Sir Purr’s Yellow soybean

(Glycine max)

Waist-high plants produce a profusion of small, furry pods which our klutzy cat loves to play with; we joke that he uses them as practice voles to polish his hunting skills. Hence the name. Round, yellow seeds can be used like any other dry bean. They make great soup or soy nuts (when roasted), or if you’re ambitious, you can try your hand at homemade soy butter or tofu! 50 seeds/packet.

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Soys are often consigned to the world of conventional agriculture, treated as an industrial feedstock rather than a food. This is a shame: easy to grow and adaptable to a wide range of foods, they definitely deserve more attention from gardeners.