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Edamame Update

The 2007 Edamame Crop was harvested and sold in a number of ways.  Several stores carried it, but the happiest customers by far were found at two local Farmers Markets.  When people sampled it, both in stores and under the autumn sky, 97% of adults and 99% of children loved it. 

Epic Gardens can provide seed for 4 varieties of Edamame type soybeans for the 2008 growing season.  They have been selected for taste, hardiness, and high nutritional value.  They were not produced by genetic modification, but by old fashioned isolation and selection.  What follows are the descriptions from the GRIN database, and a little subjective commentary. 

Growers sought for 2008

Epic Gardens is seeking a few growers to participate in marketing venture.  We have our toe in the door of a large grocery business and need to provide enough fresh edamame to make it worth while for them to buy locally.  If not, then they will turn to frozen edamame from overseas. 
If you would like to try your hand at growing this prolific and relatively easy crop, and help fulfill the market created this year for Fresh Local Edamame, Click on the picture.






Dr. Tadesse Mebrahtu tells a group of visiting soybean breeders about recent work developing edamame cultivars at Virginia State University.

Asmara, Moon Cake, Owen and Randolph Edamame Seed are now available. 
Descriptions begin below pricing.
50 grams (1.75 oz)          $3.00
100 Grams (3.5 oz)          $5.00
500 Grams (1.1 lb)         $18.00
1 Kilo (2.2 lbs)               $35.00 

Actual shipping charges will be added to each order.  To order seed for 2008, click here:  Edamame Seed
Include a phone number and time zone.

Asmara Edamame is a large seeded cultivar intended for use as a vegetable soybean. Maturity group VI. Two-year average green pod yield of 22,082 kg ha-1. The green bean had 43.0% protein, 39.6 mg/g of sucrose, and 9.2% oil with 43.3% of the oil as oleic acid. Produced a mature seed yield of 2628 kg ha-1 averaged over two years and locations. Seed had 43.1% protein and 12.0% oil with 22.9% as oleic acid. The average seed size from both locations was 22 g per 100 seeds. Resistant to seed shattering and has white flowers and tawny pubescence. Seeds have yellow seed coats and buff hila. Determinate growth habit with plants 54 cm in height. Susceptible to races 3 and 14 of the soybean cyst nematode and resistant to race 2 of the phytophthora root rot pathogen and susceptible to race 33. Susceptible to bacterial pustule and mildly susceptible to sudden death syndrome in southern Indiana.

Asmara Edamame is named after the capital of Eritrea, the native country of the breeder, Dr. Tadesse Mebrahtu.  This bean won in 2006 taste tests among 6 varieties, including 2 of the most commonly available cultivars.

Moon Cake Edamame is a large seeded, very tall variety.  Flowers white and gray pubescence. Maturity group VI. Seeds are elongate with lustrous yellow seed coats and light buff colored hila. Seeds weight 27 g per 100 seeds. Yield of 3,144 kg per hectare of dry grain in 2001 and 2,864 kg per hectare in 2002 in a replicated plot test at Beltsville, MD. Large seeded, indeterminate vegetable soybean cv. growing to a height of 5 or 6 feet with good lodging resistance and intended for use as edamame. Not developed by genetic engineering. At Beltsville, MD, plants grew to an average height of 164 cm with 21 seed bearing nodes with average of 7 cm between nodes. Forty days after flower initiation, the sucrose concentration in seeds averaged 101 mg/g. Resistant to frogeye leafspot incited by Cercospora sojina. Susceptible to southern stem canker disease (Diaporthe phaseolorum). Mildly susceptible to sudden death syndrome (Fusarium solani). Susceptible to races 7 and 33 of phytophthora root rot (Phytophthora megasperma). Susceptible to purple seed stain (Cercospora kikuchii).

The indeterminate aspect of Moon Cake soybean is a bonus.  When the weather cooled a bit, it just took off and grew another bunch of pods!  The beans are sweeter than some. 

Owen Edamame is a large-seeded intended for use as vegetable soybean. Maturity group V. Two-year average green pod yield 13,742 kg ha-1. Green bean protein 35.0%, 63 mg/g sucrose and 8.0% oil with 45.3% of the oil as oleic acid. Two-year average mature seed yield of 2795 kg ha-1 with a protein content of 44.1% and oil content of 12.2% with 24.2% of the oil as oleic acid. Determinate growth habit with plant height of 44 cm, white flowers and tawny pubescence. Seed size 20 g per 100 seeds with dark brown coat and hila color. Susceptible to race 14 soybean cyst nematode. Resistant to race 2 of the phytophthora root rot pathogen and susceptible to race 33. Moderately susceptible to sudden death syndrome and frogeye leaf spot.

Owen is a dark, elegant soybean with a hearty flavor, even when picked green.

Randolph Edamame is a large-seeded variety intended for use as vegetable. Group VI maturity. Two year average green pod yield of 14,825 kg/ha. Green bean had 44.5% protein, 51.8 mg/g sucrose, and 11.3% oil with 39.9% of the oil as oleic acid. Over two years produced an average of 1637 kh/ha of mature seeds with protein content of 46% and 11.3% oil of which 24.6% was oleic fatty acid. Flowers white and gray pubescence. Seeds have yellow seed coats and brown hila. Seeds large, weighing 27 g per 100 seeds. Determinate growth habit with plants growing to 56 cm in height.

Randolph is another product of Dr. Tadesse Mebrahtu’s work.  It is a bit ‘meatier’ in flavor than some edamame types.