Fava beans, also known by windsor beans or broad beans, have been cultivated for thousands of years.  As I learn more about them it’s understandable why.  They are extremely hardy, easy to grow and not picky about the soil they are grown in.  On top of that, like other legumes they are nitrogen fixers, so can also be used as a cover crop.

I planted my favas late fall in the middle of the yard, with direct sunlight and no protection from frost.  We have had some cold nights this winter, but the favas, along with the broccoli, lettuce and rapini easily made it through with no cover.

Now that we are having some nice warm afternoons I am getting to enjoy their beautiful blossoms.  As you can see from the photo, the centers of these large (for a legume) white blossoms are what appears to be black or possibly a very deep burgundy.

Fava beans can be eaten fresh when young, or dried and stored for later use.  However you choose to use them, it is recommended that fava beans are always cooked before consuming.

Nutritionally, fava beans are very healthful. They are low in calories and in fat, with no cholesterol as well as being high in protein, iron, and fiber. They also have high concentrations of L-dopa (dopamine), an amino acid that is a neurotransmitter in the brain which declines as we age. Dopamine plays a role in the brain in such activities as memory and energy.

Tasty, easy to grow, healthy to eat and even supplements your soil with nitrogen.  What’s not to like about fava beans?

Note: Plant fava beans in November in Maricopa County, Arizona. Soak seed 12-24 hours before sowing. Plant 1″ deep, 1″ inch apart.  Do not thin.

Jerusalem artichokes, a.k.a. sunchokes, are not related at all to the artichoke.  They actually are from the sunflower family. Its name references the artichoke because of it has a similar flavor.

These impressively tall native American plants (some of mine reach over 7 feet) are covered with bright yellow flowers summer and early fall.  Its cheerful flowers make a welcome visual addition to the edible garden.

As cool weather arrives, before the first frost and as the plant’s beauty begins to fade, it’s time to harvest what this garden giant has hiding beneath the soil… its sweet tasty tubers that can be enjoyed either raw or cooked.  These tubers can be sliced raw and added to salads or cooked and used in many dishes just like potatoes.

The Jerusalem artichoke is a good source of thiamin, potassium and iron. It is also low in saturated fat, cholesterol or sodium.  They are an excellent alternative to potatoes, especially for diabetics.  The leaves have been used to treat jaundice and liver conditions for centuries . They have also been shown to lower cholesterol.

The Jerusalem artichoke one of those “forgotten vegetables” which have become an unforgettable part of my AZ Edible Garden.

Note: Plant tubers in spring for fall harvest.

Freeze eggplant now… Enjoy it later.

As with many of my favorite crops, I tend to plant more than we can eat fresh.  Now what?  Can I freeze eggplant?  I did a little surfing to find the answer…YES!

So, the next step was to find out how to prepare it for the freezer.  Some veggies can simply be chopped and frozen, some are better blanched first, and others are best cooked, then frozen.  With eggplant, I choose to cook first.

Since our favorite eggplant dish is Eggplant Parmesan, I choose to slice, bread and bake.  Once the slices are baked I lay them out on a cookie sheet and place in freezer just until frozen.  Once frozen, I transfer to a freezer bag for easy storage.  Then, when the family is craving our favorite eggplant dish, I can assemble as usual and bake.

Here are a few other vegetables we often have an abundance of during the season, and suggestions on how to prepare for freezing.

A bit overdue according to what I’ve read, but it looks like the leaves are beginning to turn on the peanut plants.  That means it’s almost time to start harvesting peanuts here in my garden.  I believe the extended development time was caused by our long cool spring this year, delaying the plants’ growth.

Peanuts are a warm weather perennial vegetable (grown as an annual) from the legume family, which requires a long frost-free season to develop.  As I read this last winter, I thought, “Sounds perfect for here in Maricopa County!”

It is recommended peanuts be planted between mid-March and end of April here in Central Arizona.

To grow peanuts: Prepare an area rich in organic matter.  Package  instructions say full sun, but I planted mine where they got partial shade during the hottest part of the day in the summer.  I amended the soil with a good mulch and turned the soil to be sure it was nice and loose.  Be sure to water regularly and keep moist while the seeds are sprouting.  Once the plants start blossoming, let the soil dry out between waterings (not difficult during Arizona summers) to help prevent “blind” or empty pods due to over-watering.

How do you know when to harvest peanuts? The peanuts are ready to harvest when the leaves turn yellow and begin to whither.  At this point you can carefully lift pods out with a garden fork.  Shake off the loose soil, but leave peanuts attached to the plants.  Hang plants to dry in a warm dry place for a couple of weeks before removing peanuts.

The long awaited harvest of our sweet potatoes finally came to pass this weekend.  Boy, did I have some “giant” surprises waiting under the soil for me.

This year I planted most of the sweet potatoes in our original raised bed that started my journey into Arizona Edible Gardening.  The reason for using the raised bed this year was due to the fact that last year the gophers enjoyed more of the harvest that we did.  I figured they would be safer above ground level.  Well, my hunch was right, as far as the gophers went.  They didn’t get their little buck teeth on a single spud this year.

But to my surprise some of my sweet potatoes looked like they had been the product of some strange radioactive experiment as you can see from the photo.  A few were as large as six inches across and not long and narrow roots we’re accustomed to seeing, but looked more like giant softballs.  I am not sure why some grew this large, but I suspect it had something to do with the failure of my watering system during a hot week in August.  I am thinking that the plant put all it’s energy into those potatoes, allowing the vines to start dying off.  The vines did recover once the water came back on, but by then I believe the sweet potatoes had already grown like mad.

I was so disappointed upon my discovery, sure they would taste as bad as they looked.  But to my delight these super sized sweet potatoes are just as good as the others.  For the taste test I roasted one of these giants and everyone loved them.

With any luck, next year’s sweet potatoes will be grown without incident and we’ll have more of what we are used to serving.  But it’s nice to know even those super-sized sweet potatoes are super tasty, too.

Easy Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Peel and cut sweet potatoes into bit sized pieces.  Put into large ziploc bag , add olive oil to coat, and season to taste.  (I just used sea salt and fresh ground pepper).  Once coated pour onto foil lined baking sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until tender and browned a bit.