Fava Beans

I first grew fava beans from seeds that Greg brought back from Oregon. Then I didn't grow them for a couple of years, but tried them again this year. The beans take some processing and the end result is 20 to 25% of the weight of the bean pods that are harvested.
The beans have to be removed from the pods. Then the beans are boiled for a brief time (I do 90 seconds) and the inside of the bean squeezed out. That is the part that is eaten and it has a different and pleasant taste.

When I pulled out the fava bean plants today I learned two things: first, the plant, which grows to about 4 feet tall, has a relatively small root, which explains why the plants need support. The other observation was that there were new blossoms near the base of the plants. This suggests that once the first beans are harvested the plants could be cut back to see if these later flowers develop into a second crop.