Rejoicing in the bounty of the broad bean.
Broad beans are sensual plants. Their perfume is heady; the sort of smell where you just want to curl up amongst the plants and drift away into a drowse, floating on a cloud of scent, and lulled by the hum of bees.
After the perfume of the flowers has faded, there is the shelling of the pods. And what is better than breaking open the first pod of the season, and running your fingers through the silken fur inside.
Finally, as the beans become older and tougher, there is the delight of parboiling them, then slipping the tender beans out of their skins - it just feels so nice...
Today, I harvested 2.5kg of Aquadulce Claudia, with at least 10 times the amount still to pick. Last year, I planted scarlet flowered broad beans , which were a bit rubbish really - well, the flowers were gorgeous, but the harvest disappointing. This year, to make up, I've sown twice the amount, and of a much more prolific cultivar. Hence the fact that I now have around 25kg to harvest. Just as well I love the feeling of their furry little pods....
5 comments:
I grew the red flowered broad beans a few years ago - as you say great flowers, pathetic yield.
Broad beans are my favourite bean - raw or cooked - and so easy to freeze.
My broad beans are just a mass of black fly and withering pods I've come to the decision to pull them out now as they are not going to do anything now
What a beautiful blog you have..
Have linked you, hope thats ok
i WISH i had that problem!!
We eat fava beans here in Egypt in great quantities. Some eat it daily. Yet I never knew that fava bean fields smelled so good. Perhaps I should try that!
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