Variety Review: Black Kabouli Garbanzo Beans
Though tasty, I won't be growing these again. Here's why.
Black Garbanzo beans are a bit different in texture than the blond, creamy kind. They are denser, chewier, and work best in whole bean preparations, such as this Chana Masala that I made today, using mostly produce out of the garden.
My understanding is that all garbanzo beans are similar in growth habit. They like to be started in spring, similar to peas, and enjoy a long hot growing season.
This is my second attempt at growing garbanzo beans, and both times I felt that it wasn’t worth the effort.
The first thing I’ve found that is frustrating about this variety is that they only yield one or two small beans for every pod. That’s a lot of shelling. It took me about an hour to get about a cup and a half of beans out of their pods - and that doesn’t include all the time it took starting and growing the plants, harvesting the pods, etc.
Commercial growers have machines that “thresh” the bean hulls nearly effortlessly. Smaller scale farmers have other methods of doing this work. I’ve read of some farmers that quite literally drive over the pods, and use some kind of fan to blow the chaff away.
Even if I could find a more efficient way of harvesting the beans, there’s a few other problems to consider.
As you can see in the bowl, the beans do not all ripen and dry down in one go. Most of these are perfectly ripe. Some are still green - which are fine to eat and have a texture more like edamame. Some have actually sprouted! Sadly though, some other ones have started to rot.
Our season has not been particularly rainy, so there isn’t much of an excuse to have moldy beans. Too bad.
My strong impression is that these grow better where the seasons are longer and a more arid climate. Such as Kabul, perhaps?
Next year I’ll continue my dry bean/shelling bean adventure. I’m going to try again with 3 beans that happen to be from Adaptive. Aprovecho Select Fava and Moldovanesti Runner beans - both selected for their large size (meaning less labor in shelling). I got a great yield out of Sweet Lorane Favas I grew this year, but if I can opt for an even larger bean I’d like to go for it. And I did plant some of the runners, but sadly I burned them when I got sidetracked on a harvesting project. FYI Multi-tasking + cooking beans and letting the pan run dry can result in a houseful of smoke and stink.
I’d also like to try Whipple Beans, which are selected as a promising dry-farmed bean for the Willamette Valley. We’ll see if I can find space for all 3.
In the meantime, garbanzo beans are cheap to buy, even if you spring for the fancy black ones. Note that you can buy them through Rancho Gordo, and shipping is free over $50. Make sure to check out some of the work they do with indigenous farmers on both sides of the border.
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