Fava beans are one of the oldest cultivated plants on record. While the beans are edible and delicious, it is often used as a cover crop between plantings of other crops because of their ability to nourish the soil. An early, cool season crop, Favas are at their best during cool springs. Young beans can be eaten fresh, like sweet peas, but as the bean grows they become starchier and benefit from a quick blanching. They are a perfect compliment to Morels (Morels and Favas both having short seasons at the same time in Spring), pureed with ricotta to fill raviolis or other stuffed pastas, they can be pureed to make a dip or pesto, or added to any vegetable stew or soup. There is always the question of how much to peel them - in France, they pull the beans from the pod, blanch the beans then remove the dull outer layer - while in Spain and Italy they often do not do the second peel and eat the outer layer, which is often described as having a delicate, asparagus flavor. Try them both ways and determine which preparation you prefer.