# why no soybeans at the store? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 28, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-soybeans-at-the-store/487805 "2009-02-28T17:47:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-soybeans-at-the-store/487805/1 "2009-02-28T17:47:25Z")
I came into possession of 300 pounds of soybeans that I don’t know what to do with (suggestions welcome…but off topic). I wondered what was keeping me from boiling them up with a ham hock and sitting down to a nice ham and bean dinner. Then I got to thinking…how come I just can’t go to the dried bean aisle at the grocery store and buy soybeans. Yes, I know all about buying soybean products in various configurations…Why aren’t they sold dried, in bags, next to the pinto, navy, baby lima, and great northern beans? Do they taste that bad? are they too valuable for other food and oil stuffs to “waste” them as a plain bean source? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-soybeans-at-the-store/487805/2 "2009-02-28T18:06:32Z")
Try the freezer compartment–I usually see them frozen in plastic bags, sometimes labeled under the Japanese name edamame. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-soybeans-at-the-store/487805/3 "2009-02-28T18:37:32Z")
My best guess is that it’s just simple market demand. Not enough people want them because they’re not a component of any familiar western dish. They’re also loaded with saponins, which causes them to foam like a big dog when they’re boiling. These saponins also give them a soapy taste if they’re not dehulled after cooking. Other than that, I don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t make an outstanding addition to a bean based soup or stew. I generally keep about 15 pounds around at any given time, which I use to make soy milk, which I can produce for about 75 cents/gallon, as opposed to the 6 - 7 dollars/gallon that you would normally pay for Silk® at the supermarket. However, I only use [Laura soybeans](http://www.fairviewfarms.com/laura%20beans.htm), which have been selectively cultivated to taste smoother. Good luck with that 300 pounds. You might want to freeze them, as soy beans are the only legume I’ve ever seen that can get [pantry moth](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Flour_Moth) infestation. Normally you only see that in grains, not legumes. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-soybeans-at-the-store/487805/4 "2009-02-28T18:53:24Z")
I buy dried soybeans from a company online, and fresh-frozen ones in the grocery store. I think \*\*Washoe \*\*has your answer: not enough demand. And **Washoe** , I’ve had pantry moths in lentils. Granted, it was in Texas, where practically everything in the pantry got pantry moths, including nearly all our various herbs and spices. What the heck does a pantry moth want with dried mint? [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-soybeans-at-the-store/487805/5 "2009-02-28T19:05:05Z")
I often wondered about this too. Sometimes I see them roasted, in small bags, much like peanuts sold as snacks. They are quite tasty this way. But it’s rare to find them. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-soybeans-at-the-store/487805/6 "2009-02-28T19:21:59Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > I often wondered about this too. Sometimes I see them roasted, in small bags, much like peanuts sold as snacks. They are quite tasty this way. But it’s rare to find them. Health-food stores usually carry these, often in bulk. If your local supermarket has what we here at my house call a hippie section, they often keep non-bulk roasted snack soybeans near the (organic, free-range) potato and tortilla chips there. ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-soybeans-at-the-store/487805/7 "2009-02-28T19:48:46Z")
[QUOTE = Napier] I often wondered about this too. Sometimes I see them roasted, in small bags, much like peanuts sold as snacks. They are quite tasty this way. But it’s rare to find them. [/QUOTE] > [@emilyforce](#): > > Health-food stores usually carry these, often in bulk. . Uhhhh, the soybeans, or the pantry moths? ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-soybeans-at-the-store/487805/8 "2009-02-28T20:04:30Z")
> [@Khampelf](#): > > Uhhhh, the soybeans, or the pantry moths? Sometimes both! Standard Operating Procedure in Austin became: Immediately on coming home from the health-food store, put \*all \*the bulk foods in the freezer for a while; then decant into hard plastic, air-sealed containers. brown rice in particular often came pre-inoculated with, um, extra protein. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-soybeans-at-the-store/487805/9 "2009-02-28T20:17:00Z")
> [@emilyforce](#): > > What the heck does a pantry moth want with dried mint? [/hijack] Fresh breath. They don’t always have time to brush. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-soybeans-at-the-store/487805/10 "2009-02-28T23:07:03Z")
I read the thread title as “why no sybians at the store”. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-soybeans-at-the-store/487805/11 "2009-03-01T02:03:30Z")
**Washoe** has it in one. Raw, hulled soybeans taste pretty nasty. Cooked, hulled soybeans still taste pretty nasty. There aren’t many traditional American recipes (i.e., soups, stews, etc.) where less nasty-tasting dry beans don’t work just as well. Roasted soybeans, however, are pretty easy to find in the snack aisle. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2009, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-soybeans-at-the-store/487805/12 "2009-03-01T05:24:28Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > I came into possession of 300 pounds of soybeans that I don’t know what to do with (suggestions welcome…but off topic). I wondered what was keeping me from boiling them up with a ham hock and sitting down to a nice ham and bean dinner. Then I got to thinking…how come I just can’t go to the dried bean aisle at the grocery store and buy soybeans. > > Yes, I know all about buying soybean products in various configurations…Why aren’t they sold dried, in bags, next to the pinto, navy, baby lima, and great northern beans? > > Do they taste that bad? are they too valuable for other food and oil stuffs to “waste” them as a plain bean source? You’ve got a dried bean aisle at your grocery store? Cool! I don’t believe I’ve ever seen such a thing. ---
**Author:** ![exastris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b38774/32.png) [@exastris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/exastris)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2009, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-soybeans-at-the-store/487805/13 "2009-03-01T05:37:26Z")
You can sometimes find black soybeans near the canned beans (Eden Organic is the company, I think). They make a great addition to soups! ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2009, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-soybeans-at-the-store/487805/14 "2009-03-01T05:56:08Z")
> [@Khampelf](#): > > Uhhhh, the soybeans, or the pantry moths? I’m more concerned about **emilyforce** ’s free-range potato and tortilla chips. :dubious: Come to think of it, I suppose there really are people hippy enough to be concerned about the poor potatoes and corn on the non-free-range farms. Fenced in, unable to roam freely across the potato patches and corn fields like their wild ancestors … 😃