The list of gardening chores is never ending. As the warmest months of the year roll around there are still chores from spring left to do. One of those is to sort the seeds that I have left drying and store them until next planting season. That is the case for these fava bean stalks, still with the seeds in the pods.
Fava beans are one of my favorite crops to grow in winter and spring. They are just so easy. No need for pots and careful planning. I just wait for the right moment in fall, preferably just after it rains and the moon is waxing, and stick them in the ground around my garden beds.
And they are a much welcome sight of greenery and flowers while the rest of the winter garden sleeps.
For the past month or so the dried fava beans were sitting in the garden, getting rained on and damaged. So, I set them in the wheel barrow in the garage. This was meant to be a temporary placement but, there they sat waiting for a free moment to be sorted.
Finally I set aside some time so break down the stalks and separate the seeds from the pods. Funny enough; this task I had been putting off for weeks only took 15 minutes and now I have seeds that will grow into food that will nourish my next winter!
the flower is similar to the butterfly pea flower, but only has a very contrasting color.
They must be related somehow! I suppose they are both legumes so that is why they look similiar?
Such a good crop to add nitrogen to the soil!
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That is why I originally planted fava beans, but now I love the beans themselves so much & look forward to eating them in stews each winter/early spring.
awesome! thank you!
I have never tasted fava beans; I must try that. Well done for saving the seeds. 😊💚
when the fava beans are green they are so yummy! They taste like little sweet potatoes when boiled. I recommend trying them in a stew!!
there are rumors of a mild winter in my area. maybe this a good time to plant some fava beans, as well! does the waxing moon phase help them?
is it late fall there right now? If so, then this is a great time to plant some fava beans. As far as I know they don't mind frost in winter. I hope it works out for you!!
Yes, that is correct. It should be perfect then! The first couple of times I planted these was before I knew they were cold hardy so I didn't get much production during that midsummer, but I still got to see a few of their unique flowers!
There are no nuts like iji in my city. How do you process these nuts, friend? @calendulacraft
What a great job, I hope you harvest many seeds 😘
I like the cacti (succulent) shirt you're wearing!
I love cacti!
I'm not familiar with fava beans. I also don’t know how to cook them if I happen to find some here to plant. Maybe I'll research them on the internet and also look for them in the supermarkets around here. =)