Producing Lots of Dried Broad/Fava Bean Seeds

I thought it was fun actually seeing that bumblebee doing the cheating method of pollination.

Hi Bruce. I'd recommend trying out some of the field bean varieties that have been bred for table use in your trials next year. I've been growing the variety Wizard and have read that Vespa is very good too. I've quit growing broad beans altogether now and just grow field beans as i find they yield about double of what i got from broad beans. They are hardier to frost, have larger plants(5-6ft outdoors) and early sowings are usually dried on the plants by July for me (Northern Ireland), even this wet year. Only downside is the beans themselves are much smaller, but they tend to grow in clusters of 1-5 pods so doesn't really add to harvest time, just processing time. Seed can be pretty hard to get hold of, i grow my own, so if you'd like me to send you some let me know.

I grow Broad Beans in my greenhouse (300 sq.m.) for table, but I also grow Field Beans (over winter) as a green manure. If I don't have a need for a follow-on crop in Spring I leave them and harvest the beans for seed. Perhaps you could use them as a crop for both nitrogen fixing and beans for both seed-stock and dried-beans for kitchen? I suppose the obvious follow-on crop would be brassicas for the (following) winter; I plant mine (Winter Caulis and Sprouting Broccoli) in August, and the previous Autumn's field beans would be done by then. As
@seanmcgleenan556 said, the beans are smaller than Broad Beans, but the plants are tough and produce plenty of pods

More great content. The over-winter storage of dry beans was one of my biggest drivers when adding them to our garden. We went with two locally acclimated varieties that work well in our context (similar to yours if even a little shorter of a growing season). We've had good luck and are on our second year now planting what we grew last year - Annie Jackson pole beans and Rockwell bush beans. Love soups, boulangerie beans, etc. from fall through early spring. Keep up the great work.

I'd be curious to hear whether you end up with broad bean beetles. I've saved broad beans for seed and also cooking a few times, less systematically than you of course. One interesting thing I've noticed is that, some time after harvest, you get these very sharply-defined circular holes on some of the seeds. It's a beetle that, as I understand it, lays its eggs into the flower, which the bean then forms around. Once hatched, the larvae eat their way out, leaving these tunnels behind.

The affected seeds are often still viable, and presumably still safe to eat as well even if it's a bit off-putting. Just try not to think about the fact that a lot of the broad beans you eat when semi-mature probably have this creature's eggs inside them...

For cooking them, my favorite way is to make falafels. In general, you can soak them in baking soda (if you want to sprout them also, do that beforehand) to soften the shells so that you don't have to spend a bunch of time individually removing them.

I was kind of turned off to saving bean/pea seeds because of the horrible issues I've had with pea weevils. Our climate is way hotter in the summer though than yours, but I'd still be curious what pest issues if any you've encountered.

Thank you

We are up in Longford and grow runner beans in our garden for drying. They dry really well and store well and cook very well. Thanks for your videos, we found your garlic trial fascinating and bought specific varieties to try as a result.

Oh my goodness, look up deep fried fava bean recipe. While I don't eat them every day, they are freaking delicious and addictive. 😅

Some plants are hermaphrodite but still need cross-pollination.

Damo strikes me as a grounded, critical thinking, knowledgeable, deep and sincere fellow - fascinating discussion, thank you Sirs!

I did an experiment with Pinto Beans 2 years ago here in Co. Wicklow. I noticed that the Pinto beans we buy from Tesco is produced in Canada and I thought those plants would tolerate our cold climate. I germinated them mid January, kept the plants well protected over night and let them grow until drying out inside the polytunel. I don't remember which month I harvest them, but it took longer then I expected for those plants to dry out. I plan to grow it again next year and I will give broad beans a try too.

All of this information is irrelevant to me because you couldn't hit your target when pouring the beans into that yellow bucket.

Sorry, I don't make the rules. OCD is a cruel and harsh mistress.

I grow fava beans outside during the winter. My region (center of France) is slightly too cold for them and I often have frost damage but it doesn't seems to affect them that much unless the temperature stay under -8°C during a whole day. It tastes good, fixs nitrogen, and grows during winter so it's a very interesting species. The only drawback is the harvest date (early to late june). It makes the next crop akward as I plant my spring crops in may. It's still possible to plant a late crop of potatoes or zuchinis afterward but it limits how much space I can dedicate to them.

Thank you for this great content. Here in Melbourne, Australia, my broad beans are on the point of making pods, but fighting the wind to keep them upright is a losing battle. Your reminder to pinch out the tips is extremely timely 👍 Suggestion for eating: Broad beans crisped up in the air fryer or shallow fried then pat dry with kitchen roll. Sprinkle with salt, or fine-ground parmesan, or aromat seasoning & you have a delicious, crunchy snack 👍

That bumble bee is actually bypassing the flower and piercing it to get the nectar from above
it is not polinating the flowers

also see the Chinese threshing rotating stick might be good for you if you decide to harvest the whole plant for threshing

Excellent. Now I'm craving Fava beans and a nice chianti.

When it comes to field crops like favas, broad beans, dry peas and grains I only grow a few for personal use. They're not a viable option when seeking a profit as a small business. They grow well here with pest and disease being relatively uncommon, but none can compete with the market tonnage off the fields. The ones I grow are more for novelty sake, or seed saving that nicer variety not grown in a field and to keep some variety in existence that would otherwise disappear through lack of want.
Talking about want. Despite a large quantity of field grown favas produced here, the majority is exported and not one supermarket I've visited stocks them for locals to purchase. Meaning a local demand for them cannot even come into existence seeing as they are not even on offer.

Broad beans are probably the only fruit/veg that I can't bear to eat. It sucks cos they are zero effort to grow here in Australia and prolific producers...

Have you tried making falafel with them?

Have you tried the habas fritas which are dried roasted Broad beans popular in Spain. I used to buy them wholesale and flavour them with spices for retail use in a biz I used to be involved in. Obviously falafel could be an option to use them.

I know we’ve compared notes before on runner beans - this year has been exceptionally good despite the horrendous summer rains (planted n the same place), they’re still cropping well this week and I hope what’s left will go for dry seed before the frosts happen anytime in September.

Of course also you could mill your dried beans to make a flour which could be used for many things, I have a mockmill which is great for that. It maybe you could borrow one from someone.

It's funny how in the Western world fava beans are so often eaten as green beans, when in the Middle East, mainly Egypt, they're mostly harvested as dry beans. As dry beans, they have such a nice rich, meaty flavor. My favorite way to use them is in ful mudammas, an Egyptian dish similar to hummus with fava beans instead of chickpeas.

Thanks Bruce, another great video! Dry storage of a rich vegetable protein is a compelling enough reason to grow broadbeans but I also love the scent of the flower, it’s one of my favourites, right up there with sweet peas.

Love the ending bumble bean!

fava beans are a rustic crop which grows outside and handles well lot of stressors, i dont see the point of wasting precious tunnel space with them.

Fava beans is actually not a bean but a type of pea. Hence why it does better in colder climates than "real" beans. Its also a great back up as animal feed (chickens, pigs, goats, etc). Greetings from Norway.

Love the detailed, experimental approach to farming-gardening :) thank you for sharing!

Thats an unusually high yeild for a dried seed crop, and a lot of calories per square foot of growing space, I wonder how this would translate when planting them in blocks

Did you say you freeze your seeds?
I was wondering about cherries and plums that I have in the freezer ... would they be viable to start new trees or is this with certain plants?
Thank you for your wonderfully informative video ... definitely love your experiments!!!

Thank you

Really interesting! I'd mostly just experimented with drying borlotti beans - haven't tried broad beans yet. I really like the commercial dried broad beans sold roasted & salted for snacking, I wonder if they're also shelled beforehand or if the roasting is sufficient to crisp up the tougher outer shell of the bean? Yellow split peas are another I'd like to try, although not sure what climates they prefer.

I believe most beans are better off if they are buzzed pollinated. Ripping the flowers might not be giving you the desired effect but perhaps applying some form of vibration could help.

Did you never get blisters or a skin reaction from your wild carrots? (assuming that the plants witht he balls of flowers that become balls of sticky seeds are wild carrots)
I've heard one should be careful with their sap, since it is a UV activated irritant.

I grow shorter varieties of peas planted through ground fabric with no support
I have had great results
The fabric really keeps them clean even when plants and pods are directly on the ground

the best way to eat broad beans imo
is roasted snack food style. I <3 Horse beans.

I cooked faba beans yesterday.
Can you share your beans recipe?

I'd love to see a trial of various fava bean varieties! I have just been using and saving the same beans for maybe 25 years. (Is there a "Windsor" variety? That name rings a bell.). I've never even tasted any other fava beans, so I have no idea if I'm missing something. I'm still experimenting with ways of eating them. Thanks for another useful video. Doug, NH, USA

I love fava beans and they grow well in the PNW. I ate small amounts at first and happy to say, "All good." But I would caution some people: Favism, affects an estimated 400–500 million people worldwide. It's most common in certain parts of Africa, Asia, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. In the United States, it affects about 1 in 10 African American males. Favism is a genetic disorder that can cause an allergic-like reaction to fava beans. The reaction can be triggered by eating fava beans, walking through a field of fava beans, or consuming certain foods and medications.
Most people with favism don't develop symptoms.
However, when symptoms do occur, they can be serious and include:
Acute hemolytic anemia
Neonatal jaundice
Hemolytic crisis, which can cause sudden and severe anemia