Purple fava beans...

...may look pretty. But...

...that vivid color is not necessarily a sign of deliciousness.

When Andy Griffin said "good-bye" to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market a month ago, my first reaction was to pout. I couldn't imagine a Saturday without discovering what magical vegetables Andy and his crew were growing at Mariquita Farm, their farm in Hollister near Santa Cruz. Next, I stomped my feet. Who was to blame for this injustice? For lack of a better target, I shook my fists at CUESA, the non-profit organization that runs the market blamed myself for not buying enough of Andy's artichokes, cardoons, piquillo peppers, and pimientos de padrón last year.

Finally, I got smart. I signed up for the weekly CSA basket from Two Small Farms (the other farm being High Ground Organics in Watsonville). That's how these pretty purple beans landed in my hands. They were part of last week's basket. When I ripped open one of my 2 pounds of fava pods, out popped a violet bean. How exciting! In the tens of thousands of fava beans I've shucked, I had never once seen a purple one. 2 of the pods in my basket contained purple beans.

As you know, shucking favas is a 2-step process. First you pop the beans out of their pod. Next you blanch them for a minute and toss them in ice water. Finally, you pry them out of their little wet suits with your finger nail. Would the bean inside be purple?

Sadly, the answer is no. The purple jackets contained starchy beans the color of straw. Fine for a puree on toast, I suppose. But a pale shadow of the beautiful emerald jewels in the rest of my bowl. Those tender marvels represent the highest expression of spring.

Have any of you ever seen a purple fava bean?

Maybe, just maybe, finding a purple fava bean is like finding a four-leafed clover. Perhaps I should head to Vegas this weekend. Or buy a lottery ticket. Or maybe, instead of blanching them, I should have planted those purple beans in the backyard of my future restaurant. Do you think a completely constructed restaurant would have sprouted from the earth? (Sigh. One can dream).

If you want a chance to win your own good luck charm, head down to Mariquita Farm tomorrow morning between 9 and noon to their one-day-only Fava Bean U-Pick. Fava bean season's short, so it's tomorrow or next year. I know, I really ought to have told you sooner. Please don't pout. Or stomp your feet. I know you miss Andy and Julia as much as I do. Maybe I'll see you down there?

Food|and Drink|San Francisco|Farmers' Market

Comments

[sam]

why did you blame cuesa?

I read somehwere a quote from Andy where he bad mouthed the market's visitors and blamed them for his leaving. Sure - there are a lot of tourists there who aren't buying veg, but for those of us locals who diligently shop every week and are supportive of all these small farms come rain or shine, what he said was a bit of a kick in the face.

Ahh purle food - never found one that didn't look pretty disappointing by the time it was cooked.

[Brett]

Why blame CUESA? No reason. Just being flippant. I've since changed the sentence to be more self-deprecating.

As for Andy's comments, I don't think he meant them as disrespect to those of us who shop at the FPFM either. He seemed to mean that the economics of attending the market were not as favorable as in the past. According to other vendors I've spoken with, revenue is down at farmers' markets across the Bay Area compared to 5 years ago. I'm not sure of the reasons. CUESA is not to blame and neither, frankly, are tourists. In fact, according to my sources, the Saturday FPFM is still the leading market in the Bay Area, with the Saturday Berkeley market second.

[erik_flannestad]

If you want to grow purple fava's, Seeds of Change sell them. They're called Guatemalan Purple.

http://www.seedsofchange.com/garden_center/product_details.asp?item_no=S11118

I've had good luck in San Francisco, planting favas in November, for lots of spring beans.

[Brett]

That's wild, Erik. I love Seeds of Change. They sell some really interesting heirloom seeds. Those Guatemalan favas appear deep, dark violet, almost black. Do you know if those beans are actually purple beneath the outer skins? The ones I found in my market basket were more than likely random discolorations, not this Guatemalan Purple variety.

[deliberately]

Thanks for the purple fava photo. Beautiful!

[sher]

What a beautiful picture. I grow my own favas, just had them last night, in fact. And I've never had a purple fava. We adore them in our house and I wish I could plant acres of them!