Fava Beans, AKA Broad Beans or Bell Beans!!!

Fava Beans, AKA Broad Beans or Bell Beans!!!

​​🌱  Fava beans originated in the Mediterranean and Southeast Asia, and spread along the Nile to Ethiopia, northern India, and China.

🌱  I first became aware of them when they showed up in my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) weekly box.  Then as I started my vegetable garden, I learned that growing them in my vegetable boxes was good for the soil.

🌱  Fava beans are commonly grown on farms practicing a sustainable agriculture model.  They prevent nutrient from being lost from the soil over the winter, and they also fix nitrogen in the soil, thus acting as a fertilizer.

​🌱  They're also good to eat!!!

🌱  Unless, the beans are picked young, in which case you can eat them whole from the pod, it can take a bit of work to get to the bean.  First, the pod is opened, then the skin around the bean is peeled off.  After that, though, they can be eaten in a variety of ways, sautéed, added to sauces, soups, etc.

🌱  The leaves can also be eaten when their young, any way that you would normally eat greens.

Fava Beans growing in Peru. Look for the corn tassels peeking out from among them.

​Fava beans are a great, inexpensive source of protein.

🌱  When I was hiking in Peru a year ago, I was very excited to see fields and fields of fava beans.  The fields are beautiful, as the plants can grow four to five feet in height and they also have beautiful, pea-like flowers when they bloom!

🌱  One of the mornings, the cooks on our trek prepared a drink of roasted fava beans, ground up and blended with water and I think honey.  It was delicious and a great way to pack in some extra protein to start off the day.

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​🌱  Fava beans are also one of the highest folate containing foods.  Folate is great for the health of the nervous system, energy metabolism, healthy red blood cells (and great for pregnant women).

🌱  Fava beans also contain about a third of the daily recommended amount of manganese, which helps increase bone mass and decrease calcium deficiency.

🌱  They also contain a good amount of magnesium, iron, copper, zinc, potassium, and other vitamins and minerals.

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​🌱  One note:  if you have a glucose-6-phospate dehydrogenase deficiency, then you should avoid eating fava beans.

🌱  Otherwise, definitely give them a try!

submit your recipe!

🌱  Also, this week I'm launching my recipe contest!  Send in your favorite recipes, I'll choose my favorites to be compiled into an ebook (I'll send you a copy), and at the end of each month, I'll put that the names of the people that submitted that month into a hat and pick one to receive a free copy of Deborah Madison's cookbook, "Vegetable Literacy." or "The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone."  Your choice!