a pocketful of....

....broad beans.
Was driving by Anthony's garden this morning (he of the tomatoes of many blips ago) and he was planting the new crop. We started a long yarn under the shade of a lemon tree and got onto the subject of beans at which point it was a walk through a hundred metres of broad beans and sampling them, fresh from the plant and in various stages.
The tiny are sweet and he blanches them whole in the pod then fries in olive oil and garlic with bacon, ham or coppa, sprinkles the mix with flour or breadcrumbs and presses the mix into a bread tin. This is Scachata (which means squashed) and when cooled is sliced like a loaf.
As the beans get bigger, they get nuttier in flavour and more substantial in size and texture. Even the 'monsters' were delicious raw (even without the bean's 'jacket' removed).
He tucked this quartet into his pocket to dry for next year's sowing and tomorrow with his grandchildren will collect the beans already dried on the stem.

After that it was on to wild radish...young shoots sauteed with a little olive oil, garlic and perhaps chilli and young stems just like asparagus (and yes we were munching on those at this point)...and fresh turned nadine potatoes. Armfuls of each and much educated, tomorrow I am back to collect more wild radish before he rotivates it back into the earth.

He is such a sweet and generous man with his time, knowledge and recipes and so very happy to share words and fresh picked produce.
Unlike A in his wellies, I was tripping around in sneakers and brought half the garden back in them...tomorrow it will be Blunnies and a basket.