Ask RiotACT: what has happened to broadbeans?

I hope all beans suffer instant extinction tomorrow .

I bought frozen broad beans, on special, this afternoon at Woolworth’s Majura.

Hi All!

Thanks for the info!

Chris DB.

Serina Huang said :

They are best found in early spring.

That’s true; broad beans are usually available in the garden at the end of the year. With supermarkets storing and providing ‘fresh’ (maybe months old in cold storage) food, those that don’t grow their own food are not so aware that many foods are seasonal. I eat fresh broad beans late spring/early summer and that’s it for the year. Through summer into autumn it’s green beans. In winter it’s dried broad beans and frozen green beans, but people who get all their food from supermarkets and the like, lose the knowledge that many vegetables are naturally seasonable. This time of year is not the time to have broad beans, unless dried. Maybe Coles and others might know how to cold store broad beans, but I have not been successful at this, except to extend the season a little. Hence dried beans. No ‘drier’ is needed; the beans do that naturally when left in the air. So, my suggestion to check at the market may not bear fruit. But who knows; maybe they know how to store green broad beans. Mine go dark in my cold storage. Dry them to have them at this time of year. They likely freeze too.

They are best found in early spring. I find that places where home gardeners sell extra product like the Jamison Trash n’ Treasure are the best places to find them. A close substitute is edamane (soy beans), which you can buy frozen at Asian grocery stores.

Easy to grow, and what isn’t eaten fresh can be dried. Doesn’t help your situation, so try the markets.

If you are really keen, IGA still stocks them. There may have been a shortage and they have just run out, although we aren’t far past the end of the season. Maybe next year……