Beans and peas are one of those marvelous crops that not only taste delicious, they actually give back nutrients into the soil. Peas can take nitrogen out of the air and “fix” it into the soil. Nutritious for you, nutritious for the earth. We offer several kinds of beans throughout the season.
Click for cranberry shelling bean recipes
Sugar snap peas have edible pods and are great raw, dipped in hummus or stir-fried with other veggies. They are very sweet and kids love them.
Romano beans have an edible pod as well, but they are thicker than the snap peas and have a slightly “fuzzy”texture to the outside. They can be eaten raw or try Chef Andrew’s recipe for braising.
Filet beans (Haricot Vert) are thin, delicate beans originating from France. They are more tender than the regular green beans you find 
in the grocery store, and we offer both green and yellow varieties and there is no need to “string” them. They are generally prepared by cooking them, either by blanching and/or sauteéing, steaming or boiling. Nothing beats a szechuan or filet bean stir-fry with garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes!
Shelling beans, such as the pink speckled cranberry shelling beans or Tongues of Fire, are available late summer. They do not have edible pods. Beans must be removed from their speckled pods before braising and are a great addition to a minestrone soup. Unlike dried beans, you do not need to soak fresh shelling beans overnight.
Fava beans are a spring treat. harvested as a fresh bean, which you shell and cook (usually) until tender. 
Standard fava bean cooking is to blanch the shelled beans in boiling water for a minute or two, then slip the skin off each bean by pinching the end and squeezing the bean out. Alternatively, the shelled beans can be sauteéd without skinning them in olive oil with garlic and a pinch of salt. The skin on the smaller beans is more tender; larger beans will have tougher skins that are better removed.
