I think the broad (fava) beans I had as a child were all prepared from dried beans. I can't ever recall seeing the fresh ones in typical supermarkets here. Maybe regionally and seasonally available in the USA? We might get them in large cities, in markets that have a broader selection of produce. If I ever come across some fresh ones, I'll give them a try again.
Maybe broad beans are something that you could grow as a spring-summer crop in our Pacific Northwest, or possibly Maine, where spring-summer stays cooler after the thaw. I've read that broad beans need an 80 to 100 day growing season, and will grow in temperatures as low as 40°F (4.4°C) and as warm as 75°F (24°C); we went outside of both ends of that temperature range just this week
! Our typical spring goes from hard freezes to above 30 C in 2 months
, and the reverse is true in the fall. One expert on Georgia gardening (Walter Reeves) indicates that he is unaware of anyone succeeding with them here
.
Blackeyed peas or butter beans anyone?