Karmazyn

Karmazyn is grown for the colour of its seed. Where almost every other broad bean shells out white, pale green or buff, this heritage variety produces rose-pink beans, and it built its reputation in Eastern Europe before UK seed houses picked it up and marketed it as a gourmet bean. The plants are compact, listed at around 60 cm, which is roughly half the height of an Aquadulce-type longpod and makes Karmazyn one of the more practical broad beans for a small bed or a windy plot where tall varieties lodge. Pods are held upright and clear of the ground, so picking is quick. The colour is fragile in the kitchen, which is the one thing a grower needs to know before planting it: overcook the beans and the pink washes out.