I have finally harvested the last of the fava beans for this year. Whether you call them fava Beans, broad beans, horse beans or faba beans, they are in now and this is what I have learned in the last two years.
Where I live (zone 8b) these beans are pretty much a winter crop. I first became aware of favas as a cover drop for vineyards. It was a plant that added nitrogen to the soil and kept winter weeds at bay. I knew nothing about the bean. Then I read these romantic travel stories of long afternoons in Italy, sitting with locals, under the shade of a tree, popping open the pods and munching on the raw beans, perhaps touched with a bit of salt and , of course, drinking the local wine. Sounded like fun to me. Thus, on a whim one day, I decided to plant some.
The area I chose really needed soil improvement. This seemed a good way to add some nitrogen and a rather cheap way at that. I planted about 10 square feet one fall and they grew. That was a good sign as not much else had grown there before. Growing these beans does not require a lot of anything. As near as I can see you plant the bean in the fall, add water until the rain starts and then sit back. It doesn't seem to need any help at all. You may have to adjust for where you live.
The plants got about three and a half feet tall and produced exotic blossoms which were lovely to see towards the end of winter. As spring arrived there were beans, lots of beans. Since I was thinking more "cover crop" than food, I just dried the pods and then collected the beans for the following year.
Last fall I planted the saved seeds in the same spot. I guess the first planting did add some nitrogen to the soil because the second year they grew twice as tall. I didn't know about pinching the tips off. This is done for two reasons, one is to stunt the growth and produce more branching and thus more beans. The other is to prevent some little bug that hides in there and harms the plant. When I learned about the tops I paid no heed. I had no bugs and I certainly didn't need more beans so I let them grow. I did pinch a few of them because I heard those top leaves were good food. They are edible, have a lovely soft texture, but I did not find mine had much taste. Added to soup they were quite nice, but not exciting However, I do believe you shouldn't throw nourishing food away. Others find them quite nice to eat. Look to DigginFood for a delightful recipe for the tip leaves on toast.
I should have pinched them all because it didn't take long before they were so tall and so full of heavy bean pods that they started to fall over. They blocked about three feet of the pathway. In order to pass I pulled the plants out and harvested the beans of just those plants and this is what I got from that small harvest.
On the tray you see the very small bean pods which can be added to a stir fry as you would edible pod peas. The next size can be used as green beans but you will need to add flavor with a sauce or herbs. The larger ones are the more popular and can be eaten cooked or raw. The dried beans, sometimes called habas, are from the previous year. The tip leaves are at the bottom of the photo.How to prepare:
The very smallest and the green bean size can be used in pod or removed from the pod. As they get a bit larger there is a film that coats the beans which is usually removed. To do this they should be removed from the pod, and blanched in boiling water for about a minute so that film will slip of easily. They can then be sauteed in butter which is the quickest and most often used method. Removing this outer coating is not essential, a lot of people don't mind it and others say they like the slightly bitter taste. The beans are often paired with braised artichokes; both are in season at the same time.
After they are blanched, film removed, they can be frozen. Lay them out on a tray, place in the freezer. When beans are frozen, remove from the tray and put into labeled freezer bags and return to the freezer.
To get some broad knowledge I shared the harvest with friends who in turn shared their methods of handling them. My thanks to Lorraine, Connie and Karen for adding to this list.
1) Remove from pod, boil them until they are soft enough to be mashed and make a spread with mint or oregano, garlic and Parmesan, Asiago or Pecorino cheese. Serve as a dip or spread on toasted baguette.
2) After blanching and removing film use in any recipe you have for lima beans.
3) After blanching and removing film use in any recipe you have for white beans. Dips, soups, whatever.
4) After blanching and removing film use in salads.
5) Add small pods or large beans to a stir fry recipe.
6) Saute onions and garlic in skillet until softened. Add green bean sized favas still in their pods, a touch of crushed red pepper and a little lemon juice. Add a little water, some dill, cover and cook slowly, checking to be sure it doesn't run dry and burn. After about an hour the pods should be tender. Let cool. Stir in more dill and some nice thick yogurt and serve.
7) Remove beans from pod and saute in olive oil, garlic and onion until soft.
8) Saute beans in butter until softened and serve as vegetable side. ( see photo with greens and pork chop)
9) If you have more than you can handle, blanch, skin and freeze.
10) Sit under the shade of a tree with a pile of freshly picked favas, a plate or bowl of salt, friends and a bottle of wine. Pop the beans out of the pod, dip in the salt and munch. Better than edamame, and I really do like edamame
