Hi Deep Roots I am in the Bay Area and have been growing favas for the past 6 years. They do remarkable all winter, don't they? My stalks are about 6 feet, so yours will keep going! Although some people say they pick early and use the beans right out of the pod, mine always slip out of the second skin after cooking, whether or not they are big or small, young or old. Since they are so much work for so little in return, I wait until they are very big, bulging out of the pods, and then pick them. You need to pod them and then blanch them to get them out of the second skin. Once you do, they don't need much. I salt them and my three year old eats 'em right up. You can throw them in salad or pasta. I mashed them roughly and had them with some feta smeared on a baguette. Very tasty. I did have the leaves of the fava in a salad at a restaurant the other night, and they were good. I will have to look for some healthy clean leaves and try that myself. Have fun!

No, assuming half way decent soil, they can fix nitrogen from the air just like all the other legumes. Fertilization will sometimes stunt pod production rather than help. Dave

Someone in another thread had mentioned people taking certain medications should not consume favas. Also, I know from another internet site I occasionally go to that some people have a genetically acquired inability to deal with favas, resulting in a rare but at times life-threatening anemia. Even the pollen can harm such people...but favas are also claimed to be helpful to people with Parkinson's disease! Here is a link that might be useful: Most informative link I could find

Personally, I like to use them to make falafel (see link below). They are a bit of a pain because you have to peel each individual bean, but they make the best falafel ever! If I stew them, I often add tomato, onion, garlic, ginger, and some Indian spices to make a curry. Lars Here is a link that might be useful: Lars' falafel recipe