[goose]

ive just had my soya bean elena seeds delivered from T&M.  having read the back of the packet, it says "harvest weatherproof pods from late august"....what does that mean??

it does also mention that "younger pods can be brought to the boil, seasoned, and the beans popped out as a snack (edamame). CAUTION harvested beans must be boiled to destroy inhibitors for protein ingestion. Never eat the beans uncooked."  i wonder how long you have to boil them for? 

perhaps i am jumping the gun a little bit, i have got to get them to grow first

[woodburner]

The health concerns are (as far as I'm aware) only with fully-mature beans - picking them green like peas is fine.  You're also fine with traditionally-prepared soya products like tofu or soy sauce.  It's only when you start treating them like a normal dried bean that you have problems.

The article goes into considerable detail, including the fact that to supply the growing market for tofu the lengthy traditional process is often shortcutted . . .
Also "The young green beans, now sold as a fashionable snack, edamame, are lower in oestrogens and antinutrients, though not free of them.

Personally If I was going to eat a green manure I'd go for field beans, even if they are more prone to pests. There's a reason soya doesn't suffer from pests. 

[woodburner]

ive just had my soya bean elena seeds delivered from T&M.  having read the back of the packet, it says "harvest weatherproof pods from late august"....what does that mean??

it does also mention that "younger pods can be brought to the boil, seasoned, and the beans popped out as a snack (edamame). CAUTION harvested beans must be boiled to destroy inhibitors for protein ingestion. Never eat the beans uncooked."  i wonder how long you have to boil them for? 

perhaps i am jumping the gun a little bit, i have got to get them to grow first

"Soya beans: Contain an anti-trypsin factor (or trypsin inhibitor) which prevents the assimilation of the amino acid methionine. Soya beans also require careful cooking to ensure destruction of this factor. They should be soaked for at least 12 hours, drained and rinsed then covered with fresh water and brought to the boil. Soya beans should be boiled for the first hour of cooking. They can then be simmered for the remaining 2-3 hours that it takes to cook them. " According to this site

I think that may refer to dried beans, (surely only dried beans would need to be soaked for 12 hours). I doubt very much that all the nasties are destroyed so simply or the Chinese would not have developed tofu.