Produce Briefs...
Maui Onions
Two characteristics set the Maui onion apart from other yellow onions: the high sugar and high moisture content of its flesh.
Fingerling Russian Banana Potatoes
Although very petit in size, fingerlings are fully mature when harvested, thus they should not to be confused with new potatoes, potatoes that are harvested when immature.
Seasons/Availability
Fava beans are available year round with a peak season in spring.
Current Facts
Fava beans, botanical name Vicia faba, are also know as broad beans, field beans and Windsor beans. They are a hardy perennial grown as an annual and often used during crop rotation and specifically utilized as ground cover to preserve the soil and reduce weed growth. The crops are then turned into the soil to invigorate the soil with nitrogen and organic nutrients. In fact, most fava plants are grown as a cover crop far more often than a food crop as it requires a relatively large area to produce modest harvests.
Description/Taste
Fava bean pods are thick with a cottony interior encapsulating 2 to 7 large lemon lime-colored beans. While the fava pods are considered inedible, the beans are tender, with a sweet, mild grassy flavor reflective of spring. The beans are similar in shape to a lima bean, plump and curvaceous. The bean's skin is thick and their texture can range from starchy to creamy depending on how young they are and how they are prepared. The young gray-green leaves, shoots, tendrils and white and black flowers of the fava plant are all edible with lean bright grassy flavors.
Applications
Fresh fava beans are often prepared with other spring vegetables, such as peas, asparagus and morel mushrooms. Their mild flavor and unique texture adds character to salads and soups. Fresh fava beans can be pureed into spreads and served as appetizers. Pair with fresh herbs, sheep's milk cheeses, citrus, pastas, cream or wine-based sauces, young greens such as spinach and pea tendrils, bacon, lamb and seafood. Late season fava beans will become more filled out and starchier requiring a second peeling of the outer bean and cooking the beans, either by blanching or braising. Immature beans can be canned or frozen. Dried fava beans are common and are treated like most dried beans, soaked and cooked low and slow.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
In Crete fresh fava beans are shelled and eaten as companion to tsikoudia, a traditional Cretian alcoholic drink.
Geography/History
Fava beans are one of the oldest crops known, with archeological remains found in Israel recording their cultivated origins as early as the Neolithic period (6800-6500 BC). Their cultivation spread along the Mediterranean into southwestern Asia and Africa, along with companion pulses such as chickpeas and lentils. Fava beans are now cultivated in over 50 countries, preferring cool seasons and temperate regions similar to that in which they were first cultivated. There is no known wild ancestor to the fava bean.
Featured Restaurants
Restaurants currently purchasing this product as an ingredient for their menu.
the other 6...
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Fava Beans. One
is easiest, three is harder.
Fava beans are available year round with a peak season in spring.
Current Facts
Fava beans, botanical name Vicia faba, are also know as broad beans, field beans and Windsor beans. They are a hardy perennial grown as an annual and often used during crop rotation and specifically utilized as ground cover to preserve the soil and reduce weed growth. The crops are then turned into the soil to invigorate the soil with nitrogen and organic nutrients. In fact, most fava plants are grown as a cover crop far more often than a food crop as it requires a relatively large area to produce modest harvests.
Description/Taste
Fava bean pods are thick with a cottony interior encapsulating 2 to 7 large lemon lime-colored beans. While the fava pods are considered inedible, the beans are tender, with a sweet, mild grassy flavor reflective of spring. The beans are similar in shape to a lima bean, plump and curvaceous. The bean's skin is thick and their texture can range from starchy to creamy depending on how young they are and how they are prepared. The young gray-green leaves, shoots, tendrils and white and black flowers of the fava plant are all edible with lean bright grassy flavors.
Applications
Fresh fava beans are often prepared with other spring vegetables, such as peas, asparagus and morel mushrooms. Their mild flavor and unique texture adds character to salads and soups. Fresh fava beans can be pureed into spreads and served as appetizers. Pair with fresh herbs, sheep's milk cheeses, citrus, pastas, cream or wine-based sauces, young greens such as spinach and pea tendrils, bacon, lamb and seafood. Late season fava beans will become more filled out and starchier requiring a second peeling of the outer bean and cooking the beans, either by blanching or braising. Immature beans can be canned or frozen. Dried fava beans are common and are treated like most dried beans, soaked and cooked low and slow.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
In Crete fresh fava beans are shelled and eaten as companion to tsikoudia, a traditional Cretian alcoholic drink.
Geography/History
Fava beans are one of the oldest crops known, with archeological remains found in Israel recording their cultivated origins as early as the Neolithic period (6800-6500 BC). Their cultivation spread along the Mediterranean into southwestern Asia and Africa, along with companion pulses such as chickpeas and lentils. Fava beans are now cultivated in over 50 countries, preferring cool seasons and temperate regions similar to that in which they were first cultivated. There is no known wild ancestor to the fava bean.
Featured Restaurants
Restaurants currently purchasing this product as an ingredient for their menu.
| Eddie V's La Jolla | San Diego CA | 858-459-5500 |
| Inn at the Park | San Diego CA | 619-296-0057 |
| Red Light District | San Diego CA | 619-255-2800 |
| Table 926 | San Diego CA | 858-539-0926 |
| Bankers Hill Restaurant and Bar | San Diego CA | 619-231-0222 |
| Anthology | San Diego CA | 619-595-0300 |
| Whisknladle | San Diego CA | 858-551-7575 |
| Market Restaurant and Bar | Del Mar CA | 858-523-0007 |
| Roy's San Diego | San Diego CA | 619-239-7697 |
| Nine - Ten | San Diego CA | 858-964-5400 |
| Barbarella | San Diego CA | 858-454-7373 |
| Cowboy Star | San Diego CA | 619-450-5880 |
| Great News Cooking School | San Diego CA | 888-478-2433 |
| Hotel Del 1500 Ocean | Coronado CA | 619-435-6611 |
| Pamplemousse Grill | Solana Beach CA | 858-792-9090 |
| Bernard'O Restaurant | San Diego CA | 858-487-7171 |
| Flavor Del Mar | Del Mar CA | 858-755-3663 |
| La Villa | San Diego CA | 619 255 5544 |
| Leroy's Kitchen & Lounge | Coronado CA | 619-522-6890 |
| Prepkitchen La Jolla | San Diego CA | 858-875-7737 |
| The Farm House Cafe | San Diego CA | 619-269-9662 |
| Prepkitchen Little Italy | San Diego CA | 619-247-0394 |
| Trattoria I Trulli | Encinitas CA | 760-943-6800 |
| Flying Pig Pub & Kitchen | Oceanside CA | 619-990-0158 |
| Georges at the Cove | San Diego CA | 858-454-4244 |
| Delicia's | Rancho Santa Fe CA | 858-756-8000 |
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Fava Beans. One
is easiest, three is harder.
