Green garbanzo beans: Idaho's next big crop?

Doug Moser still winces about the time he introduced J.R. Simplot to green garbanzo beans.

"It was at a lunch in Boise about five years ago," Moser said. "I spent 10 minutes telling him about them, and he leaned across the table and said, 'You know what? If I was 20 years younger, I'd be all over this.

This is a one-in-a-million opportunity.'

"I wish he had been 20 years younger."

These days, Moser's beans are doing all right without Simplot. They're being sold at Treasure Valley Costco stores as of this month, along with Co s t c o s t o r e s i n o t h e r Northwestern states, Alaska, Montana, Nevada and Utah. By spring, they could be the newest addition to Treasure Valley crops.

"It's one of the areas we have targeted," said Moser, who began growing garbanzo beans on his Genesee farm, near Moscow, in 1979. "Most are grown now in North Idaho, but they're an arid season legume, so obviously they'd do well in southern Idaho as well."

Garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas, have been a food staple for centuries. The thing that makes Moser's different is that he's pioneered a method of harvesting and processing them while still green.

"For years I ate them green fresh out of the field," he said.

"They were so good that I wondered why you couldn't harvest and market them that way. It took a lot of trial and error to learn how to do it, but we're finally starting to smile now."

The fruits of his labor include a sweeter flavor than traditional garbanzos, greater nutritional value and a blanching and freezing process that makes them available in stores year-round.

Farmers like them because they're resistant to insects and don't need fertilizer because they return nutrients to the soil.

"With the green movement taking off, I see a lot of farmers turning to them," Moser said.

"The Palouse, where I live, has historically been wheat and pea country. But peas have gone out of favor a bit, and more garbanzos are being planted. This year is an all-time high."

Justin Christensen plans to grow a test crop of garbanzos on his Melba farm next spring.

He normally grows potatoes, peas, beans, corn, peppermint, hay and alfalfa and sees garbanzos as a good fit with his other crops.

"You plant them early and harvest them early, so you have time to do another crop like corn," he said. "You get two crops in one season. They put some nitrogen into the ground, so they're great to follow potatoes with, and their short growing season makes them ideal for a short water year. I think there'll be a lot of interest in them here in the Valley. They'll give us another way to diversify."

Chefs like green garbanzos for their flavor and versatility.

" T h e y ' r e d y n ami c , " Executive Chef Vern Bauer of Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center said. "They have great health benefits, and they're super flavorful.

When you look at the clientele here — nurses, doctors and people trying to be healthier — it's a no-brainer. They're good for you, and they have a yummy, delicious flavor."

Bauer uses the beans in hummus, salads, Indian food, guacamole, even meat loaf.

"They have a nuttier flavor than the blond garbanzos, so they're flexible," he said.

Boise dietitian Sue Linja agrees with Bauer's assessment of the health benefits.

"They have more fiber and protein than regular garbanzo beans," she said. "The fiber helps lower cholesterol and prevent diabetes. They're high in folic acid, a B vitamin that's been shown to protect against heart disease, and phyto chemicals that are heart-healthy, help improve cognition and help prevent certain kinds of cancer. It's rare that we get something new that's actually a whole food that's nutritious."

Moser, whose Clearwater Country Foods business distributes the beans, thinks they could be the next Idaho potato.

Former Ore-Ida Foods chairman John Glerum says that may be too optimistic in the short term, but adds that when considering that "in the green fresh state they are more nutritious than broccoli, you have a very interesting market potential."

Linja hopes to see more of the colorful beans in Idaho's markets and on its farms.

"Anything that's green is a hard sell," she said. "But I'd love to see Idaho become known for them."