Bob - Known Unknown Vegetable

In short: Broad bean (Vicia faba) is a hardy annual legume that grows to about 100 cm and survives frosts down to -4 °C, so it can be started very early. Pre-grow it from the beginning of February (germination takes 8–10 days at 5–10 °C), plant it out in March 8–10 cm deep and harvest the pods at milk ripeness.

Broad Bean - The Well-Known Unknown Vegetable

Broad Bean - originates from North Africa and Southwest Asia, where it was cultivated as early as 6000 BC. It belongs among the oldest vegetables and fodder crops. It reached Europe during the Bronze Age. Broad bean belongs to the legume family, scientifically known as Faba vulgaris or Vicia Faba - VETCH BEAN. It is an important agricultural crop grown for its pod fruits and seeds, also used for feeding livestock in the form of silage or bean meal. Broad bean is an annual plant of the vetch species, which, thanks to its content of beneficial substances for the human body, is experiencing a return to gardens.

Growing Broad Beans

Broad bean is an annual vegetable with a robust upright stem. It grows to a height of 100 cm. It tolerates lower temperatures well, surviving even at -4°C. Broad beans can be grown even in small gardens.

Sowing and Planting - Unlike beans, for example, broad beans don't mind low temperatures. Don't be afraid to start very early in spring.

Deep soils are most suitable, well-loosened with sufficient nutrients, which we supplement with farmyard manure. We recommend pre-growing broad beans as early as the beginning of February. Germination takes 8-10 days. The ideal temperature for germination is 5-10°C. As early as March, we can transplant the broad beans to the bed. We can also sow directly in the bed in March, but pre-grown plants are more resistant and the harvest is thus guaranteed to be more abundant.

When planting in the bed, we maintain a sowing depth of 8-10 cm and plant in narrow rows 15-25 cm apart.

Watering - is carried out mainly during the flowering period (July) and fruit ripening, when the plant is most demanding for moisture. Keep the area around the plant clean, without weeds. Broad bean has decorative inflorescence, which forms massive white flowers up to four centimeters.

Harvest - broad beans are harvested during milk ripeness. Immature pods are harvested at the end of June and immature seeds in August. The fruit is a pod up to 7 cm long and 1.3 cm wide, containing 4 seeds. The seeds are oval, the seed coat is often variously curved. Brownish-black in color.

Broad bean improves soil quality and can also serve as green manure. It fixes atmospheric nitrogen. It thrives in warmer areas.

Broad bean contains a high content of proteins and amino acids. They also contain levodopa, a chemical substance that the body uses to produce dopamine (associated with brain motivation). Broad bean is a source of fiber, vitamin C, E, potassium and also contains phosphorus. Broad bean is widespread in German cuisine, in Czech cuisine it is known among people following a healthy lifestyle and in vegetarian cuisine.

Fava beans are used in salads, soups, purees, patties, and for heat treatment (risottos, pasta, under meat). The use of fava beans is very similar to the use of peas and beans. Ripe seeds may have a bitter taste, so we scald them with hot water before further use. Fava beans can be stored in the refrigerator, where they will last 7-10 days, or in the freezer to maintain freshness, where we store them separated into portions, which we then use for consumption.