Soybeans at Moss Mountain Farm

 What did I really know about soy before attending Bean2Blog?  Not much, really... But, thanks to P. Allen Smith,  Todd Allen, and Jim Carroll (Todd and Jim are from the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board) I now know a lot more!

, 

Jim Carroll was a hit with his charming, down-to-earth good heartedness that was evident through his storytelling.  He gave us a glimpse of what life is like on an Arkansas soybean farm, from letting his 18 month old grandson be his big helper to finishing a harvest one year just after being in a serious farm accident.

In fact, I didn't realize that soybean farming is such a huge part of Arkansas agriculture.  We rank 10th in the nation in soybean production - go Arkansas!
Soy products are environmentally responsible - they are a renewable, safe alternative to petroleum and formaldehyde in many products.

Can you believe that there are many uses for soy...especially when it comes to design!  There are soy-based paints and stains, soy foam for furniture cushions, and soy based floor coverings.  All are very eco-friendly and great alternatives! Here are just a few I found:

ProClassic XP enamel paint by Sherwin Williams

Soy-backed carpet by Southwind Carpets

I've been using soy candles ever since I first discovered them because they burn longer, have a better, cleaner scent and don't leave the ugly black residue on your candle container.  Ron and Connie Locke from Lonoke, Arkansas, make and sell their own soy candles (Lockstar Candles) and they showed us how they do it.

They offer over 200 scents and all the ones I tried were marvelous!
This one made me laugh!!

 I ended up choosing Lavendar, Spicy Apples and Peaches, and Pearberry for myself.  Ron and Connie sell their candles down at the River Market Farmer's Market, so I'll be replenishing my stock regularly!

Of course, you can't talk about soy without mentioning edamame, soy milk and the many other ways to cook with soy.  Allen cooked Garlic Parmesan Edemame for us and it was divine!  Here he is showing us his prized sea salt dispenser (seriously, I have to get one of these!)

 

Here is the Garlic Parmesan Edamame...

And here is the recipe...

Ingredients:      16 oz. package of frozen soybeans

                        1/2 cup olive oil

                        4 cloves of garlic, crushed

                        1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

                        1/2 teaspoon oregano

                        1/2 teaspoon onion powder

                        1/2 cup grated parmesan

Directions:     Steam the bag of soybeans.  As they are steaming, preheat a wok.  Crush 4 cloves of 

                      fresh garlic and mix that with 1/2 cup of olive oil.  Toss the beans and garlic/oil mixture 

                      in the wok.  Turn down the heat and toss them for 1 minute until the beans are coated in

                      oil.  Add other ingredients and stir for another minute.  Turn off heat; add a pinch of salt 

                      and cracked pepper.

There are so many more uses for soy that there is no way I can cover it all here! If you want to know more, you can find more information at themiraclebean.com.