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Post by grunt on Jul 16, 2011 21:26:20 GMT -5
These are a pea sized round fava, although \i got them under the name Marrone Bell Pea.  |
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Post by atash on Jul 16, 2011 22:33:31 GMT -5
Nice patch, Grunt. There is a reputedly relatively hardy dual-purpose (cover crop and eating) small-seeded Fava in Canada called "Sweet Lorane". It is uncommon. Saltspring Seeds has it but they won't ship to USA. Anybody know it/grow it? Worth having? Since I eat them fully ripe as dry beans anyway, it would make sense to collect the types that are particularly cold-hardy, both for overwintering, and as backup crops in bad weather years. Blue Adzuki, funny you should mention "Grass Peas" as I have inherited a container of those for salvage. I did not know that common name for Lathyrus sativus until relatively recently. Nor did I make the connection to culinary purposes until I was told--I have grown L. sativus azureus as an ornamental, and had been told about its use as food "in times of desperation", and that eating it could lead to "neurolathyrism" characterized by paralysis and motor neuron death. Destroys mitochondria. =  Recently I read a much different take on it--from people who eat it regularly. They say "discard the soaking water". Probably most likely to be toxic precisely when famines wipe out other options for food, and people consume too much grass-pea flour, which is probably the most dangerous form because presumably they don't leach out the toxin. Anyway, I'll try it in moderation after I've built up some stock of it. |
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Post by mnjrutherford on Jul 17, 2011 7:50:38 GMT -5
Well now that is very interesting. I found a small middle eastern shop in the west of the state run by a gentleman who says he is from Jerusalem. He told me "real" falafel is made only from garbanzo beans! LOL I won't judge in either direction. My homemade is become the best I've ever eaten but I've only ever had access to garbanzo beans. SO far... I shall soon (HOPEFULLY) know the difference with the fava. I would love to have your recipe for pida Atash!
Thanks for your offer Holly! Much obliged!
When would you folks suggest planting? From yesterdays reading, I'm thinking I should aim to plant sometime in September or October? Perhaps November? This is the time when the weather cools. The first frost typically occurs in mid to late October. Winter is a dry season for us.
Also, should I inoculate the soil for growing these fava?
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Post by blueadzuki on Jul 17, 2011 9:17:06 GMT -5
as backup crops in bad weather years. Blue Adzuki, funny you should mention "Grass Peas" as I have inherited a container of those for salvage. I did not know that common name for Lathyrus sativus until relatively recently. Nor did I make the connection to culinary purposes until I was told--I have grown L. sativus azureus as an ornamental, and had been told about its use as food "in times of desperation", and that eating it could lead to "neurolathyrism" characterized by paralysis and motor neuron death. Destroys mitochondria. = Recently I read a much different take on it--from people who eat it regularly. They say "discard the soaking water". Probably most likely to be toxic precisely when famines wipe out other options for food, and people consume too much grass-pea flour, which is probably the most dangerous form because presumably they don't leach out the toxin. Anyway, I'll try it in moderation after I've built up some stock of it. The general consesus is that grasspeas are only dangerous if they make up more than 60% of your diet for a period of a couple months. A little in some food from time to time is probably safe. In fact in the PPHP (Pre Phaseolus Period, the time in European agriculture before the common bean was brought back from the Americas, and the genera list of what legumes were "common" for people to grow for food was a bit wider) grasspea flour was a pretty common addion to food all over Europe. They often added some to bread, to make the bread a good protein source. And of course what type you have also has an effect, the older and more wild the type, the higher the ODAP and BAPN count's are probably going to be (that's one of the reasons I never even thought about eating any of mine when I had it; they were very small and very wild of type), and the higer risk of neuro-lathryism, (paralysis) osteo-lathyrism(bone damage, you usally get these two together)and angyo-lathryrism (it's rare but BAPN can severly damage the vascular system.) Bis seed is usally better (its been bred more) and paler seed is usually better (if any of yours comes up with white as opposed to blue flowers, you may want to skey the mix in favor of those, they tend to have the lowest ODAP and BAPN counts (for the record my wild ones were deep deep blue, and the seed ranged from salt and pepper motteling to a fair number that were basically grey with black and white spots (sort of like the seed pattern some lupines can get.) |
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Post by atash on Jul 18, 2011 0:58:51 GMT -5
Odds are that he is a Palestinian--running a small ethnic market would be uncharacteristic of Yisraelis, and Palestinians outnumber all other minorities though technically he could be Circassian or Armenian.
Not sure what constitutes "real". Most neutral 3rd parties seem to credit the Copts as having invented it, quite a long time ago too, but now it is spread all over, and many different groups either claim credit for inventing it, or claim that it was always ubiquitous.
Most ethnicities other than Egyptian make it with chickpeas nowadays, or a mixture, though this probably wasn't always the case. The preference for chickpeas might in part be related to a preference for a harder, almost crunchy surface. Might also be related to the fact that Favas are deadly to some Arab boys (I wonder if Egyptians have less favism than their neighbors? I think favas commonly eaten there).
Personally I prefer a little softer felafel balls, as really hard, dry ones can feel a bit indigestible to my tummy.
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Post by steev on Jul 18, 2011 1:35:57 GMT -5
The only time I've ever encountered fava falafel was in San Francisco in a deli operated by a Lebanese Christian.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Jul 18, 2011 6:15:02 GMT -5
I've been eating falafel since I was 17 and attending "DeLoux School of Cosmetology" on Irving Street near 19th Avenue. I got it from a shop at the corner of 17th or 18th and Irving, if memory serves. That was also were I learned about piroshki. Got that from "Irinka's" bakery a few blocks further down. I didn't learn that it was made of chickpeas until many years later and had no clue fava were involved until about 10 years ago. The last batch I made were all chickpea. I don't have a good source of fava around here.
Atash, do you make your pida with a starter or fresh yeast? I hope you realize I'm gonna need to make falafel sooner than later now. OH, would you ever consider using a different type of bean? Like a Navy or Pinto? Why or why not?
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Post by atash on Jul 18, 2011 9:57:47 GMT -5
I'll start a new thread for pida.
I would consider using other beans if that's what I had available. I've seen hummous made out of all kinds of different beans. Though for hummous, I prefer chickpeas.
I've come to appreciate chickpeas for their own merits. They grow cooler than other beans do, meaning I can grow them in years like this one too cool for common beans to thrive, they have higher protein levels than common beans, they come on bushy little plants that are self-supporting, and they seem to keep well.
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Post by 12540dumont on Jul 18, 2011 21:24:14 GMT -5
gophers eat all my chick peas. They must be male gophers.
Atash, you gotta try hummus with favas. It's divine!
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Post by cesarz on Aug 14, 2011 4:07:45 GMT -5
Hi,
I have a white seeded pea-sized fava called "Beryl", has anyone heard of it? I cannot find info about it anywhere.
And do you have pictures of Sweet Lorane seeds, I have seen them here but I suspect what we have are not Sweet Lorane just that somebody stuck that name on those seeds.
Cheers,
Cesar
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Post by mnjrutherford on Aug 14, 2011 14:37:58 GMT -5
I'm just a padwan learner myself at this point. Bet someone else here knows!
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