thanks. It was a good fig year.
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