Yes, the favas (geez, I had "limas" typed out just then - even still, I'm getting the names confused!) taste quite a lot like edamame. I think that's why I enjoyed them so much. The texture and flavor were similar, but a bit more assertive in the favas than you'd find in a soybean. I was feeling too blah to cook the limas after making a batch of kale chips to snack on (have you all tried them? Holy goodness, they are SO good!), so I'll have to futz with them tomorrow. It sounds like they need a bit of cooking time, as some of the recipes I saw said to boil them for 15 minutes or until tender, and they were referring to fresh limas. That sounds like an awfully long time to boil anything green, so we shall see. I like mealy beans a lot, so that might not be a bad thing. Vall3fam, I hadn't even thought of checking out TJ's or Whole Paycheck for frozen favas, and I was just there today! I'll have to look the next time I go. I'd love to buy them fresh, but even at $1/lb, I'd end up composting 3/4 of it because the shell to bean ratio is so small, and decreases even more when you peel the skins off of the beans.

Galina, the English version of the Ingegnoli site is inoperational at present, and my Italian is very limited... do you know if they will ship to the U.S.? I know that for some time, the restrictive phyto-sanitary requirements discouraged many Continental seed companies (and even some Canadian companies) from shipping here. As you have stated, the information we have in the U.S. is not always current. I know that the regulations for entry of seeds to the U.S. have relaxed somewhat recently (although there are signs that this is only temporary). To your knowledge, are there many European seed companies that will ship here by mail? If you could name any - even just those you know of in the U.K. - it would be of great help to many U.S. gardeners here on GW. Thank you for the listing of additional European seed saving organizations. As a member of SSE, I freely acknowledge that they tend to think of themselves as the center of the seed-saving universe [grinning sheepishly]. While there may be some degree of legitimacy to that claim (based upon the many similar organizations that they have inspired worldwide) they are certainly not the only player on the field, and perhaps not even the first. Just the 500-pound gorilla in the room - for better or worse. ;-) Thanks for setting the record straight.

I think your limitations in space warrant you starting with pole beans. The above postings are right in that everyone has their own taste. I started with strictly pole beans & have some experience with them. "Emerite" is the best pole filet bean, yields are very good and early in my northeast PA garden (get from Pinetree Garden Seeds). I also like the purple-pdded varietes, and have great luck with "Trionfo Violetto" (get them from Pinetree Garden Seeds). I am also heavy shell bean grower/eater. I grow "Wren's Egg" (from Heirloom Seeds), "True Cranberry" (from Seed Savers Exchange), and when i can find them cannellini and borlotto pole beans (Gourmet Seeds International). I also grow bush beans for shelling & drying, "Dutch Brown", "Flagrano" flageolet (the most tasty shell bean in my opinion), and "Black Turtle" beans, which have amazing yields for cuban black bean soup. For recipes, see the thread here called "How do you cook your beans?" Folks have posted some nice ones there. Well this should get you going. Happy gardening! Here is a link that might be useful: Pinetree Garden Seeds, perfect for small gardens

Kitkat, to save seed or save dry beans, let the pods dry out or at least let them get to the stage when the pods are soft and flexible before picking. Since this is a bush bean, you can easily cover the plants with a sheet or blanket on nights when frost is expected. Once you pick them, you can spread the pods out in a dry place to completley dry before shelling. Seeds are dry enough to store when they shatter into peices instead of mushing when you hit them with a hammer.