Fava bean help?

[weizenwind]

I just bought fresh fava beans for the first time, and I find that I'm not sure how to prepare them.

My questions:

The beans are attached to the pod by little green connector pieces. Do I need to take those off, or can I eat them?

Each of the beans appears to have a fairly thick, lighter-green skin around a darker/brighter-green center. Do I eat both, or do I have to peel each bean?

How long should I cook them? How will I know they're done?

Is it ok to salt them as they cook, or do I need to wait?

Thanks for any help!