Have a plant go to fruitsandveggies.org September is national fruits and veggies month hashtag have a plant #NFVM2022 — Vegetable soybeans are big on protein, nutrient-dense, high in fiber, and have no cholesterol.

We are taking steps to move vegetable soybeans into the mainstream!

We are expanding regional access to this locally grown, high-quality, plant-protein for consumers!

Celebrating my birthday today at the Louisiana Farm to School Conference educating others about the value of vegetable soybeans!

Ginger and I are providing black soybean salsa and soy hummus taste tests to conference participants in Baton Rouge, Louisiana today and collecting feedback to evaluate consumer acceptance of this high-protein legume. B & B is partnering with the Mid-South and Illinois Soybean Boards to conduct consumer research into this new domestic market.

Market analysts predict the continued growth of the plant-based protein food market. With fuel and transportation prices skyrocketing, a farmer-led, regional soy food system makes good sense for soy-producing states.

The data is compelling! The potential rewards include providing expanded, high-quality nutritional choices for food available to our children in public schools.

We appreciate early supporters like Stephanie S. who recently promoted our vegetable soybeans as a featured guest on Chef A.J.’s national cooking show. Can you spot the B & B soybeans?

Like Stephanie, I began my professional career in health care. My journey into the food space began with research on the nutritional profile of soybeans for the development of an online course for high-school students, later discovering that despite soy’s remarkable nutritional value we couldn’t actually purchase locally grown vegetable soybeans in Arkansas.

I am grateful for the calls I continued to receive 8-10 years ago from schools around the state requesting additional educational presentations and information regarding soy foods. This initial work with informal student taste tests provided my first glimpse at the receptiveness of students to this unfamiliar, yet nutritionally remarkable vegetable.

The beans in the field are filling out and getting ready for harvest.

I love this time of year. You can see the circle of life and the fruits of all the labor required to produce food each season. Some of the beans in these fields are going to be available to our children.

So excited to be a part of expanding access to regionally produced vegetable soybeans!

Thanks for following our journey.

~Karen

P.S. Your September photos from the farm are provided below!