I too became interested in growing favas last summer. But couldn't find much on growin in my area ( South Carolina). So I planted them in Oct. and again in first week of March. The Oct planted beans have done great started blooming in March produced first beans in april but due to our drought the beans are not looking well and I had other priorites for watering. I will take a picture in the morning and post. The spring planted beans did'nt perform my guess they need the long cool winter to establish.The fall beans Bloomed for nearly a month before producing any beans and The first pod I noticed caught me by suprise since they had been blooming for so long I assumed they were not going to produce for me.. The plants are only 18in high and full of pods but with less than an inch of water in 6weeks they are failing fast. They had no problems with temps in the 20's and no effects from frost. They stayed about 4-6in high all winter then began growing and blooming in March. Came right thru 27 deg Easter morning when everything thing else froze. So next year I will replant more in Oct. Spring planting didn't grow. Rodger

Thanks everyone for the info...just what I'm looking for...Rodger...I appreciate all the info and the pic's would be great...I hope you don't mind if I share the info you posted with some friends who are interested....looking forward to the pics...Thanks all.

Everyone forgot to take pictures this morning I did take some pics of an albino lima but forgot to take the fava. Will try to remember tomorrow morning. Working nights can affect the mind. I understand age does too. Rodger

heres the pictures as I said we have only had 1/2 of rain in 6 weeks and I have not watered them. But we have had plenty of beans
{{gwi:1023947}}
{{gwi:1023949}}
They have stopped blooming and the heat and drought is killing them back, But I plan to plant again next Oct. Rodger

Rodger, thanks so much for the pictures, I really appreciate the opportunity to see them ...do you grow them for green bean snaps or as shellies or do you let them dry ....See that tells you how little I really know about them...I know that my English friends do all three well they do the dried thing for saving seeds but snaps and shellies for sure...so how about you?

The beans in Rodgers photo would be way too tough to eat as fresh beans the way we like them. By now they will have tough leathery skins and the only way to eat them fresh would be to boil them and slip off their skins and then use them to make humus or something. I prefer them very young before you can see the shape of the beans in the pods. I always pick by feel. One of the reasons people say they don't like favas is that they leave them to get too old before eating them. We had broad beans this evening and the beans were all no more than half an inch long. We only eat them as 'shellies', though we don't use that term. Some people eat the whole pod when it is very young ie about two to three inches long. I don't know anyone who eats them dry but we do often keep them for seed.In other countries they are eaten larger and treated differently. I also stir fry the tops which are removed to deter the black aphids mentioned above. I find, however, that in an organic plot ladybirds (ie ladybugs) move in pretty soon after the aphids. The picture link is not of my beans but shows what they look like. You will notice that the bean shape is only just discernable.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1023944}}

The first time I ever ate favas was last spring a man at work brought some. Me being the vegetable guy he assumed I new everything about them. Goes to show I don't no everything about gardening but an willing to try something new. He shelled them and blanched them in salty water them we had to peel each bean, very time consuming. Then we ate them. They taste exactly like butterbeans, same color texture as the large green limas but twice the work. He did say picked inmature they can be eaten raw blanched or whole pod in a stir fry like snow peas. I never got around to fixing them that way but we did have several blanched and peeled. What interested me about them is I can grow them in the winter when little else is growing and I have more room in the garden otherwise I will take my butterbeans any day of the week. Rodger Winn .

Rodger you said...

What interested me about them is I can grow them in the winter when little else is growing and I have more room in the garden ...

that is exactly what I thought too...if they are cold hardy, with the light winters we have, I believe they would be an ideal winter crop....and like you...I'm always interested in something new...thanks so much for the pictures rodger ...and for all the info Flora...

I'm bumping this up as I've been reading about favas today.

I've never eaten a fava but I was looking for a small cover crop for the side of my garden, which is 3 feet wide and about 15 feet long.

Is there any particular bean that any of you recommend?

Oh and Ruthie, have you planted yours yet?

Is it my software, or are Rodger's pictures no longer available? I get photobucket.com when I click on the picture icons.

Hi Flip...no I haven't planted mine yet...I was waiting for a steady diet of cool....It is still so warm .....yesterday was one of our coolest days and it was still 88 degrees...I bought two different varieties....Broad Windsor and Aquadulce.....If I remember correctly they are a fairly sturdy and decent size plant...kinda of different from what you think of as a bean plant but the planting directions are like 12 inches apart so you won't need many seed for that space.

I can't get the pictures either, marquette.

I just sowed a row of Aqua Dulce Claudia two days ago. I put them in at the same time as the garlic. They should be up in two to three weeks and then will survive at about 3-6 inches tall through the Winter and start growing away in the Spring. You don't want them too tall at the onset of Winter as they can get damaged by wind and rain. I sow them in a staggered double row 6 - 9 inches apart each way. 12 inches seems rather a sparse spacing. Some years, when the winter is very wet or cold they can get fungal rots and are no quicker than Spring sown beans but is always good to be sowing in the Autumn - it's a nice hopeful activity. Daytime temps here are in the mid to high 50s F at present.

What is your lowest winter temperature, Flora? Here we don't go below 0° F and usually not below 5° F. Present temperature is like yours and I'm thinking about using your method.

Jim

Ruthie - I planted mine today. I'm excited. I have no idea what a fava bean tastes like but I love growing new things.

I got mine planted yesterday...I have never grown these and truthfully never eating them but I too like growing new things...there was a lot of chat between the Grapevine members and it made me want to grow them....we'll see what happens.

Jimster - I don't know the lowest winter temperature in my garden. I have never measured it. But I looked at some figures for the airport about 10 mile away and the coldest month was February with an average minimum temperature of 36F. The average minimum between December and February was 37F. The hottest month was August with an average max of 79F. So, as you can see we never experience temps anything like as low as 0F. Even 0C is not very frequent. You can see why ours is described as a temperate climate. Never very cold and never very hot. Just right for broad beans!

"The hottest month was August with an average max of 79F."

Oh that sounds blissful.

Are your favas still growing in August or have they quit by then? Your August average is about what my April average is.

Well, the plants that my dogs haven't trampled chasing after squirrels or possums are doing fine. They're green and healthy and leafy. No buds yet. They're getting more sun now, though, since most of the leaves in the nearby trees have finally fallen.

Ruthie, how are yours doing?

Broad bean update. The beans sown in late October are now between 4 and 5 inches tall. That is the ones which have survived the depredations of some little creature, probably mice. They love the beans and appear to like them best after they have germinated. They bite off the shoots and devour the bean only, leaving a wilting stem lying on the ground beside a carefully dug hole. To stop this I put wire mesh over the rows flat to the ground but when the shoots start to come through the mesh it has to be raised and then the mice have a chance of getting under it. Anyway they have not taken too many so far this winter. We have had about three days so far when the temperature has reached freezing. Also lots of rain. Nearly Spring though. Saw my first snowdrops yesterday. Flora.

Fava beans are actually a vetch not a real bean . They are called the "soybean of the North" but they are actually related to the lupini bean .They grow well in our short season in Massachusetts and are popular in Pourtugal and Central America .There are many types .Some people are deathly allergic to them .

Flip/Ruthie,

I'm curious to know how some other favas are doing in Texas? I just planted some Windsors about 10 days ago (NYE) and mine are just starting to sprout. I've never grown them so I don't really know what to expect. The fact that you two planted them a couple of months ago makes me nervous that mine won't have time to establish/produce before it heats up around here.

Mine look to be doing well. The Agua Dulce plants are about knee high and lush. The Broad Windsor are a bit trampled/sprawly from being run over by my dogs once too often, but they're still alive. (They also taught me a valuable lesson: Don't plant anything so close to the fence without some kind of protection.)

Yours will probably catch up quickly with the increasing sunlight, Tim. I just hope mine hurry up and put out pods, because in about eight weeks I need that space for my spring crops!

The taller varieties benefit from some support. Aqua Dulce gets to about three to 3.5 feet. If you drive a stick in at each end of the row, or two sticks at each end of a double row you can run a string up one side and down the other. This gives the beans just enough support and restriction to keep them standing up neatly and not flopping about. It might stop the dogs doing any more damage. If the plants sprawl the flowers can get mucky and eaten by slugs etc thus reducing pollination. Also you don't want the beans down on the ground if you want them clean and unnibbled. The link shows how broad beans look in a British garden. (not mine)

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1023945}}

Flora, thanks so much for that link! I will put up some sticks and twine in the morning!

Woohoo! I just made my evening tour around the garden and noticed that Agua Dulce is starting to put out buds.

*Fava beans.....are called the "soybean of the North*

I hadn't heard the expression before, but I see why:

In Italy, freshly-picked, immature fava beans (in the pod) are served with a plate of (sharp, salty) Pecorino cheese on the side.

You extract the bright green fava seeds from the long green pods and eat them with a bite of Pecorino. Delicious. Brings back fond memories.....

Like edamane, the favas are eaten in the immature stage.

====

In the Middle East, mature favas (sometimes reconstituted dried) are used to make a dip, similar in texture to hummus.

I'm getting blossom drop with my favas. There are plenty of flowers, the plants look healthy, temperatures have been pretty mild--but all the flowers fall off without pods forming. Any idea what might be going on?

I would guess pollination isn't happening. But I have no idea why.

Jim

Force the fruit to set by pruning off the growing tip, leaving four or five strong sets of flowers. It works, and you can stir-fry the tasty greens.

Here is a link that might be useful: A Thinking Stomach on Fava Beans

Yeah, I can't figure it out. Do they need to be pollinated by insects or are they self-pollinating?

Anyway, today I was pleasantly surprised to learn that fava blossoms have a lovely scent. I was kneeling down by the plants, trying to see if anything blatant stuck out as wrong, when I noticed a sweet perfume. I thought it was me at first, but it was the favas.

Yeah, I can't figure it out. Do they need to be pollinated by insects or are they self-pollinating?

Anyway, today I was pleasantly surprised to learn that fava blossoms have a lovely scent. I was kneeling down by the plants, trying to see if anything blatant stuck out as wrong, when I noticed a sweet perfume. I thought it was me at first, but it was the favas.

Be patient flip. You may find they HAVE been pollinated. (Insects, by the way.) The embryonic beans can take a while to show. Yes - the scent is a pleasant surprise isn't it? The tops can be nipped out if you want, especially if they are geting attacked by black bean aphids. They can be served as a stir fried green vegetable. (The bean tops, not the aphids!) My Autumn sown broad beans are now about 7 inches high. About time I started another sowing.

"They can be served as a stir fried green vegetable. (The bean tops, not the aphids!)"

Hehe! Good to know, on both counts!

I went out to look at the plants again. The blossoms are completely dropping off, leaving the stem bare where the flower used to be. When I peeled open one of the aborted flowers, there was a tiny, green tube inside. The unfertilized pod, I guess?

Any change Flip? Have you broken out the paintbrush and tried taking care of the pollination yourself? I don't know if that works on Favas but it's probably worth a shot.

Favas can be eaten at practically any stage. Here they cook them with olive oil, lemon and garlic when they are very small (in the pod). The large seeded types are also eaten shelled when they reach full size and the pods are just starting to go black but before they dry out. The skins on the individual beans have to be removed. It's easy if you plunge them into boiling water for about 15 seconds first. Then take a small knife, slit the side and squeeze, it will pop right out. Cook them, covered, with plenty of onion, olive oil and dill, salt to taste and water just to the level of the beans, only till soft but don't let them disintigrate - about 10 minutes. Serve room temperature. The dried hulled ones are cooked with water, salt and onion till they become a thick porridge. This is poured into a pan and allowed to cool and set. It is then cut into squares, topped with chopped fresh onion and dill, a squeeze of lemon and olive oil. The last two recipes are served as appetizers.

Tim -- no change. The flowers on both my Aguadulce and Broad Windsor plants are completely dropping off without fertilizing. I don't think hand-pollinating would do any good, even if I had the patience for it. The flowers aren't as easy to pollinate as those of squash or cucumbers.

Oh the things we learn investigating the plant with which we are about to have a relationship:

"some think favas may help in treating Parkinson's disease, and others use them as a natural alternative to Viagra."

lol

I put out a call for beans adapted to my climate and have been gifted with a couple of varieties, including Jim's Insuk Wang Ku which will be direct seeded to outdoor containers by Monday. One of the other varieties is a fava bean.

It sounds like it might be a fun plant to grow. I like that it is considered an aphid trap. So is okra, I read yeterday.

But the preparation process is a lengthy one. You need 5 pounds to serve four people and you're supposed to shell them, blanch them, and then peel off the outer covering of each one? Really?

Back to research.

Jan

Five pounds of unshelled favas will serve about four.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fava Beans: A Little Spring on Your Plate

Two things came to my notice when I had a quick look at that link, Jan. One was the description of broad bean pods as 'floppy'. If they're floppy they are not fresh. Secondly is the mention of having to skin the beans after they have been taken out of the pods. This is not necessary if the beans are picked young enough. So don't be put off by thinking they are too much work to prepare or by bad experiences with bought beans. Grow your own and eat them young. BTW I have just sown my first Spring row. The Autumn row is about 10 inches tall. Flora.

One skins the individual beans if they are dry, or really close to it. In Mexico, in the state of Puebla, where they grow a lot of them, we used to be able to purchase a special little hooked knife, which was great for getting that seed coat off. In fact, in the local prison, some men made spending money peeling fava beans ("habas" in Spanish). Merchants would bring them sacks of unpeeled beans, which they would purchase. They'd work at peeling them, re-sack them, and sell them back to the merchants. In the prison where I used to visit prisoners were supplied with a concrete bed and one blanket. They had the clothes they wore when they arrived, and nothing else. This was in a high cool rainforest environment and there was NO HEAT in the buildings.

Food served for free was barely sufficient to sustain life. But every man was encouraged to work, either in shoe repair, carpentry, or peeling favas. They would sell their wares to purchase extra food and creature comforts.

Incidentally, I once planted a couple peeled fava beans and they sprouted just fine. Yet, once peeled, and then cooked, they boil down into a thick yellow paste. It's quite tasty.

George
Tahlequah, OK

I'm happy to report that Aguadulce now seems to be setting pods. I saw some little green nubs out there this morning. Unfortunately, I had already cut down my Broad Windsor plants to make room for squash and tomatoes, so I don't know if they were about to follow Aguadulce's example.

Mine took such a beating that I just pulled them up. I didn't want to waste time nursing them...too many freezes I gues...

I pulled mine up, too. A lot of leaves were turning black... I enjoyed growing them, though. It was nice to have something growing so vigorously all through the winter, and putting out pretty flowers.

I'm glad I found this thread here- I've just planted some broad beans as a winter crop and they were doing really well, except that now, at about 10-15cm tall, they're all flopped over and sad-looking. Still growing, but not able to support themselves.

I've been quite confused as to how to trellis them. I've provided a string-support but unlike other beans they seem to have no interest in twining around it, and I didn't think they looked sturdy enough to tie up tomato-style without snapping the stems. I'll try running the two rows of string between the poles to see if that'll provide enough support for them.

I'm curious to know how many beans other gardeners have gotten from their plants- I've got a row of 9 plants, if they do moderately well roughly how many broad beans might I expect?

Wow, now I am worried about planting the favas I ordered from an Italian importer. Favas aren't on the seed racks around here. From the sounds of your posts it might get too hot here in the summer and too much snow in the winter. Oh well, all I can do is try. I shared a few with a friend who planted them in peat pots and they sprouted right away indoors.

Lately, I've seen many cooks on the food channel using fresh favas in recipes. My family is of Portuguese descent, and my late mother fixed dry ones with onions and curry which were wonderful. It's a childhood memory of mine having grown up in Hawaii.

I have heard about them causing severe allergic reactions in certain people, but I don't know much about that. I see where freedom farmer mentioned that. But he also says they grow fairly well in MA. I shall give it a try since there is more snow there than in Kansas.

I grew up in the South and like mealy lima beans, so I like to leave Fava's until the beans are fully formed and mature but before they dry out. I cook them in water, then I find that I can nip the side of the bean coat open with my teeth and then squeeze the insides out with my fingers and teeth easily. I pick them up with my fingers...ewww, I know!!!! Delicious.

My Armenian neighbors cooked the small pods with baking soda to neutralize something then changed the water once to finish them, and served them with meat. They were so surprised I was growing them in my garden, they didn't think Americans knew what they were.:-)

Here are broad beans (Aqua dulce 'Claudia') sown late October, now flowering. Note the gappy row. Mice are my particular winter enemy. They love broad bean seeds, especially just as they have germinated. Alongside is a row of Masterpeice Green Longpod sown end of February. On the otherside of the garlic are two rows of Bunyards Exhibition sown April 10th.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Slashy, the best way I've found to support favas is to stick some short, twiggy brush all across the bed every few inches in all directions -- I use either the winter-killed fine brushy tops of bamboo, or trimmings from garden shrubs, then I take hedge shears and trim the tops off until the whole thing is a uniform bed of sticks about 45 cm tall -- they will grow among the sticks and support themselves on them.

As far as yield goes, each plant will develop a main central shoot and some side shoots. The main shoot might grow as many as six to eight pods, each smaller side shoot three or four. The number of beans in each pod varies by variety.

I planted the crimson flowered fava bean this winter and man what a gorgeous flower and so fragrant too!

I planted favas yesterday, Express and Jubilee Windsor from Thompson and Morgan. On the back of the package, the directions said to cut the growing tips when 4 flower trusses appeared, to force all the energy into podding.

Do other people do this? Does it help production?