Broad Beans (gouache style)

Broad beans are among the oldest cultivated crops, grown across Europe and the Middle East since prehistoric times. They're upright plants with square, hollow stems and grey-green leaves. The scented flowers are usually white with a black blotch on each wing, though some heritage kinds have crimson flowers, and bumblebees work them hard. 'Aquadulce Claudia' is the classic choice for autumn sowing, while 'The Sutton' is a compact dwarf variety.

Hardy varieties can be sown outdoors in October or November to overwinter and crop from late May. Spring sowings go in from February to April. Sow about 5cm deep in double rows, and give taller varieties stakes and string before they flop. When the first pods have set, pinch out the growing tips to discourage blackfly, and don't waste them: they're good cooked like spinach. Pick pods young and often. After the last harvest, cut the stems at ground level and leave the roots in the soil.

The plants in this picture carry black and white flowers alongside fat green pods, a few of them split open to show the beans inside. Flowers and full pods together sum up the broad bean in early summer, when the plant is still blooming at the top and ready to pick lower down.