Broad bean Aguadulce - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds

Vicia faba 'Aguadulce' is a vigorous, fast-growing, and highly productive variety. Its enormous pods can reach 40cm (16in) in length, and contain 8 to 9 large, tender and fleshy beans. This classic but excellent variety is sown from February to April, depending on the region.

The broad bean is a legume that belongs to the large Fabaceae family, like beans and peas. After falling slightly out of favour, it seems to be making a comeback in vegetable gardens. Its cultivation is easy.

Originally from Asia and the Middle East, it is widely cultivated worldwide, both for its flavour and its nutritional qualities. Rich in energy nutrients, it is considered a starchy food. There are many varieties of broad beans, with varying pod sizes and bean colours: some are white, others are brown.

It can be consumed both raw and cooked. However, it requires some effort, as fresh broad beans need to be shelled and then peeled, removing the second skin from each bean.

To enjoy them raw with a sprinkle of salt, like radishes, you should harvest them when they are young and tender (this will spare you the second peeling). Generally, 1kg of raw broad beans yields 250g of peeled beans.

Cultivating broad beans is easy. They will be happy in soil that is poor, clayey, and moist. Like all legumes, it is not demanding. It thrives in heavy and very moist soils. It is not very frost-sensitive and can be sown as early as February.

Harvest: harvesting simply involves picking pods at various stages of ripeness, depending on how you want to consume them: raw, cooked, or dried.

Storage: fresh broad beans can be stored for a few days in the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator. You can also dry them and store them at room temperature. Broad beans also freeze very well.

Gardener's tip: black aphids love broad beans. Colonies generally descend on an entire row of beans. To dislodge them without using insecticides, you can spray water mixed with black soap (2 tablespoons per litre). Having read that their presence could promote fruiting, we let them be. We soon noticed the presence of ladybirds. The harvest was quite satisfactory, even if, it must be admitted, the pods were black and rather sticky! In the end, we enjoyed our harvest, and we believe that there are now more ladybirds in the garden because there is not a single aphid on our nasturtiums.