Fava-licious!

We planted fava beans (they are actually a legume in the pea family) as an overwintering cover crop back in September. Over the course of the fall and winter as they grow, favas will pump nitrogen back into the soil so by the time planting time comes around, the soil will be rich and ready to go. Little did I know that by the time springtime rolled around I would be head over heels in love with this plant!


The idea is to till the plants back into the soil when planting spring crops and these guys will bring even more nitrogen in that way. By that time though, the favas had begun to bloom these pretty little black and white pea blossoms. I couldnt bear to till them in so made space around them to plant my seeds and starts. They continued to bloom and grow quite a bit taller and now are producing beans.

The beans are a bit labor intensive to cook, but well worth it. They require two peelings; first peel the outer pod then you have to pop them out of the inner peel that encases these lovely little beans. Blanching ("to make white") them for a few minutes in boiling water makes the second layer easier to remove. The first ones we cooked were very young and tender and we ate some still in the white casing without realizing that was the second peel. Then we peeled some and ate the tiny bright green bean found buried inside this little gem. The first trial batch was such a hit none of them made it into a recipe or even seasoned for that matter. They are so good, even a picky toddler named Sorrel who rejects all things green ate them and loved them. (Exhibit A: blue plate that once contained favas found empty on serving tray.)



We cant wait for the rest to ripen! They are hard to find in the grocery, possibly easier at the farmers market, but best of all they are probably the easiest crop Ive ever grown. At the time of this writing, the beans arent totally ripe yet and the plants have grown to be about five feet tall. Since they wintered over, they tolerate the cold and with our Oregon winters I never actually watered it myself once!

As a bonus for men and the women who love them, it has an affinity for men's reproductive health. Which, if you notice the way the beans hang off the plant, the "doctrine of signatures" is quite obvious on that one. Jason and I read in James Duke book, Herbs of the Bible, the stems of the fava plant were used for prostate health in Biblical times. How bout that?!