Apparently the "Fava Bean Project" no longer exists. I only recently
discovered Google but that is the conclusion I get from reading various
reports.

I planted them in several locations about my property and have decided to
try different things. I have already eaten some and will harvest more,
others I will allow to keep growing. If we happen to get a frost I will
cover some but not others. I even cut a few down to stubble and split the
tops, as someone suggested.

These were purchased in a packet from a convenience store rack. Obviously
they are "Windsor" beans. If I can find them I would like to try planting
some of the smaller ones as a ground cover for one of my raised beds. No
matter how much compost I dig in, the soil here remains little more than
dirty sand. Last month I actually hauled a truckload of clay and dug it
into one of the beds. But that is another topic. -- Karl

"philomena" wrote in message
...
Fava beans are great for the PNW climate. You can plant them 3x a year
(Fall, early spring and late spring). and, you can eat them green, like
peas or wait 'til they're brown. The "Fava Bean Project" would be a great
resource to check with. They're based in Oregon and should have a
website. They also put out a little pamphlet on growing fava beans and
different varieties.

I don't know if you've seen a frost, yet, but Favas are hardy and it might
be interesting to see how long they'll hang on.

For recipes, middle eastern style would be yummy. They use favas a lot in
Egypt.
"Karl Warner" wrote in message
...
I live in southwest Washington State, seacoast, USDA zone 8. This summer I
planted a dozen fava beans out of curiosity. Never grown them before,
don't recall ever seeing them before. The bush beans and pole beans are
now long gone but the favas appear to be in full stride. Each stalk has a
cluster of 7 to 8 pods of all sizes tho most are the size of sausages! By
feel the beans inside are the size of grapes. How long are these things
likely to keep growing? Are they a cool season crop? They don't look like
they are ready to pick. Should I just wait until the pods turn brown and
then shell them? How to eat them will be yet another new experience.
-- Karl Warner (in a grove of pine trees, in the lee of a dune)