Are there small fava bean species? (pics)

14 years ago

I'm asking because my pods are currently only filled with 3-4 (mostly 3) beans, and it doesn't seem as though they're going to produce anything larger. Also, since there aren't many beans in each pod, the pods are short and not especially fat. The seeds I bought were supposed to yield dwarf plants, which ended up not being so dwarf (they're about 2 1/2 feet, when they were supposed to be about 18"), but the description never mentioned dwarf pods! It seems every bit of information I had about these seeds turned out to be wrong, lol. They're taller than they're supposed to be, the pods are smaller than they're supposed to be, and where I was expecting 6-9 pods per plant, I've gotten anywhere from 15-20 pods per plant. That part works out well for me, since I LOVE favas and planted around 134 seeds and most came up.

I already made one meal out of just under 2 lbs. I picked the day before yesterday, but the beans were about the size of a soybean/edamame. I'm not sure if I should let them continue growing, or if they've pretty much gotten as big as they're going to get for this variety. Is it possible I maybe got the cover crop sort of fava instead of the eating sort of fava? And does the cover crop type produce smaller pods/beans?

I'm attaching some pictures so you can see what I'm talking about:

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The fava patch. They're all listing to the side because we had some high wind and nasty storms that made them all fall over, and I never bothered righting them. They seem to still be doing just fine growing sideways. Lol.

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One of the stalks loaded with pods. This looks to be about as big as they're going to get, but I'm not sure.

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My first fava harvest. The pods aren't hugely filled out, but some look like they basically can't get any larger, which is why I began harvesting. See how they only have a few bulges in them?

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A closer shot, just because I like seeing how fuzzy they are. :P

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See? 3 beans to a pod, and they're about the size of my (badly manicured - sorry) fingernail. Will they get bigger?

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Comments (2)

glib
14 years ago
Nice patch. You may have bought Banner or other small seeded variety. The seeds in that case are in fact soybean size or slightly larger. Banner is the type I grow predominantly, because the seed is so cheap, and I prefer to eat the greens. Its seeds tastes just like fava, except smaller, of course, so go ahead and eat them.
spaghetina
Original Author
14 years ago
Yeah, I think that must have been what happened. I didn't want the mini-beans, but they've actually turned out pretty well. I harvested a couple lbs. yesterday, and then another couple today, and got 2 good meals out of them, although they do seem to take more work since you need more beans to get a substantial bowl's worth.

After reading some posts here on GW, I was reminded about the leaves being edible. Once upon a time, I read it, but I guess I tossed that piece of info out of my brain, lol. I yanked off a handful of leaves and cooked them up in a tiny bit of butter and garlic, and WOW...the taste was amazing. Even though they're not particularly tender, the flavor reminds me of a roasted pumpkin seed - very nutty and delicious. I guess once I've harvested the fava pods, I may strip them of their leaves for a few more meals.

The return on effort and investment for these favas has been tremendous. Not only are they easy to grow, they look great in a front yard, have great tasting beans, great tasting leaves, AND they're good for the soil. I was joking that this fall, I may plant ONLY favas in my entire front and back raised beds, but...maybe that's not such a joke.

How do you usually eat your greens, gilb? Sauteed? Stewed? Or raw in a salad (though they seem like they'd be a little tough that way - not sure if they're better when they're younger)?
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Are there small fava bean species? (pics)

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glib

spaghetina
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Are there small fava bean species? (pics)

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glib

spaghetinaOriginal Author

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spaghetina
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