Naturally grown broad beans

Naturally grown broad beans

We received naturally grown fava beans from Ueno Masuhisa of Kumamoto Prefecture.

The broad bean is said to have gotten its name from the way its pods grow upwards, as if looking up at the sky.

■Tips for boiling fava beans Fava beans are delicious even if they are simply boiled in salted water, but they can be made even more delicious with some careful preparation and boiling tips.

★Preparation Early-season beans can be eaten with the thin skin, but if the skin is tough, make a 1cm cut in the black vein part of the bean (ohaguro). This will make it easier to peel the skin, and it will not wrinkle when boiled, resulting in a beautiful finish.

★How to boil: Bring plenty of water and 2% salt (1 tablespoon of salt for every 800ml of water) to a boil in a pot, add the prepared broad beans and boil for 1 minute 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Be careful not to overcook them as this will affect the texture.

The skin will peel off easily from the cut.

It can be used in a variety of ways, such as in salads or stir-fries.

Also, when making kakiage (fried vegetables), do not boil them but use them raw, removing the thin skin first.

We also recommend roasted fava beans, which are cooked with the pods still on. They are perfect for barbecues.

*There are approximately 13 broad beans in 500g.

■Recipe introduction Broad bean and almond tempura (serves 2)

150g broad beans (inside), 50g almonds, flour, potato starch, water (to taste), 2 pinches of salt

1) Make slits in the broad beans with a knife to prevent them from bursting.

Cut each almond into about four pieces.

② Put wheat flour mixed with about 20% potato starch into a bowl and add water to make a thick "mixed powder."

Add salt.

Add the beans and almonds and mix.

③ Heat oil to medium temperature and deep fry ② in batches of about 3 broad beans. *You can also use nuts other than almonds.

Ueno has been committed to natural farming since he started farming

Masuhisa Ueno is a natural farmer who is indispensable to Purely.

He encountered Purely when he first began farming and has been farming using natural farming methods from the very beginning.

At first, the crops did not grow well and there were even reports of total destruction.

"At first, I didn't know anything about natural farming, so I just copied what I saw. But it didn't work at all. When I started growing onions here, almost all of them died after about two years."

Although Ueno can now laugh about his failures, he says that it was extremely difficult at the beginning.

Nevertheless, he has managed to look at his failures in a positive way, and has proactively participated in lectures sponsored by Purely and training sessions organized by the National Natural Farming Promotion Association.

"Looking back, this failure taught me the importance of soil preparation."

And it is certainly evolving.

Now, among Purely's partner producers, they produce a wide variety of naturally grown vegetables, which is one of the best.

Most of the produce is produced from seeds we collect ourselves or purchased fixed varieties, and we are committed to natural cultivation from seeds.

"I want to make natural farming a normal part of agriculture. I believe I can do it, and I want to continue spreading the word by continuing to focus solely on natural farming."

Ueno-san is passionate about natural farming and works hard every day. Please enjoy the naturally grown broad beans that are full of Ueno-san's passion.