News Letter
on Jul 11 in CSA News, Farm News by JosieWe are back and the summers bounty is coming on strong. This week in your CSA pick up you will get; beets, carrots, napa cabbage, shelling peas, summer squash, kale and fava beans.
Magic Beans?
The magic beans that grew overnight into a beanstalk that reached into the clouds were very probably fava beans or, as the English call them, broad beans. Americans, however, have been slow to appreciate their enchanting powers.
The pale green beans in the big floppy pods have been a beloved early spring food on much of the planet for centuries. Favas — also known as Windsor beans, English beans, horse beans and pigeon beans — have long been diet staples in Asia, the Middle East, South America, North Africa and Europe.
These ancient beans are one of the oldest cultivated plants and among the easiest to grow. They were the onlybeans Europeans ate before they discovered America and all its legumes. They took our beans home and left us the fava, which never really caught on.
After preparing them, you begin to understand why. This is a labor-intensive process. First, you string and shuck the beans, then parboil them before removing from a waxy coating. It is something to do on a Sunday afternoon around the kitchen table or on the front porch with friends. For Americans, that’s a lot of time to spend on a bean.
A great web site about how to shell them click here
I like them shelled and then sauteed in a little butter and salt and pepper but there are many ways to eat them. Have fun with them.
Flower shares and wine shares start this week. The fruit shares are still a few weeks ways….we hope soon I cant wait for one of Eagle Creeks Peaches.
