Broad beans instead of wheat

[Lamb's Orchard]

https://www.theguardian.com/food/20...ld-switch-to-broad-bean-bread-say-researchers

Anyone interested? 🫤

 

[michael N123]

When are beans ripe enough to harvest dry ?

 

[Adeptandy]

I'd have a go

 

[SteveHants]

Seems reasonable enough to me.

 

[Lamb's Orchard]

When are beans ripe enough to harvest dry ?

No idea.

Not sure how far £2m government funding will go. 🫤

 

[stroller]

I thought one ate fava beans with liver and a nice chianti?

 

[yellowbelly]

When are beans ripe enough to harvest dry ?

In Lincolnshire they're ready in late September/early October.

In the 1980's when a lot of land in North Lincs used for vining peas had become a bit 'pea sick' leading to a lot of foot rot, one vining group (Ancholme Viners) switched to growing broad beans.

These were vined normally but any that had gone over were seeded down and combined.

All the farmers in the group were too busy drilling wheat to be bothered to get their combines out again at that time of year, so we used to get the job of cutting them.

Best paying job we ever had. They were as clean as a whistle, no dessication (as far as I remember), on 20" rows and about 18" high.

Didn't take any thrashing, sieves wide open, fan flat out and you could rattle along with no losses and produce a perfect sample.

Done acres and acres of 'em.

Added bonus was that the inside of the combine got shot blasted out before you put it away for the winter.

 

[Sid]

No idea.

Not sure how far £2m government funding will go. 🫤

@£90/acre Bean Production Scheme BPS for short, not that far.

 

[egbert]

Curious concept, but read bare report carefully and it seems like the plan would principally be to replace the soya in some breads, and 'some' of the wheat flour.

They'd be nitrogen fixing, which has to be an attraction?

Yield against cost of growing would be the biggie..... i take it they don't compete against imported soya, or it'd be happening already?

But most of all, i love it that within the first handful of posts we've found a TFFer who can tell us the nitty gritty about cropping em.
Should someone point professor whatsherface to @yellowbelly to save her time?

 

[Steel]

I don’t grow many as they are difficult to sell and not worth enough unless there is a ship for Egypt looking for a load.
With the price of urea I wish I could grow more.

 

[Barleymow]

Can grow every 5th year might restict the area available

 

[Fish]

Fave Beans = Spring Beans
same same

 

[Bogweevil]

Fave Beans = Spring Beans
same same

fava beans = faba = american for our field beans, winter or spring.

Broad beans have larger seeds possibly lower yield can be sown autumn or winter - all the same species, Vicia faba:

• faba major – the large broad bean - by far the most broad beans are grown in China
• faba equine – the small seeded horse bean - I don't think anyone uses this definition nowadays - it is either winter/spring beans
• faba minor – the tic bean used to be grown for pigeon fanciers, now for bird cover crops

Garden broad beans are indeterminate cropping all up their stem in succession over several weeks, field and freezer industry beans are determinate and ripen in a tighter window so they can be harvested with combine or viner.

Broad beans grown for freezing industry have white flowers, small seeds and marked lower levels of tannin.

PGRO offer a comprehensive guide to bean agronomy: https://www.pgro.org/downloads/PGRO-AGRONOMY-GUIDE-2016.pdf

 

[yellowbelly]

Broad beans grown for freezing industry have white flowers, small seeds and marked lower levels of tannin.

....and smell as good as honeysuckle when in flower

 

[Bury the Trash]

and the bees like them

 

[topground]

....and smell as good as honeysuckle when in flower

And yield wonderful honey. I had hives putting on one pound a day last time I was able to locate colonies on field edges in amongst the crop

 

[yellowbelly]

And yield wonderful honey. I had hives putting on one pound a day last time I was able to locate colonies on field edges in amongst the crop

The local bee keepers were always keen to know where the broad beans were going to be every year.

 

[Tractor Tim]

Field brand are no good for honey bees because of the closed flower until a bumblebee has bitten the bottom of the flower to give them a way in. If you stand in the field when the bees are active you can hear the bumblebee bite the flower it's amazing how loud it is

 

[Muddyroads]

Bean weevils are an issue in the ones we grow as organic human consumption beans. Don’t know how easy they are to control conventionally.

 

[Barleymow]

Bean weevils are an issue in the ones we grow as organic human consumption beans. Don’t know how easy they are to control conventionally.

extra protein in the bread