Read by Michael Flamel

If you’ve found yourself standing in the grocery store lately, squinting at an ingredient label and thinking, why does this need seven kinds of gum?—you’re not alone.

I’ve noticed a quiet but unmistakable shift happening all around us. We’re backing away from ultra-processed foods and leaning hard toward simpler, naturally grown options. At the same time, protein has become the nutrient everyone’s talking about—how to get more of it, where it comes from, and whether it actually resembles food you recognize.

And that’s where I start smiling and sliding a seed catalog across the table.

Because while the food industry debates labels and additives, your garden is already offering a beautifully old-fashioned solution:

Grow Your Protein

The science part (don’t worry—this is the friendly kind)

For most of gardening history, choosing a variety was a bit like picking a novel by its cover. You knew the general category—bean, pea, soybean—but not the finer details: yield, disease resistance, flavor… or how much protein you were actually growing.

That’s changing fast.

Modern plant breeding has quietly transformed what shows up in seed catalogs, and you’re benefiting from it whether you realize it or not. Today’s varieties are shaped by:

• Genomics-assisted breeding, which uses DNA information to identify plants with desirable traits—like higher yield, resilience, and improved nutrition—much faster than old trial-and-error methods
• Focused breeding for plant protein, especially in legumes like beans, peas, favas, and soybeans, which are already nutritional powerhouses
• Genome-editing research (including CRISPR), which—while not something you’re planting directly—has dramatically accelerated scientists’ understanding of how traits like protein content, productivity, and plant health work
• Biofortification strategies, a broader push to make crops more nourishing through smarter breeding and growing practices

Here’s the part I care about most as a gardener:

All of this science means fewer surprises and better results for you, even in a small backyard or raised bed.

Let’s translate that into garden reality

If your goal is to get more protein from what you grow, you don’t need a complicated plan or exotic crops. You just need to lean into plants that already do this well—especially legumes, which concentrate protein naturally and help your soil at the same time by fixing nitrogen.

Beans and peas are famous overachievers. They count as vegetables and protein foods, which feels like exactly the kind of multitasking I appreciate in a garden.

What to grow if you want more protein from your backyard

These are reliable, garden-friendly plants—and specific varieties—that make it easy to turn soil, sun, and water into real, satisfying protein.

Edamame (soybeans): the snackable protein champion

If I had to pick one crop that delivers the most protein with the least fuss, edamame would be right at the top. It’s productive, delicious, and deeply satisfying to harvest.

Varieties I recommend you look for:

• Midori Giant’ — early, productive, and widely loved
• Envy – especially dependable in northern gardens
• Beer Friend and Soy Good – real names, real performance

Edamame hugely benefits from modern breeding. Today’s varieties are more uniform, adaptable, and home-garden friendlier than ever—which means you don’t need a commercial farm to succeed.

Fava beans: cool-weather protein with presence

Fava beans are one of my favorite shoulder-season crops. You can plant them early, enjoy them before Summer heat arrives, and feel very smug about growing protein while everyone else is still waiting on tomatoes.

Solid choices for your garden:

• Aquadulce / Aquadulce Claudia – excellent for cool conditions
• Broad Windsor – a classic that’s stood the test of time
• The Sutton – a compact option if space is tight

Favas also happen to be great soil citizens, which makes them a smart strategic crop—not just a tasty one.

Shelling peas: small plants, early rewards

Peas may not beat soybeans in raw protein numbers, but they shine in timing and ease. You can be harvesting protein early in the season, long before most Summer crops wake up.

A dependable variety to try:

• Green Arrow – productive, reliable, and widely available

Fresh peas are one of those garden foods that instantly remind you why growing your own matters.

Dry beans: the garden that feeds you all Winter

If you love the idea of growing meals you’ll enjoy months from now, dry beans are where the magic happens. They turn a Summer harvest into a Winter pantry staple.

A favorite with history and flavor:

• Hidatsa Shield Figure – a beautiful, productive pole bean with serious soup credentials

Dry beans are one of the simplest ways to convert garden space into long-lasting, protein-rich food.

A simple protein-garden strategy that actually works

Here’s how I’d suggest you approach this without overthinking it:

1. Plant a protein ladder, not everything at once.

• Spring: peas and favas
• Summer: edamame and other beans
• Fall (where climate allows): more beans or late peas

2. Grow for now and for later.

• Fresh eating: edamame, snap beans, peas
• Storage: dry beans

3. Let legumes help your soil.

Rotate them through your beds and let them quietly improve things for the crops that follow.

4. Use trusted nutrition references if you’re curious about numbers.

The USDA’s FoodData Central is an excellent way to see how much protein different foods actually provide—without marketing hype.

The Quiet Punchline

One of the best high-protein food trends available to you right now doesn’t come in a wrapper, a tub, or a shaker bottle.

It comes in a seed packet.

Thanks to decades of thoughtful plant breeding and recent scientific advances, it’s never been easier to choose varieties that grow well, taste great, and help put more plant protein on your plate—right from your own backyard.

And honestly? That feels like the most satisfying food trend of all. ❖