[shokkyy]

I'm doing broad beans for the first time this year. They've been flowering for weeks and have had quite a few pods on for weeks as well, but the pods seem to be taking an awfully long time to fill out. How long does it normally take for broad bean pods to fill?

[Brewers]

pick a few when they're small an young....delicious!!

plenty of watering young man and they will soon come on and you'll have a glut

[shokkyy]

plenty of watering young man and they will soon come on and you'll have a glut

Wrong on both counts

When you say pick small, do you mean to eat the pod? Or do you mean to eat really really small beans?

[mumofstig]

Eating the pod?........I tried that and   I thought they were disgusting  

[DD.]

There's a reason for that.

[plum crumble]

There's a reason for that.

which is??

[DD.]

Work it out for yourself! 

[mumofstig]

well you see I was lead to believe they would be alright that way, by a few posts 

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=4611.msg53408#msg53408

and I'd never grown them before this year, because as I child I didn't like them.
I should have known better 

[shokkyy]

The pods are supposed to be edible as long as you pick them when very young. But personally I think I'll stick with french beans and mangetout if I get the urge to eat pods. I'm still struggling to wrap my head around the idea that anyone would have the patience to actually sit and peel broad beans

[gazza975526570]

The pods are supposed to be edible as long as you pick them when very young. But personally I think I'll stick with french beans and mangetout if I get the urge to eat pods. I'm still struggling to wrap my head around the idea that anyone would have the patience to actually sit and peel broad beans

I find them disgusting if peeled or not!!!!!

Probably one of the only crops i never grow

[mobilekat]

The trick to eating broad beans is to double de-pod them.

Take them out of the pod and boil them, then (asbestos fingers help!- or let them cool) gently squeeze them out of the grey coat the beans wear.
The remaining green inners are lovely- and although it takes a bit of time they are so sweet!
Then if you toss them into a salad they are gorgeous...

(wanders off outside to tell the beans to hurry up!)