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August Recipe of the Month: How to Freeze Fresh Edamame

“What can I do with my 2022 bumper crop of edamame?”

I get this question a lot this time of year.

What a great problem to have!

If you want to stir up some tasty dishes while your edamame are fresh from the garden check out our B & B recipes below:

Another option for your harvest is to freeze your edamame in the pod.

No shelling is required. This is a great thing!

Eaten around the world for over 5,000 years, whole soybeans have stood the test of time as a nutritious, high-fiber, high-protein vegetable.

Going back as far as 1873, the composition of soybeans exhibited by Japan and China during the Vienna World Exposition was analyzed. Western scientists were reported to be “astounded to discover a plant that rivaled meat in protein content.”

The phrase “Meat of the Fields” was coined during the 1873 Exposition by Austrian scientist Friedrich Haberlandt.

The USDA recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein for adult men and women is 0.8 grams of protein for every 2 pounds of body weight. The RDA is usually reported as a single value, making it easier to remember. The RDA for women is an average of 46 grams daily; men need an average of 56 grams of protein daily.

Growing edamame is a great way to grow your own protein, increase the quality of your diet , and save money.

Congrats to you if you grew your own edamame this year!

Learn how to preserve your bounty below.

August Recipe of the Month:

Freezing Fresh Edamame.

Prep Time: 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

  • Fresh edamame (Use fresh edamame within 2-3 days after harvest. Store edamame in a refrigerator)

  • Salt

  • Ice

  • Zip lock freezer bags

DIRECTIONS

Getting Ready:

  1. You will need 2 large pots and a colander.

  2. Spread a clean towel covered with paper towels on a clean, heat-proof surface.

  3. Rinse your freshly picked edamame in clean running water.

  4. Using a large stock pot, fill with ice and water and place in the sink.

 

STEP 1: Bring water to a boil in a deep stock pot.

  • Add one tablespoon of salt for every gallon of water you use in your pot. Water should cover the amount of edamame being prepared.

  • Add fresh edamame to the boiling water.

  • Cook a total of three minutes from the time you add the edamame to the boiling water.

STEP 2: Drain cooked edamame in a colander & transfer into a pot of ice water.

  • Let edamame sit in the pot of ice water for two (2) minutes.

  • Strain chilled edamame in a colander.

STEP 3: Place strained edamame on a towel and blot dry with paper towels

  • After briefly drying edamame on a towel, place in zip lock bags and freeze.

 

ENJOY home-grown edamame throughout the year!

Note: Properly frozen edamame will retain its flavor and quality up to 12 months.

Check out additional edamame recipes from our friends at the North Dakota State Extension Service.

 

Source: Garden-Robinson, Julie. (March 2022). Field to Fork Edamame! North Dakota State University, Extension. FN1863.