[Robster]

I harvested some baby broad beans at the weekend had them whole really nice.  Can you eat the pinched out tops?  I thought I read that you can.  A thread here said you can cut down the earlies after cropping and get a second (smaller) flush later.

Seems like a great crop to me.  Whole beans small, tops and then the main beans.  Cut them down and get a second go all round.

Has anyone else tried this?  I'm going to try it this year.  Advice and experiences appreciated.

[solway cropper]

Not tried eating the tops as I grow them for the beans and if I want leaves I grow lettuce 

You can get a second crop of small beans to be eaten in the pods whole by cutting back and getting new growth. What you get seems to be dependent on the weather and time of year but it's always worth a go.

[Nobbie]

The tops can be used like spinach and I am about to harvest mine now that the beans have set. I'll also cut them down after cropping to get a second flush later in the year as I don'y need the space. They're Aquadulce Claudia that were overwintered.

[pigguns]

we had the bean tops a few weeks ago- cook like chard.  They were ok, bonus food eh?
Picked my first new beans today 

[LilacSandy]

I have tried cutting down and you do get a second crop but it is very small and I do not think it is worth the effort, if you want a second crop you can sow more beans but the only downside is that they are more likely to get a bad blackfly infestation.

[Robster]

LilacSandy,
Very interested in your experience of the second flush as a very low yield.  Obviously I want to get as much of a second crop as possible so was planning to feed quite thoroughly.  Did you do this?  What would you do differently?
Best

[LilacSandy]

I did not feed Robster, so that may have made a difference but even so I did not get much of a crop, however if you do not need the ground for anything else then anything you get is a bonus.  I did sow a second packet last year when the first plants were starting to crop and got a good second lot but I did not have many black fly.

[agapanthus]

The tops are delicious steamed and then butter and pepper added. I used to go around our allotment site and ask if I could take the tops off peoples broad beans.....they always said yes....YUMMY!!

[Robster]

I took the broad beans tops off just in the nick of time.  There were three that were infested with blackly.  All the rest were fine.  Does taking the tops out stop the fly from colonising the lower and presumably tougher bits of stem?  I'll see on Sunday.

Agapanthus.  I cooked mine like spinach then used them in a Torta Pasquale recipe that I found on the bbc http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/tortapasquale_88435 I'll remember you recipe for next time