The Bloom
Another summer, another sea of fava blooms. Every year we allocate a bit more of the garden to them. And every year I am taken aback by the beauty of their blooms. Fava factoid: I was unaware, until @carla_tomasi pointed it out to me a year or two ago, that there is a rare disease (favism) that affects some people that eat the beans or inhale the pollen. It’s relatively rare, but occurs mostly in people of Mediterranean or African descent – from whence the beans originated.
Harvest Number One
The fava beans, also known as broad beans, finally made their appearance on the table. It’s a bit surprising how small the beans are, once they’ve been taken out of the pods and then blanched and removed from their inner jackets. Our favorite way to eat them is tossed with pecorino, prosciutto, and fresh oregano in olive oil, with a squeeze of lemon juice. Although, as we understand it, some prefer them with liver and a nice Chianti. 😉 .
Harvest Number Two
We harvested the first round of fava beans yesterday. It’s a bit of work to prepare them, but there is really no substitute for them. As usual, we tossed them with a little olive oil and lemon juice, as well as hunks of pecorino Toscano, slivers of prosciutto crudo, and a bit of fresh oregano from the herb garden. Trust me, you want this.
