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Garbanzos going green at Costco stores

By Lorie Hutson lorieh@spokesman.com(509) 459-5446

We all know garbanzo beans. The dried, blond beans, aka chickpeas, are fantastic in hummus and other Mediterranean dishes. Right?

Starting tomorrow, Costco shoppers will get a chance to try garbanzos that are a little bit different – they’re green.

Sixteen Costco warehouse stores in Washington and Oregon will begin carrying Garden Green Garbanzos from Doug Moser and Clearwater Country Foods of Genesee, Idaho.

On Saturday, the green garbanzos will be offered among the samples at both Costco locations in Spokane, 5601 E. Sprague Ave. and 7619 N. Division St., where they will be sold. The beans are not being introduced in the Coeur d’Alene store right now.

The garbanzo beans are harvested fresh and flash frozen. Eating the fresh beans is not unheard of, but they are generally only available seasonally in areas where they’re grown.

Moser suggests serving the fresh beans as a side to entrees, in green and pasta salads or pureed into dips and spreads. The beans can also be added to soups or seasoned and served as snacks.

Think of it as something like eating fresh soybeans, or edamame. There is a host of recipes available on the company’s Web site (www.clearwater country.us) and a few on the package.

Pick up next Wednesday’s food section for the full story on Moser, a fourth-generation Palouse farmer, and the long road from growing garbanzos to innovating a way to harvest the beans while they’re green to getting the Garden Green Garbanzos to the market.

Area chefs host classes

The Jacklin Arts and Cultural Center, 405 N. William St. in Post Falls, is featuring two local chefs during its April classes.

Chef Colomba Aguilar of Café Carambola will host a class next Thursday, “Antojitos: Street Foods of Latin America.” The class is held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Angelo Brunson of Angelo’s Ristorante in Coeur d’Alene will share his secrets for fresh fish preparation at the April 22 class. It is also scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Classes are $50 per person and space is limited. Reserve a spot by calling (208) 457-8950.

We’re always looking for fresh food news. Write to: The Fresh Sheet, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Call (509) 459-5446, fax to (509) 459-5098 or send an e-mail to lorieh@spokesman.com.