Once upon a time, while cleaning out my kitchen pantry I encountered a jarful of dried organic fava beans that had been around longer than I could remember. When in doubt throw it out, right? Back then I had a productive vegetable garden, was an avid composter, and my favorite place to throw away anything organic was in the ground. It was the dead of winter in the bay area, a short rainy break between two gorgeous seasons. As I watched my hyacinths and tulips come up, I remember seeing vigorous sturdy stalks emerge. It wasn't unusual to see foreign plants sprout from the ground because I threw just about everything into the garden, and often lost track of what was in the ground. Very soon those stalks sent out beautiful white viola-like looking flowers, which eventually gave way to generous fava beans that fanned upwards much like the way bananas grow. It was an incredible surprise to me. Later on that Spring I had more fresh fava beans than I knew what to do with, and let me tell you after that season, I've become one fast moving mother shucker.
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