Summer at Harlow Carr Gardens - 11

Now it is the turn of the broad beans!



Broad beans are easy to grow and utterly delicious, heralding the end of the hungry gap between late autumn and the beginning of bountiful summer harvests.

Broad beans should be podded, unless they are very young and tender. Put the beans in a pan, cover with boiling water, return to the boil and cook for 3-5 minutes. Then drain, empty into cold water, slit each pod along its seam and run your thumb along the furry inside to push the beans out.

To double pod - or remove the thin skin that covers each individual bean - use your nail to slit the skin, then pop out the bright green bean.