Broadbeans!

[valmarg]

Double shucking?  Sounds interesting.  Tell me more!

What it means is that you have allowed the beans to get so big and tough that you need to skin the horrid very tough beans.

Picked at their prime, ie very small, broad beans are wonderful.

If you leave them until they need 'skinning', the best place for them is the compost bin.

valmarg

[valmarg]

[asbean]

Double shucking sounds too much like hard work. I'd prefer to send a minion to the plot to pick the young and tender ones.  We've still got some left, have eaten a lot and frozen 2-3 kilos.

[grawrc]

It isn't really hard work, just a bit tedious, however well worth the effort for the vibrant green colour of the peeled beans. I love the baby ones but leave some to get larger just for the pleasure of seeing them.
My favourite recipe from Nick Nairn:

600g baby plum tomatoes
4 tablespoons olive oil
freshly ground salt and pepper
2 fresh thyme sprigs
700g broad beans in the pod to give about 350g podded beans or 350g frozen broad beans

Little plum tomatoes go in the oven preheated to 200 degrees with olive oil, seasoning and sprigs of fresh thyme all sort of rolled about to coat the tomatoes with oil and seasoning. They're roasted in the oven for about 20 minutes until the tomatoes start collapsing slightly and are beginning to brown.

Meanwhile if using fresh beans take them out of their furry pods, blanch for 1 minute in boiling water. Drain and plunge them into a bowl of cold water to cool them down quickly. Drain again then pop them out of their skins. ( Fiddly but worth it for the fabulous colour and texture.)  Frozen beans are exactly the same except they get cooked longer - 2-3 minutes.

Whip the tomatoes out of the oven and mix in the beans. pop back in the oven for a few minutes to reheat the beans. Serve and enjoy!

[raisedbedted]

Double shucking?  Sounds interesting.  Tell me more!

What it means is that you have allowed the beans to get so big and tough that you need to skin the horrid very tough beans.

If you leave them until they need 'skinning', the best place for them is the compost bin.

valmarg

What prescriptive and ill founded nonsense!

[Tyke]

My Broad Beans have been very disappointing. They got infested with black fly and appear to have suffered because of this. The pods are hard and have black crusty bits on them. Only about 3 pods per plant. I had loads of flowers on them, but little crop. I was told that they were easy to grow, but have been a bit of a waste of time for me. Still, I'll try again next year...

[Peapods]

Ive only got 3 flowers on 4 plants!

Oh well, hopefully Ill get to try just ONE!

[raisedbedted]

I wouldnt worry too much about the black fly - we get them every year but quickly followed by hoardes of ladybirds which are nice to see.

Keep trying they are worth it  ;).
rbt

[valmarg]

What prescriptive and ill founded nonsense!
[/quote]

Well ducky, we'll have to agree to disagree. ;D

If broad beans have been allowed to get so large that the individual beans need skinning, then all you get is tasteless pap, and a lot of roughage.  Better on the compost heap.

What you pretentiously call 'prescriptive and ill founded nonsense!' we call personal experience. ;D

valmarg

[telboy]

valmarg,
I agree. I have suffered with the 'Toxic Manure' probs. Sporadic with the broad beans but I eat what's available. If they get big, they are still edible.
I love broad beans!

[PJW_Letchworth]

Hi Tyke,

I sowed the beans during late November.  They were up a couple of inches by Christmas.  My Grandad always said if they are planted in November then they wouldn't get so many black fly.  None of my beans have fly.  We pinched the tops out when they were a good height and I believe this also helps to stop the fly.  Some of the beans did not germinate as I think a mouse had a few but we replaced them with some we planted in Spring.  They are a little shorter but soon caught up.

I can only say to keep trying.  I grew Imperial Green Long Pod.   Perhaps you could try a different variety.

Good luck!

[Robert_Brenchley]

It's perfectly true that they don't get many blackfly if they're planted in autumn, but mostly they're not really affected anyway. The aphids worry gardeners much more than they do the plant. This year I had plants damaged for the first time. The question is, is it the variety or the season? I'll give them another try next year and see.

[hopalong]

I'm green with envy.  Everyone else (including people on my allotment site) seems to have had huge success with broad beans this year. My own were doing well until a few weeks ago when a very bad case of chocolate spot just about finished them off. I think they may have had too much nitrogen.  Or the soil may have been too heavy. Another theory was that they were planted too close to onions and garlic which they don't like.

[valmarg]

We have had chocolate spot in the past, but find it doesn't affect the beans, so you shouldn't give up, and sling the plants. ;D

I should have to say that we have had a very good year this year.

The variety we grow is Imperial Green Longpod, and it is delicious.  Picked while the pods are quite small, and just showing beans is best.  The beans are small and juicy.

There was another post on here recommending steaming broad bean sprouts.  The plants are flowering right up to the tips, so haven't been able to try them

valmarg

[hopalong]

We have had chocolate spot in the past, but find it doesn't affect the beans, so you shouldn't give up, and sling the plants. ;D

I should have to say that we have had a very good year this year.

The variety we grow is Imperial Green Longpod, and it is delicious.  Picked while the pods are quite small, and just showing beans is best.  The beans are small and juicy.

There was another post on here recommending steaming broad bean sprouts.  The plants are flowering right up to the tips, so haven't been able to try them

valmarg

Thanks. Unfortunately my chocolate spot was so severe that it did affect the entire plants, including the pods.  The beans turned black. But I am certainly going to keep trying as I much prefer broad beans to any other kind of bean.

[Tyke]

My Grandad always said if they are planted in November then they wouldn't get so many black fly. ..None of my beans have fly.  We pinched the tops out when they were a good height and I believe this also helps to stop the fly.

I can only say to keep trying. 
Good luck!

thanks - i think i will sow them in autumn this year. mine only got about 9-12 inches tall and looked shabby. It will be my challenge for next year!

Chocolate spot? My pods were going black on the outside, but the leaves were fine.

[valmarg]

valmarg,
I agree. I have suffered with the 'Toxic Manure' probs. Sporadic with the broad beans but I eat what's available. If they get big, they are still edible.
I love broad beans!

I sort of agree, but broad beans is a veg that we only ever eat home grown.   Would never, ever consider shop/supermarket bought.  I was in a supermarket yesterday morning, and the broad beans on offer were dreadful.  It was obvious that the beans were going to be very large, and the individual beans in need of skinning.

We haven't got room to grow many, but have had, and are still having a very good crop this year.

I pick them early, when the beans are just showing in the pods, and they are beautifully tender.

valmarg