Behold the fabulous garbanzo bean: perhaps best known for its starring role in such popular features as humus, salad toppings and in my case desperately eaten directly out-of-the-can when too hungry to cook (please don’t judge). I decided that in addition to growing the typical veggies this year, I would also like to try out some of my favorite beans. It turns out that in our area, Garbanzo beans are not a hot ticket item at the local garden store; as I couldn’t find but one start or bean. Instead of accepting that my garbanzos would continue to come from a can and not the ground, I decided that I knew exactly where to find some grains: down the road at our local grocery store! A couple scoops of the bulk bin later and I was in business.  Without knowing how long the little desiccated orbs had been on the shelf, I held little hope that they would burst forth with life, but after soaking the seeds (or beans?) overnight in cool water, and plopping them into a littl
e dirt-filled egg shell, low and behold- they were alive! Within a couple of days, little green fists of life emerged from the soil, as if they were micro-superman about to take flight. With a little sunlight and water- the ingredients for both a happy plant and happy gardener it seems- the little garbanzo was ready to be transplanted, and were added to our new beds! I learned recently that the garbanzo is one of the oldest cultivated crops, hailing from the Middle East (thanks wikipedia), so as it turns out, I am embarking on an ancient tradition!

In the ground, and setting roots!