Great- great- grandma Nellie saved newspaper and magazine clippings from all sorts of publications - from farm and agriculture magazines to the local newspaper. One such clipping I've been interested to further explore is "Green Soybeans" (or as we commonly know them as edamame).
The following is the clipping from Nellie's journal. I wish I knew how to credit this clipping - so I'm going to reach out to the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. Perhaps at least I can get my hands on a copy of the bulletin this clipping references in the last paragraph!
"Green soybeans assets which are attributed to the soybean by the home economists are inexpensiveness; high food value owing to the generous amount of good proteins, vitamins, and minerals contained; and ease of preparation of the vegetable.
Like young peas, green soybeans are ready for table use when the pods are full; and the beans, green, plump, and tender, much in the manner of young peas. Unlike string beans, soybeans on one bush mature at much the same time. Therefore, the housewife may pull up the bush, walk over in the shade of a tree and pick the beans from the vine.
An easy method of hulling worked out by the home economics department is to pour boiling water over the soybean pods and let them stand five minutes in the hot water. Drain and hull the beans the same as peas or lima beans.
To cook them: Add one cup of boiling water and 3-4 teaspoons of salt to one pint of hulled beans. Cover and boil for 9 minutes. Drain and season with butter and salt, or cream.
The soybeans of the table varieties should still be a bright green after cooking and have a nutty flavor, Mrs. White reports. Later on, when they mature, the dried beans may turn black, brown, or yellow, according to variety, but the immature bean will always be green.
Compared with peas and beans, soybeans are rich in fat, high in the bone-building materials, calcium and phosphorus, twice as valuable a source for protein and noted for their iron content. Moreover they are thought to be rich sources of vitamins A, B, and G.
Assisting the housewife in determining which variety of bean gives the best color and flavor and is the most economical to use, are food researchers in the Illinois home economics laboratories who are testing 300 varieties of beans this winter, Miss. Woodruff explains. Field varieties which have been found favorable for home use are the Illini, Mansoy, Manchu and Easycook. However, new types strictly for vegetable use are being sought through the research.
Recipes which have been worked out and tested by the Illinois home economists are now available in a bulletin called "Ways of Using Soybeans as Food." It may be obtained by writing the College of Agriculture, University of Illinois."
In all of Nellie's journals (that I have) I cannot find any recipes where she uses green soybeans, or edamame. But based on the clippings around this one I can tell that she was very interested in health food, organic foods, and what we now in 2018 consider as superfoods!
My family loves eating edamame - both hot and cold! We love throwing it on top of salads for a pop of protein and a nutty burst of flavor.
I'd like to think that if I had Nellie over for a early-autumn lunch that the recipe I am about to share with you is something that she'd enjoy. It uses edamame along with many other seasonal items that I would guess she just might have at the ready in her garden or on her farm.
I've put an * by the items I can purchase at my Illinois farmers market.
SALAD INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 large yellow onion*
1 large bag of salad mix*
1 cup grapes, cut in half, no seeds*
1 cup apples, cored and diced (peel optional)*
2 cups cooked edamame*
1 cup cooked wild rice
1/2 cup goat cheese*
1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (optional)*
2/3 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
DRESSING INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons apple cider*
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil*
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard*
Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the onions and sauté until golden brown. Add the cooked wild rice. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
Get a large bowl ready to combine your salad mix, grapes, apples, edamame, and wild rice and onion mix. Toss gently to combine the ingredients.
In a small bowl whisk the salad dressing ingredients. Drizzle dressing over the salad mix.
Top the salad with crumbled goat cheese and roasted pumpkin seeds (optional).
Serve immediately!
Serving size: Makes about 6 side salads.
Serving suggestion: You can add even more harvest goodness by including roasted and cooled butternut squash, leftover chicken (shredded), or even roasted and cooled sweetcorn!