Supposably if you eat them before you go to sleep you'll have some crazy dreams.

Also i think they grow like a weed so you can't kill them.

No trellis.

Also, they (you know, them) say to plant them in the early spring. They're one of the few beans that I know of that like cool.

I plant them in early Winter as cover crops. They get 2 - 3 feet tall. Strong sturdy plants. Get pods in March. But I pull them up usually once they start to flower before the pods are set because that is when they have the most beneficial qualities for soil improvement (nitrogen set on the roots).
Some varieties are good eating. Yours probably are.

I have read to let them set so many beans then to cut off the long flowering top spike, as they will put energy into growing it instead of finishing any beans once it gets too hot for them. Once the beans they have set are mature, you can pull out the plant, maybe plant more for a fall crop

I grow them every year. There are three basic techniques to snarfing them.

- pick the small pods, say 3" long 1/2" in diameter, and eat those whole - stir fry is good.

- let the pods get to the point the seeds inside are half - formed. Discard shell, eat really tender beans. These are wonderful, and what I shoot for - think risotto, adding to pasta, and so on.

- let the pods get really big and the seeds inside develop a thick skin. They need to be blanched and then peeled - a major PITN. But still good. I don't bother, I just blanch them a bit, then fry them in olive oil and salt, and chew up the skins. Thats not quite as bad as not peeling a banana, but close.

Thanks so much for lots of good information. David, thanks for so many ways to eat them. I see the cooks on Food TV cooking them with pasta and olive oil and it always looks so good. I saw some frozen ones in the grocery store and they were very expensive so decided to try growing my own.

Piotr. I look forward to testing for the "crazy dreams." Maybe there's something in them.

I've never seen Fava beans around here, but this is Kansas and they like a lot of conventional vegetable like green beans and corn. I'm from Hawaii and have an extended palate. For lunch today, I made a pesto sauce with the beautiful basil I'm getting in the garden. So good with some dried hot peppers sprinkled on.

Thanks everyone.

I sow a row in November then again in February , March and April. We started eating them about three weeks ago.Over here they are called broad beans. If you google that you'll find lots of info/pics. I fear it may be too hot for them in Kansas soon. There's a good fava thread over on beans, peas and other and legumes forum.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fava thread

This just a FYI, as allergies to the fava bean do exist, but are VERY rare, so please keep this info in perspective.

Toxic Part: Seeds, raw or cooked and pollen when inhaled.

Symptoms: In susceptible humans, within a few minutes of inhaling pollen or several hours after eating the beans, an allergic reaction occurs with dizziness, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain and sheer prostration. Blood appears in the urine, which turns reddish-brown to black. Anemia develops within a few hours or a day. Male children are the most frequently affected and apparently all fatalities have been children."

The good doctors also state, "Favism, the severe hemolytic anemia, occurs only in susceptible individuals who have inherited a deficiency of an enzyme, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. This genetic trait occurs among people of the Mediterranean region and among black Africans. Most individuals have this enzyme and are not affected."
[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/03/09/HOGOJBLDVF1.DTL]

Sue

Oh my goodness, Favism. That's scary. I appreciate the information, however. I am Portuguese, but I don't think that's considered Mediterranean. My mother used to fix dried favas in a curry sauce when I was a kid so I guess I'm okay to eat them. Thanks so much, Sue.

Will look them up on the thread you provided, Flora. Thank you. You're right, it is getting hot here in Kansas. I may be too late, but they took forever to germinate. I did remember to use an innoculant like I do on all the beans and peas I plant. This will be an interesting time to see how this all proceeds.