Now is the time to sow your broad beans

THE broad bean or vicia fabia is related to the pea and is one of the world’s most ancient vegetables. Broad bean remains have been found in Paleolithic sites in Israel.

It’s also one of the easiest of all vegetables to grow. October is the time to sow them. Put the beautiful shiny seeds in little holes about a foot or eighteen inches apart. The clever seeds will sit under the ground and cope with the cold and wet before germinating some time in February and providing you with a bountiful crop in May and June. After harvesting the thrusting, bulging pods, you can leave the plants in the ground as they provide nitrogen to the soil.

Unlike carrots or potatoes, it’s actually difficult to find good broad beans in the supermarket, and that is another very good reason for growing them yourself. Broad beans freeze well.

The only drawback is that they tend to attract blackfly, millions of them, and these little critters can do a lot of damage if left unchecked. The way to deal with the pest is simply to remove the fan-like tops of the broad bean plant and eat them (the tops, not the blackfly) before the blackfly land.

The earlier you harvest, the smaller the bean. Small broad beans are delicious in salads, and the larger ones are good in stews.

While podding them, and admiring their white spongey insides, it is always a good idea to listen to “The Sprout and the Bean” by Joanna Newsom (below) and drink beer.

Broad Bean illustration by Alice Smith

http://youtu.be/IDGeFBjynyY