Vicia faba
Broad Windsor  (65-85 days)

  Approximately 15-20 beans per oz.  Pkg contains 2 oz.

Broad Windsor was listed in 1863.  This fava's glossy green pods contain 5-7 oblong, flat, beans.  Fava’s can fix up to an incredible 200 pounds of nitrogen per acre. "Sixty pounds of nitrogen per acre is enough to feed a succeeding crop of beets, carrots, etc. One-hundred pounds will feed corn, lettuce, or squash. Fava's two-hundred pounds of nitrogen per acre is sufficient to grow the heaviest feeders--the Brassica’s."

Excellent blog with photos on Fava Beans

Madalyn A. Klenske says"Vicia faba is a member of the vetch family, a group of leguminous plants, by and large climbing herbs, cultivated for forage and soil improvement. Generally, the fava is an erect, large-leaved, single-stalked plant, two to seven feet tall, which assumes a full, bushy appearance at maturity. In the home garden, the tall, upright plants are often sown densely, as the plants physically support each other in this pattern, obviating the need for staking. Clusters of fragrant purple or white flowers on short stalks develop at the axil of the plant, which is the angle between the upper side of a leaf or stem and the supporting stem or branch. The seedpods that ripen from the fertilized flowers are numerous: there can be 15-60 pods found on each plant, each pod containing 3-12 beans, depending on variety.

All parts of the fava plant are edible. The seeds are high in protein, vitamins, and minerals, and have been a cornerstone of human nutrition for thousands of years. The beans may be eaten fresh and green, or dried for future use. Properly dried beans will keep for three years.  Many people enjoy the leaves of the fava plant, preparing them similarly to spinach."

1929     Steele Briggs Seed house says...
English or broad bean. Very hardy; plant as soon as the soil is in good shape in the spring. Plant 4 inches apart and 2 inches deep in drills 4 feet apart. To insure well filled pods, pinch off the top as soon as the pods beging to set.


*"Some people display intestinal insult after ingesting raw fava beans, which is an indication of an allergy. Logically, this sensitized group should avoid the uncooked beans or leaves."