Fava bean leaves
Vicia faba
leaf
Tender young tips pinched from the top of fava bean plants, tasting of peas and fresh fava beans, raw or sautéed.
- Origin
- Near East, grown everywhere
- Where to find it
- In the vegetable garden, from your own plants, or from a grower who sells them in bunches; in England, they turn up at farmers' markets as “broad bean tops”.
- Season (United States)
- March to May
- Preparation
- The young tips are pinched from the top of the plants, rinsed and eaten raw in salads or stir-fried for a minute with garlic, like spinach.
- Did you know?
- The tips are pinched so the plant makes finer pods, and to drive away aphids.