Broad beans

A cool climate crop that is a seasonal highlight of the vegie garden. An annual that is best harvested while young so that you can enjoy the bean while still inside its thin shell, as they mature, it is essential to both pod and then shell beans prior to consumption. 

Sown in either autumn and harvested in early spring, or early spring and harvested before the real heat of summer arrives, broad beans, also known as fava beans (famously consumed by Dr Hannibal Lecter with a bottle of Chianti), are one of the oldest beans in cultivation, dating back more than 4000 years!