I read about these last year in the FAQ
(http://www.nugget.demon.co.uk/MetaFAQ/beans.html) and decided to give
them a go. Basically, they're a primitive broad bean and usually sold as
green manure but I decided to eat them!

- Appear to be much more hardy. Shrugged off frosts in the open that had
winter hardy "proper" broad beans reeling in their cloches.
- Pleasant if not outstanding flavour
- I found it easier to tell when the pods were ripe than with standard
varieties. (Pods go stiff and look like they are about to burst)
- Early and productive over a long period. Started before "The Sutton"
and continued long after.
- They're narrower than standard BB so you could probably crowd them a
bit more.
- Beans about 1/3rd the size of standard BB
- Seed is cheap. (EG: Organic Gardening Catalogue has them at 1.55 for
112g which is easily over 100 seeds)

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com