I harvested the first of my broad beans this week. I always get a bit excited by broad bean harvests – they are one of the last truly seasonal crops, best enjoyed cooked soon after harvest. Aside from frozen you can really only get them here for a brief period in Spring and even then they are only really available at markets or of course from your own garden like these ones:
I cooked them with some tiny potatoes and some fresh garlic.
I don’t know what to think about my garlic this year, some of it is starting to die back – a month early in my opinion and frankly the heads aren’t really big enough to store yet. They are great to eat fresh though, so I am enjoying pulling the occasional one and eat it with other Spring produce.
Everything seems a bit small at the moment. This is my first beetroot harvest for Spring. I sow beetroot seed in seed trays and then pot them on once before planting out so I do get a few bolting early (like these ones), as I think they prefer not to have their roots disturbed. Its worth it though as I the turn around time in the beds is really quick growing them this way. I reckon these couple have only occupied space for about a month.
Smaller still were these carrots. Mr 3 recognised the foliage in the garden and decide to get himself a snack. It took my longer to photograph them than it did for him to eat them. I have suggested he waits a little longer before pulling any more – he’s unlikely to listen of course but you have to try….
Continuing the small veg theme was the first cucumber of the season. I bought some Lebanese cucumber seedlings, as the slugs/snails got many of the ones I sowed. In retrospect I think I probably both bought and planted them out too early as they seem to have rushed to fruit without much leaf growth. I have taken off a few of their fruit to try and encourage a bit more growth. This one was big enough to eat (just).
One thing that is putting on loads of leaf growth are my lettuces. I harvest enough for a big green salad each day and still the leaves come. Yay for lettuces is what I say!
For more veg (much of it a little larger than mine) head over to Daphne’s Dandelions and see harvests from around the world.
Broad beans have a fairly long season with us – especially if sowing is staggered.
Our garlic was small to this year even though it will have had quite different conditions to yours.
Staggered sowing is very organised – I always seem to run out of space before I manage to stagger anything.
I too am loving the broadbeans and lettuce right now, although I also have had a smaller than usual crop of garlic – I had just put it down to them being in a less sunny spot, but maybe there are more serious forces at play… I now am more eagerly anticipating cucumbers since I planted out some bought seedlings just this weekend and sowed some seeds. Can’t be too long now!
Mine weren’t in as sunny as spot as I’d like either. I’ve harvested a few more since and a couple are decent size but the rest are a bit small. Still I’ve got a lot left in the ground so hopefully I will get some decent ones.
I do love broad beans in the spring. Last year mine didn’t grow very well. I can only hope next year is better.
I think my broad beans will be done in another fortnight, it really is a short sharp season. I need to get on and do something with the ones in my fridge – good thing we have a holiday tomorrow!
Half of my garlic is also looking like that one pictured (at least the stems look about the same size) and are starting to die back, perhaps I should pick that lot now and let the ones that are doing well continue their thing.
What a good idea with the beetroot, though you’re right about not liking their roots disturbed. The carrots look like my usual attempts – funnily enough it’s usually Miss Three who enthusiastically rips them out of the ground for a snack.
I’m amazed you have cukes already, mine are barely above ground, in fact I just replanted some seeds on Saturday after some didn’t germinate or got snacked on by snails. Those couple of warm sunny days and a good dose of seaweed emulsion has set them growing now though, so hopefully we’ll have some fruit in the not too distant future.
Finally your lettuce always looks amazing, I just can’t seem to get mine going at the moment. I have one that is big enough to pick from, but that doesn’t supply us all and the rest are completely tiny and just have not done anything. I’ve started more seeds in the trays and I think I’ll plant some seed direct in one of my tomato pots and hope they do better.
I think the key with lettuces is regular sowings I sow mine in seed trays and pot up once before planting out – that way they are always a good size going into the ground. Also I sowed seed frequently enough that I never have to wait for them to get big enough to plant out – there just always seem to be some the right size. Miss & Mr 3 seem to have remarkably similar habits….
I have never planted or eaten broadbeans! Are they eaten shelled or with the shell on? In any case, they look great. Your lettuce looks beautiful and so do all your harvests! Small is often tastier and I’m sure things are going to size up for you soon!
You might know them as fava beans. I eat the double shelled, removed from the pod then after cooking I remove the outer layer around the seeds. some people don’t do this but personally I find it improves the flavour and texture immensely.
I always intend to grow broadbeans but then never remember too! Maybe this coming year I will get past that first hurdle of even remembering about them. 😀
I say HURRAH for lettuces too! The fall and spring lettuces are such a treat.
Sometimes the planting window closes before you really have a chance doesn’t it?
Broad beans! Oh, I do hope ours will be successful next spring…this past spring was just too warm! Your beans look absolutely perfect, too! Fingers are crossed for better luck! And, by the way, your tiny veggies are very cute and as long as they taste good, nothing else really matters now does it? 😉
Very true. Very true.
Small, but edible. YUM, I bet delish!
I’ve yet to try growing broad beans here. I guess I never really acquired the taste for them. Small is not a always bad thing, though I would agree those carrots might be better in a couple of weeks! 🙂
I really enjoy the broad beans when I have them but I don’t miss them that much when I don’t if you know what I mean.
Call them baby veg instead of small and you’re heading towards then being a gourmet treat! Great looking harvest though.
Ah the optimism – excellent work.
Liz, just take comfort from the fact that “Baby veg” is very much sought-after! Our catalogues are full of varieties specially bred to be miniature.
Ah yes – at least I can say I’m ‘on trend’ in one area of my life…
Beautiful batch of broad beans! Ours always suffer some kind of scarring. Still, we can hardly wait for their season to return.
They do well for me – must like the climate I guess.
I gave up growing broad beans as I just have no luck with them. Your veggies are not small at all, they are high end baby veggies.
Ah wonderful optimism – thankyou! Shame your broad beans didn’t work, they seem to like the climate here.
Beautiful broad beans and cute carrots, I always transplant my beetroots, some don’t mind and some do like it.