Our first introduction to fava beans happened in 1998 when a local Mexican farmer (the uncle of Dr. Duran who had a few acres in Carmen, just south of Tubac) invited Stewart to see his small farm. When he arrived, the farmer was working with an ox between rows of a plant unfamiliar to Stewart. “Son abas,” he explained using the Spanish word for the bean. After a tour of the garden, the two of them went into the house to talk shop. Stewart was pretty new to farming back then and wanted to glean any information he could from the few people in the area still growing vegetables. They sat in the man’s kitchen where a bowl of abas soaking in a salt-water brine was waiting. “Very popular in Sonora,” the farmer explained, popping the salty beans in his mouth, “you should grow them, too.” It was a few years later when a customer referred to the beans as “favas” and we have since learned that the beans, which are actually a giant pea, go by many names; vicia faba, the broad bean, field bean, bell bean, tic bean and more. Elio (from our local Italian restaurant, Melios) was ecstatic when he learned that we were growing them. He recalls a springtime tradition in Italy when families would head out to farms in the countryside for the early fava harvest. I wish I could successfully write in his charming Italian accent as he explained with enthusiastic nostalgia how they would eat the sweet, young beans, fresh and raw with chunks of pecorino cheese and glasses of good wine – ahhh – Italians make eating and food so romantic!

We have been harvesting fresh favas the last couple of weeks and I am hoping to leave the rest to dry for winter use.

Garlic is a mainstay in our diet – we use it to flavor almost everything that we eat. Fortunately, it also has a relatively long shelf life, so when we run out, a new crop is just around the corner. If you have fresh garlic growing in your garden (or if you visit a farm that does), you can get green garlic in the spring. The garlic leaves or scapes that shoot up from the bulbs are packed with flavor and can be robbed from the plant well before it is ready for harvest. Garlic is relatively easy to grow in Southern Arizona, mostly because it is pest resistant and also because it grows through the winter when the weeds are less persistent and the temperatures more bearable for cultivation chores (we plant ours in October or November and harvest in June). The garlic harvest is in full swing by the 2nd week of June in time for our annual Garlic and Onion Festival the 3rd weekend of the month.

I have come to learn that onions are one of my favorite vegetables (I know – I have said that about many crops). Isn’t it amazing how the flavor of an onion changes from crisp and hot when raw, to tender and sweet when cooked to down right delectable when caramelized? – mmmm! Onions also have a long shelf life and are a part of most of our meals. We are harvesting them this month and hope to sell most at our Garlic and Onion Festival.

Other than the shade that they have provided, I have taken our mulberry trees here on the farm for granted for many years. The branches are too high making the berries too difficult to pick and when the overripe fruit drops, it gets tracked into the house and stains the bottoms of my bare feet. A few years ago I was sitting on the roof close to the branches of one of these trees when I noticed a beautiful bird – the Western Tanager – with colors that reminded me of grenadine and orange juice in a Tequila Sunrise. They come for the berries and I enjoyed the birds and envied their harvesting technique. Then, this spring, while combing the internet for canning recipes, I came across one for mulberry jelly. My first though was – what kind of idiot would climb up on a ladder and struggle for hours to get a pint of berries. Then I Googled “how to harvest mulberries” and, duh, I’m the idiot – you just lay a sheet on the ground underneath the tree and with a stick, shake the branches above and catch the berries in the sheet – SIMPLE! The first morning, Stewart and I harvested about seven pounds in fifteen minutes. That was enough to make 3 batches – 24 jars of mulberry jelly! The berries will be done soon, but there is mulberry jelly in the Farm Store!

When I think of tomatoes I have mixed emotions. One of the most versatile crops, tomatoes are a magnet for customers who know the difference between a farm fresh and store bought tomato. They can be sliced in sandwiches and salads, made into an infinite variety of sauces, purees and salsas, are amazingly flavorful when sundried and are easy to can for later use. They also are hard to grow, sensitive to many blights and diseases, have reactions to you-pickers who have tobacco on their hands, split quickly after a monsoon rain and attract the MOST hideous creature – the green horn worm, best removed by hand – UGH! I am praying for a good tomato crop this year. We have had bad luck with tomatoes the past three seasons and this season, so far, so good. We have some planted with plastic mulch and we are using drip tape to water instead of flood irrigation. All signs point to success and we hope to have a tomato crop by the 4th of July.

Other goodies in the ground for the summer include squash, cucumbers, okra, melons, basil, dill, zinnias, cabbage, broccoli, chilis, sunflowers and beans. Be sure to come to the farm for our 3rd Annual Garlic & Onion Festival this June 19 and 20 from 4 in the evening to 9. Scenic hayrides, great food, music under the giant mulberry trees which will be sure to be done dropping their messy fruit! More info at www.AguaLindaFarm.net