Allotments 4 All

Steamed broad bean tops with butter, olive oil, grated nutmeg and S&P Yum! Plus pics of my little half plot, complete with undulating beds!

I also work with the undulating bed principle - I'd also recommend the wobbly lines of veg at strange angles to the plot method  ;)

Never eaten the tops of mine, usually don't pick them out until the Blackfly have arrived and wouldn't want to eat them then!
;D

They're ok Saddad, not like anything i've tasted before. Go on - i dare you!! ;)

The bean tops look great - must give it a go....as does your garden...so neat!

Sadly even my overwinters have not done well enough to have enough to eat yet.. just have to get on with the PSB and 9*...
;D

One of the best meals of the year-broad bean tops,  fragrant, tasty treat! What a lovely site MacArthur Park!!! Thanks for the pis xx

Quoteusually don't pick them out until the Blackfly have arrived

With due respect Saddad is this wise?

I would have thought prevention is better than cure i.e. do it before they arrive.

As a rule I work on five sets of flowers and then tip out.

Because of my planting times I find that if I am a bit late and they get six up then I often find I am affected by the 'fly'

In other words I would rather have a less beans rather than more that have been stressed by blackfly!

But then again thats me!!

I leave both tips and blackfly alone. I get very few plants with significant levels of blackfly; the odd one probably has something wrong with it. So I can't see that it's stressing plants significantly, at least not in my situation. It looks more like something that moves in where there's some other problem already affecting the plant.

Do the tops taste like the beans? I can't STAND broad beans but my FIL loves them.

If the tops taste different then I MAY reach a compromise with him and grow some  ;D

Likewise never thought of eating the tops but we will give it a go

Your plot looks great, what an exciting time of the year.
I looked at the black sandstone walls and immediately thought 'Yorkshire'
I then had a look at your profile and saw it was Dewsbury.
I lived in Halifax, then Leeds from 1953 to 1959 and I remember that everything was black!

http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments1_homepage.html

Must admit do not like boad beans so not growing any and have never tasted the tops
love your walls which direction do they face - would be brill if they faced south for the growing of fruit  ;D ? ?

looks very yummy!

Trixiebelle - I thought they would taste like broad beans, but they don't. Hard to explain what they're like, but I did like them. Quite strong tasting.

Allaboutliverpool - it still is all black! Even when the buildings are sandblasted they're soon turning again, but I love Yorkshire all the same!

Blue Bird - Back wall is indeed south facing, unfortunately it is also falling down! :-\ If the council do repair it then fruit may well be an option. The rhubarb was transplanted in Feb and my neighbour said it is doing much better than his established plants so it must like being snuggled up against the wall! ;) (I didn't admit it was just plonked there with no thought about position! ;D ;D)

I probably do leave the BBeans too long, Tee Gee... I'll try to get my act in gear this year... the wall could just have easily been in Industrial East Lancs... I can still remember when Sand Blasting caught on... all these incomers bought big Mill Houses, blasted them a nice bright millstone grit colour then had all the plaster fall off the inside as the grime was keeping the water out of the stone... pre cavity walls!
;D

I had the first few pods off my beans yesterday! Very nice in a salad with spinach thinnings and spring onions. Cant wait till the beans themselves are ready! :)

What a neat and tidy plot!  I have never eaten broadbean tops either.  Mine were spring planted so are still only babies, but I might give them a try later in the season.

Am tucking in to habas fritas (fried broad beans) here in Spain, nearly time for he tops yumyumyumy!!

Great pictures! Our broadies are only a few inches high, they went in at the end of february. Can't wait till they're at the eating stage though. Love your plot.  :)