Fava beans are available only a few months of the year in areas that
have a representation of people with Italian, Greek, and Middle Eastern
heritages.
The fava bean looks somewhat like a huge, overgrown green pea. Ins~de, the
pale green, velvety pod is tightly packed with about six to eight beans
that resemble large round limas. As with limas, the pods are edible only
when they are very young and immature. As a rule, the pods are discarded.
Fava beans, if available, arrive in spring and are out of season by early
summer. California and New Jersey produce most of our crop.
Some people are allergic to raw fava beans and ingestion of the uncooked
favas can result in mild or acute discomfort and, in rare cases, can induce
a coma. The cooked fava is not toxic.