This a guest post from the lovely Laney from Crash Test Mummy.
Broad beans (also know as Fava Beans) are not the sexiest vegetable in the garden, and if you don’t take the time to prepare them they can be pretty tough and blah to eat. But we like them, even more so because of the process of raising them from seed and they are really good for you – great source of protein (24%) and a very good source of folate too! Follow our journey and I’ll share a yummy broad bean recipe with you at the end ;)
We live in bayside suburbs of Melbourne, not exactly city living, but not a farm either! Here at “Crash Palace” as it has become (not always) affectionately know, we’ve got space for raised garden beds, composting and eventually a chook house. Oh, and I can’t forget my herb garden that I put in all by myself as part of my mini backyard blitz!
Last year CrashHubby built a cold frame to raise seedlings. It’s not very beautiful, made from a recycled pallet and uses the old shower screen from our bathroom! But is sure does the trick, allowing him and the kids to plant seeds that will grow safe and warm into seedlings for our raised garden beds. Every morning CrashBoy goes out with Daddy to spray the seedlings. He loves it!
They planted the seeds for the broad beans last autumn. Here’s what’s going on in there just now. Some tomato seedlings for some very late season tomato sauce!
Broad beans don’t need a huge amount of care or attention, but they do need a lot of support. Hubby rigged some wooden stakes, crossed wires on the diagonal, and then tied string around the outside edges. They grew beautifully and we harvested our first (rather small) broad beans a few weeks ago. The kids did them all by themselves which is a relief because they were small and fiddly!
Yesterday CrashGirl and I harvested the rest of the crop. The beans looked amazing, big and fat!
I then cut all the stalks off at ground level and chopped them up to add to the compost. The roots will be dug back into the garden for the next crop: corn and sunflowers.
We had quite a crop and it took CrashGirl and I most of Sunday morning to shell them all!
Before you can eat them though there’s another couple of steps or so (labourious maybe, but lots of fun for the family!).
How to prepare broad beans for eating
I remember eating broad beans at my Nana’s when I was young. The were grey and tough and blurgh! The outer skins hadn’t been removed. When you take the time to skin them, you end up with a beautiful and vibrant green bean which tastes delicious. This is how you do it!
Blanching
Bring a pot of water to the boil, add the beans and when it comes back to the boil tip them into a strainer.
Stop the cooking
Tip the beans into ice cold water to stop the cooking
Peeling
This can be long and boring (and your arms can get sore!), but doing it as a family can be fun. It can also go a bit quicker if you know a few tricks. Here’s how:
- Break a hole in the outer skin where the little ‘tail’ attaches to the the bean pod. The skin is a little harder here.
- Peel it back to reveal the bean
- Gently squeeze it out, being careful not to squish your little delicacies!
Your beans are now ready to eat and this is what we did with ours for Sunday lunch.
Niçoise Pasta Salad with Broad Beans
Ingredients
- Large tin of tuna (425g) packed in oil (if packed in springwater you’ll need to add some oil for the dressing)
- Pasta of your choice – we used a lovely Italian egg pasta, nice long wide strips.
- Boiled eggs x 4, sliced into wedges
- Broad beans, shelled, blanched and removed from outer skin
- Parsley, chopped
- Juice of one lemon
- Feta*
- Olives*
Cook your pasta, drain the tuna and then mix everything together, breaking up the tuna. Remember to add a generous splash of olive oil if you used tuna packed in spring water. The Feta and Olives are optional. Add them according to your tastes. It’s lovely warm and just as good cold the next day :)
If you liked the look of this salad, here are some of the other simple, healthy dishes I have cooked that have survived the Crash Test Kitchen!
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Laney Galligan is Crash Test Mummy. After a nervous breakdown and diagnosis of adrenal fatigue, she started her blog where she sets challenges and crash tests tips, advice and products that help her and her community of exhausted mums get sorted, take care and have fun. Her latest crash test is all about family routines and management. Results are out tomorrow!
You can find Laney on her blog at www.crashtestmummy.com.au and she also hangs out with the Crash Test Community on Facebook.
Thanks so much for sharing my post Kate! I’m having some of the leftover salad for lunch today and I can’t wait :)
One thing I forgot to mention is that broad beans are also known as fava beans and they’re really good for you. They’re a great source of protein (24%) and a very good source of folate too :)
Ah you are so fast, I was about to email you to say the post was up! Thanks so much for sharing your broad bean story! (have edited in that extra info too!)
Great post! we grew broad beans last season and i was suprised at how much support they needed. My girls loved picking them but i must admit i did find them a little labour intensive to prep and cook! I love the look of your recipe though!
Thanks Jode :). Yes, once the beans start growing heavy, the stalks need extra support. We only just got away with what we provided!
Oh Laney, that looks so delish! I want some. It gives me great pride to take from our garden and use it in home cooking. I’d feel even more proud if I produced beans like that. Yum!
I know what you mean Penny. The kids are getting really involved and gobble up their veges because they played a part in growing and preparing them!
Oh wow! This looks delicious! And what a wonderful experience of food coming from the garden to the table for your children! Can’t wait to have our veggie patch in full swing!
It was delicious Bek! It takes a bit of work, but once you’ve got your beds established then you can go crazy experimenting with growing whatever takes your fancy. Not everything has been a success for us, but it’s fun all the same :)
Big bean eaters in this house, will be cooking up a storm once I’m off the crutches xx
In the meantime I truly hope someone else is doing all the cooking Nathalie ;)
Oh thanks for sharing how to prepare broad beans (especially the quick tips).
I’ve cooked with them once, and was quite excited. I obviously didn’t remove the outer shells properly and they were horrible. I didn’t think I’d ever give them another chance.
Yes, you definitely need to get rid of the outer skin. It’s ok when they’re small, but the larger they get, the tougher the skin gets. Good luck trying them again.
I have a HORRIBLE childhood memory of broad beans. My brother and sister and I were at grandma and poppy’s for dinner, and they served broad beans. My four-ish year old sister got all worked up about eating these beans and refused. My grandma pushed the issue and said she had to eat…. well she ate them… they just didn’t stay down long!
It’s taken me a life time to move on from that experience, but I’m pleased to say that I now love broad beans. And this pasta salad looks delish. I’m not sure I’ll take it to any family get togethers though, perhaps just keep it for home or with friends ;P
I can definitely relate to that one Kylie! Nana’s beans were so tough and grey!
We’re in the Arizona desert and fava beans are in our winter garden for the first time this year. My little guy loved planting those big seeds! Looking foward to trying this recipe once the harvest is in. Thanks for posting!
I’ve only been in Arizona during the Summer and it was really hot! Do you need to use cold frames in the winter? I’m assuming it gets pretty cold in the desert at night. I hope you enjoy the salad :)
I love broad beans and discovered the, originally, while living in the Middle East as fava beans. When we had them in our farmshare basket this summer, I enjoyed them so much. I remain intimidated by gardening after killing vegetables and beans this summer, but need to try again. Thanks for the encouragement and recipe.