getting a farm box every week has proved to be both wonderful and a tad arduous. wonderful for all the inspiration it has given me and arduous, since all your produce comes at once and needs to be washed and dealt with in some way. i’ve gotten used to just blocking out a 1/2 hour and washing and trimming everything at once so it’s all ready to go for a week of cooking. a little hassle for a big payback in my opinion. but then came the fava beans! holy mackerel are these little guys a pain in the butt! first you have to shuck them out of their big, green, fuzzy pods, and then you have to blanch them to remove their outer shell. is all of this work worth it? hell yes! boy are these guys good, and super good for you. i’ve become a little bit of a fava addict these days. i hope these tips make you one as well!

1. remove the fava beans from their outer pod. (once this step is done you can put them in a ziplock bag and store them in the fridge until your ready to use them, about 5 days)

2. blanch the beans in boiling water for 1 minute, drain immediately and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking.

3. gently peel away the outer shell to reveal the bright green tender bean. (once this step is done you can use them right away or store them in an airtight container, about 3 days)

at this point, these little beauties are ready to be tossed in a salad and eaten just as they are. or, try adding them to a simple veggie roast or an orzotto (orzo in the style of risotto) like i did for a fabulous side dish or lunch.

for this orzotto, i followed my recipe and added cubes of fresh mozzerella and the favas.