Fava beans will be in season soon, and I've never been able to find them anywhere. The grocery stores certainly don't have them. Are they available at any of the farmer's markets usually?

I've seen them in past years at Dean & Deluca and at Whole Foods.

They'll be available from a few vendors at Dupont Market for a few weeks, in a few weeks.

In addition to the grocery stores mentioned above, Shopper's usually has them. I always see them at the DuPont market.

Great! Thanks guys (and gal). I'll be sure to keep an eye out. I guess I just never noticed them. Hopefully the Whole Foods I usually visit will start carrying them.

Hans at the Dupont Market will have fava's at the end of May. Everything until then -- though far better than no favas -- will be second tier.

A good thought is to blanch them and serve atop crusty bread with feta, lemon and olive oil, btw, preferably on a balcony or porch with the spring sunshine raining down. If you can find it (I can't) a good Assyrtiko from the island of Santorini -- legendary for their favas (no shit) -- wouild make a fine accompaniment.

I definitely plan to make some fava bean crostini like I'm starting to see at 2 Amys and the tagliatelle at Komi with the favas and radishes...yum.

I've gotten fava beans at Wegmans, Harris Teeter, Grand Mart, and maybe Whole Foods--I've certainly seen them at WF.

Some ethnic stores also carry frozen shelled favas--they're large beans, and still need to be blanched and peeled.

I can't guarantee that they're any good, but Whole Foods at Tenleytown had some fresh ones from from California today at $2.99 a pound.

In a pinch, use edamame.

If you're in Prince William County, Global Foods has them.

Bought some passable ones last night at P St Whole Foods--probably 5% of them had to be chucked after shelling, but after a quick blanch, hulling and toss with olive oil, lemon juice, fresh mint, sea salt, black pepper and topped with a shave of pecorino they managed to make me wildly happy about spring.

I found frozen, shelled fava beans last night at Whole Foods in Springfield. The 16-oz bag was $2.29.

Cooked according to package directions (in boiling water for 7 minutes) produced a very mealy texture and not a lot of flavor. I'll try again but just warm them.

Balduccis had them yesterday. I shelled and peeled them today. That was a lot of work.

Broken record... Whole Foods Old Town has them fresh. They look good too.

I was at the Whole Foods in Springfield this morning and they have them too. Unfortunately they look horrible. And no ramps to be seen anywhere, not to mention the blank looks when I asked about them.

When they look horrible, ask if you can open up a pod to take a look.

You'd be surprised.

And thanks for the comments here about cashiers not being able to find the right code for items at Whole Foods. I even told my cashier how much they were per pound and she waved me through after consulting someone else's chart. Free food makes double-shelling less of a pain.

Recommendation: a Roman spring stew with new potatoes, onions, baby artichokes, parsely, and lots of peas.*

*Frozen, thawed. Better than fresh English ones. Don't be a martyr.

Oh, boy. I'm a clam now.

I've tried two different brands. Not very good, mealy no flavor. If it works out for I'm curious about the brand.

I figured in order to live up to my foodie moniker I should finally try favas. Picked up a box at the Takoma Market this morning.
Shelled, blanched, and shelled again. Sauteed in butter and topped with salt pepper and pecorino.
And they tasted like beans sauteed in butter with salt pepper and pecorino.

With all the hype I was expecting a revelation.
So, um, what am I missing here?

Try mashing the beans with exta virgin olive oil and seasoning with roasted garlic, lemon juice and zest, finely chopped basil and a little bit of rosemary, salt and pepper. Spread that on a toasted piece of rustic bread that has been drizzled with EVO, and layer some thin shards of pecorino or other sheepmilk cheese on top. Wash it down with a chilled dry rosé while sitting in some verdant spot on a warm day. Then we'll talk about fresh favas again, and see how you feel about them.

You can find them in ee marts and super H (dried and fresh).

Fava is the one bean I don't like. Maybe I don't know how to cook them. I find the outer covering on the bean (not the pod) very tough. Should I be removing them. For having such a tough and rubbery skin, it also seems to have less fiber and taste.

All other beans, rock. Eat more beans...

Yes.

Favas have a three-stage prep, and for that reason many people find them a hassle. Prepping a large amount of them is definitely time-consuming. I usually do it while watching tv.

First, remove the beans from the pods. Then blanch the beans in a fair amount of boiling water for 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from the pot and cool the beans with cold tap water. Then nip off the top of the pale thick hull with your thumbnail and squeeze out the bright green bean. Discard the hulls. After you've figured out the technique, it goes quite quickly. The beans can be eaten as-is (they are cooked), or they can be quickly sauteed and served hot.

You can also eat them raw. Get yourself a pile of younger beans, some crusty Italian bread, a small dish of extra virgin olive oil, and a small pile of salt. Take bean (and bread if you like), dip in oil, dip in salt, put in mouth. Repeat until beans are gone. Toughest part is taking them out of the pod.

For some people, there is a risk involved in eating large quantities of raw favas, which contain small amounts of toxins that are destroyed by heating them. Look down the Wikipedia page to the section headed Health Issues.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicia_faba

Do dried ones work the same way?