Announcement: Fava Bean Season Has Arrived!

Fava bean season is officially upon us. For the next few weeks, fava beans will dominate the landscape of our table at the farmers' market. Even though fava beans have regained popularity over the past few years and are featured on the menus of many of the area's restaurants, a lot of folks still don't really know what to do with the darn things. If you happen to be one of these people, don't be ashamed - hopefully I can help educate you about these tasty and versatile beans in a few short minutes.

Fava beans are one of the oldest cultivated crops in history. Before the Europeans discovered America and its bounty of other legumes, fava beans were the only beans eaten in Europe. Although they originated in the Mediterranean region and were enjoyed by ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians, fava beans are enjoyed in many cultures and go by many names - broad beans, horse beans, tick beans, field beans, and windsor beans (among others). Despite being called a bean, the fava is actually a member of the vetch or pea family and actually has more in common as far as taste is concerned with the common pea than with other beans. Although the appearance of the shelled bean looks similar to a lima bean, it tastes more like an english pea.

In addition to being used as food since at least the beginning of western civilization, fava beans are also used as a cover crop. Fava beans are easy to grow, in fact, they practically grow themselves. Around here, we plant our fava beans in late fall, allow them to overwinter, and harvest them beginning in May (usually). Imagine Jack's beanstalk and that is what a fava bean plant looks like; the beanstalk is thick and grows to around five or six feet tall and eventually produces long, bulging pods full of quarter sized beans. The fava bean plant produces large amounts of nitrogen (so good for the soil) and when chopped down and tilled in add beneficial green manure back into the ground. Fava beans also produce extensive root systems that break up the ground, making it easier for other plants to grow. Some farmers might argue that fava beans must either be grown for eating or as a cover crop, but we do both. We grow the beans plants as a cover crop, harvest the beans, and then chop the plants down and till them back into the ground.

So now that you know what fava beans are, what are you supposed to do with them? There's a nasty rumor that fava beans are a pain to prepare, but really, they're not that bad. The hardest part is removing the thin, outer skin from the bean itself, but even that isn't too tricky if you know what you're doing. In fact, I find that if the bean is young and fresh enough, the bean can be eaten skin and all. Once the bean is fully mature, however, the skin takes on a different flavor which detracts from the clean, buttery flavor of the bean.

The traditional way to prepare fava beans is to shuck the bean, thereby removing the beans from the pod. Then, parboil the beans by dropping them in boiling water for a couple of minutes. After you remove the beans from the water, the beans will slip easily out of their skins, making them ready for their final preparation.

My favorite way to prepare fava beans, which has everything to do with ease and convenience, is to use the barbecue grill. Heat the grill, brush the fava bean pods with olive oil, and put the whole pod on the grill. After about ten minutes, the pod should look charred and wrinkled. Remove the beans from the grill, open the pod, and the inner beans will be ready to slip out of their skins and enjoy. The pods have enough moisture in them that grilling them actually steams the beans in the pod, both cooking them and making them easy to peel.

You can also roast fava beans! Heat your oven to about 400 degrees, toss the bean pods with some olive oil and maybe some spices, and roast for about 15 minutes. Just like with the grilling method, the roasting allows the beans to cook inside the pod, making them easy to peel and ready to eat. If you want to infuse your roasted fava beans with other flavors, snip off the end of the pod, toss the pods with olive oil, salt, pepper, and any other herbs that suit your fancy, and roast as described above. Snipping the end allows the flavors of the herbs to sneak into the bean and make it extra flavorful.

Once the beans are ready to eat, you can do pretty much anything you want with them. Fava beans are a delicious and nutritious addition to salads and pasta. They are great when made into a seasonal succotash and used as an accompaniment to your main course (especially seafood!). Fava beans also make a mean hummus like spread, which is absolutely stellar on crostini. Mash or gently puree the cooked and peeled beans with some olive oil, garlic, a little lemon juice, salt, pepper, and, if you're really inspired, some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Spread the mixture on your favorite toasted italian bread and get ready to die!

Watch the Fava Beans Grow!

Just popping out of the ground...

Starting to grow a little taller.

Tall enough to make a fava bean jungle.

Look at all those beans! Just about ready to harvest.

Now that's a familiar sight! Don't get caught in a Redwood Empire Farm fava bean avalanche. On the other hand, that could be kind of fun...