The last few weeks, I have been happily twisting large pods off the broad bean plants. Some pods have decided to go wonky but most are surprisingly straight. Despite what everyone says about picking them teeny tiny, I do leave some of the pods until they are medium sized as I like a mix of the 'meatier' beans and the smaller sweeter ones.
Back in the kitchen, I gently rip the tops off each pod and run the string down the side of each, all the way to the tail end. The beans pop out one at a time and it is a, strangely, satisfying sensation.
While the beans are still small and just fresh from the garden like these are, I never feel the need to release the beans from their pale white outer skins. I steam them for a few minutes, add a drizzle of olive oil, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and eat them as they are, outer skin and all. And truly, they are the most delicious beans you could ever eat.
Seen here are 'Aquadulce Claudia' broad beans by Thompson & Morgan which you can find here. This variety is best for autumn sowing.
Other broad bean posts from the past on this blog:
- Autumn sown broad beans in my garden
- Eating freshly picked broad beans (and whether to peel them)
- Tips for growing broad beans for first-time growers
