Midwinter broadbean seed

Midwinter broad beans are an ideal variety for planting in January.

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Blanching involves plunging the beans into boiling water to stop all enzyme activity with the beans, so the beans stay exactly as they are without any deterioration.  Therefore, the healthy vitamins and minerals will remain in the beans.  After a couple of minutes at boiling point, the beans are dropped into ice-cold water, to stop the cooking process.

Podding-Medes-BroadBeans

To freeze broad beans by blanching:

• shell the beans
• plunge the broad beans into a very fast boiling saucepan, so the water just covers the beans
• return the water to the boil as quickly as possible
• after 3 mins,drain the broad beans
• immediately put into ice cold water to bring temperature down quickly
• drain
• fill freezer bags with the cold, dried beans
• squeeze air out of bag – suck out remainder with straw- then seal bag
• freeze the broad beans immediately

Helpful tip: make large blocks of ice in margarine/yoghurt tubs to keep water cold when cooling beans

To freeze broad beans without blanching:

• shell the beans
• fill freezer bags with the shelled broad beans
• squeeze air out of bag – suck out remainder with straw – then seal bag
• freeze the broad beans immediately

It is worth trying both methods, to decide how to freeze broad beans for yourself.

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A lot depends on how the individual likes to eat them – small, sweet & tender, or large with flavour!

broad-bean-pods-filling

If the pods have swollen and the beans inside are properly formed, but still really small and sweet, the whole pod can be cooked and eaten with the beans inside.

It is always a balance between yield and sweet tenderness. If yield is the objective, the beans should be left until they are a bit bigger. But if the aim is to experience the exquisite taste of fresh, tender beans, it is worth sacrificing a bit of yield.

The beans change colour when they are ready, and become pale green all over. Click this

broad-bean-maturity

photo to show the mature beans on the top, which have developed a pale, uniform colour. The row on the bottom are not quite ready. They are a brighter green, and each bean has various shades of green on it.

Podding-Medes-BroadBeans

It is important to consider other vegetables and when they will be ready to harvest. There is no point leaving the broad beans to get larger, if veg are scarce, or if there will be a surplus of other vegetables at the same time as the broad beans are picked.

Comments:

1. I have just harvested a crop of mature broad beans. However, when shelling them I found that in most the bean had not developed at all. Can yo advise what may have caused this?

   Comment by Beatrice – November 23, 2008 9:23 am

2. Hi BeatriceSorry to hear about your disappointing broad beans. This has happened to us when we picked the first beans in the spring- but they do improve as the season progresses.Broad beans need the right day-length and a temperature of about 20°C at flowering. If the beans are planted too early in the spring, & there is a blip in the weather as the first beans flowered, the beans will not set well.Crops planted too late will also produce low yields and will be affected by high temperatures later in the season.

   Broad beans produce less well in windy areas. Double rows (20 cm apart) help the plants to withstand wind. Otherwise a windbreak pays dividends.

   Hope the next batch is 100%!

   TopVeg

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The early broad bean variety, Express, matures quickly, thus producing a very early crop of broad beans.

ExpressBroadBeanPods

Broad Bean Express:

• produces up to 34 good pods per plant!
• yields well for early plantings
• is winter hardy
• matures quickly
• freezes well
  
• has tender and tasty beans
  

shelled-broad-beans-Express

Click this link to order the variety Express Broad Bean

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stake-broad-beans

If the broad beans are not staked, and consequently fall over due to heavy rain or strong winds, they will not be able to reach their full potential. As soon as they blow over, the broad beans start to mature instead of continuing to feed the pods.

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LodgedBroadBeans

When the broadbean plant blows over it ‘lodges’ with other broad bean plants and stays close to the soil.  Some of the leaves will be hidden from bright light so the broad bean pods will not be fed so well which means that they will not grow and fill with good sized broad beans.

lodged-Optica-broad-beans

The beans in the picture lodged at a late stage in their growing period, so will provide a decent harvest.  But if the lodging had happened at flowering time, the broad bean pods would not have filled properly.

broad-bean-plant-Optica

It is well worth taking the time to stake broad beans.

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Farming Friends & TopVeg have now collaborated to create a How To Grow Broad Beans growing card.

how-to-grow-broad-beans-sheet

If you wish to print off this growing card, right click on the enlarged image and then click print picture to print out a copy.

If you would like this document as a pdf, just contact TopVeg and we will email you the How To Grow Broad Beans growing card.

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Click this link for a video on YouTube showing How to Prevent Blackfly from Damaging your Beans.

broad-bean-top

Here is another link for information on blackfly control.

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• Broad beans need the right day-length and a temperature of about 20°C at flowering. If the beans are planted too early in the spring, & there is a blip in the weather as the first beans flowered, the beans will not set well.

• Crops planted too late will also produce low yields and will be affected by high temperatures later in the season.

• Broad beans produce less well in windy areas. Double rows (20 cm apart) help the plants to withstand wind. Otherwise a windbreak pays dividends.

ExpressBroadBeanPods

Broad bean pods tend to be empty at the start of the season, before the conditions are right for the beans to set.

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To pinch out the tops:

* first select the top of the broad bean plant

broad-bean-top

* find broad bean top

find-broad-bean-top

* Hold the tip between finger and thumb

pinch-out-top-of-broad-bean

* pinch the tip so that it breaks away from the plant

top-of-broad-bean

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