Judgement Day
…came and went; the world still stands, the broad beans don’t.
And as for the sheep and goats (though zoologically I prefer goats to sheep):
Medes: Excellent both in quantity and quality
Sutton, Express and Witkiem Manita: Almost as above
Imperial Green Longpod: Might have been as above but slower and thus got caught in the July-August heatwave when flowering which didn’t do it any good
Crimson: Mediocre in quantity – but wonderful if you count the flower colour as quality
That Czech one that just stated they were broad beans: Quite OK but annoyingly few seeds in a package, so not practical to buy
Aquadulce: Not for us next year, thank you
I’m fairly sure Aquadulce would be OK for winter sowing – it would grow slower and sturdier then, I presume – but that is out of question here.
So we are tolerably well provided with broad beans – and we completely agreed with Jane Grigson years before we read her books: shelled but unskinned beans do you good, eating skinned beans is a pleasure. Mind you, I also agree with her in that skinning them is a bore – especially when done in large quantities.
It’s nice to be back in circulation – so congratulations and thanks to the team!
