Hooray for Edamame!

Edamame is one of the highly anticipated crops at the farm. Edamame, another name for fresh soybeans are fun, delicious and nutritious. I have been watching the pods fill out and they are beautiful this year - Derek says it is due to the regular rains (irregular for July!) that are making the plants so robust. As with several other crops we pick, the beans at the bottom will be the most filled out and ready.

To enjoy, they should be cooked - bring a large pot of water to a boil and generously salt the water. Add edamame and cook at a gentle boil for about 8-10 minutes - start checking for doneness after 7 minutes. The size of the beans will make a difference in how long they take to cook, so it could be as much as 12 minutes this year. Be care that the water doesn't boil over - it tends to foam up quite a bit.

Once cooked, you can eat as a snack by "sucking" the beans out of the pod, or you can squeeze the beans out and use in recipes that call for edamame or lima beans. They also freeze well. Dry them the best that you can, lay them on a cookie sheet and freeze. When frozen, place in a plastic bag or container and store until use. There are many recipes on this site for edamame, including Edamame Hummus. I know that my first picking will be gobbled up as snacks.

Blackberries are a wonderful treat from the farm. Just a quick note on picking. For the best tasting berries, pick only those that are completely black - no red blush left - the sweetest ones are those that come off the plant easily when given a slight tug. Be gentle - they are very perishable!

Potatoes will be distributed very soon. The "Dark Red Norland" variety we will start receiving either this week or next does not need to be refrigerated, but it is not a storage potato, so enjoy them within about 3 - 4 weeks for best taste.