Basket-O-Beans

Finally, after what seems like ages. Coming in at eight pounds, nine ounces. A basket of beans from the Crimson Flowering Favas! There are actually more that I could have harvested but I left three or four of the oldest and best beans on the plants to save for seeds.

There was one brief period when the plants set pods and now that most of them have filled out I've picked them. There are a few developing pods left and even a few stalks that still have flowers. But I think that this is basically the crop.

Tonight some of them are going into a Moroccan fava puree/spread that my husband has been asking me to make for weeks. It's flavored with cumin and lemon juice, and contains a generous amount of olive oil. I'm going to serve that on little toasts with sheep's milk feta and some arugula.

Here's a recipe for the spread. It's very difficult to estimate how many pounds of pods are required since different varieties have different sized pods and the beans within vary in size depending on how mature they are.

Fresh Fava Bean Dip

1 1/2 cups shelled fava beans,
- or -
1 1/2 cups shelled and peeled beans if the beans are large
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, or more to taste
salt to taste

Blanch the beans for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and reserve a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Puree the beans with the olive oil, lemon juice and cumin in a food processor or blender until smooth, adding some of the cooking liquid to bring it a consistency that you like. Season to taste with salt. The puree will thicken if refrigerated. I like to serve it on toasted slices of baguette or rustic bread with some crumbled feta and chopped arugula on top. It's also good with pita bread or fresh vegetables.

Makes about 2 cups.