Improve Your Hummus IQ

I love produce.

It goes well beyond my passion for vegetables. I love the entire industry, from the farmers to the wholesalers to the Produce Managers at the supermarket.

Working at a magazine for the Produce Industry afforded me many opportunities to learn the ins-and-outs of selling vegetables. My clients were farmers trying to feed America and turn a profit at the same time.

Easier said than done. But that’s another story.

While working at the magazine, I attended the Produce Marketing Association’s annual conference in California for a week and loved every second. There was so much to learn and so many people to meet. I ate it up. Literally.

Food samples were ABUNDANT. My friend Jen and I went ballistic.

She’s a veggie freak, too.

 

(By the way she is 100 times more beautiful on the inside than she is on the outside. She’s other-worldly I swear.)

I’m positive we ate our weight in Dragon Fruit. For free.

Jen and I both adore hummus. So we were floored when we encountered the green garbanzo bean. We never heard of such a thing.

The farmers harvesting the crop were happy to tell us all about it.

 

The guys at the booth had some roasted garbanzos  and hummus for sampling. Jen and I spent a lot of time at that booth eating and, you know, schmoozing. But mostly eating.

Though I’ve looked for years, I’ve located neither hummus nor bean in any store. This made me sad.

But look what I found at Whole Foods today….

Nature’s Healthy Gourmet Green Garbanzo Hummus

This makes me happy.

I put away a sufficient amount with a spoon.

*ahemintheparkinglotahem*

The green garbanzo tastes sweeter, lighter and creamier than the traditional garbanzo. The hummus, in my opinion, has a guacamole-ish texture.

In fact, I recall telling the farmers that people who might shy away from hummus would probably purchase this if they placed it next to pre-made guacamole in the Produce Department and called it a dip.

With this in mind, I got more civilized when I got home.

Green Garbanzo Hummus, Corn Thins, salsa and scallion. And a plate (civilized).

Besides being delicious, the green garbanzo bean is also a “greener” option for the environment. The bean is naturally resistant to pests and require neither pesticide nor fertilizer. They are also higher in protein than the “traditional garbanzo.”

That being said, there is no replacement for traditional hummus. But you should try this new spin on it (if you want). 

• Have you heard of the green garbanzo?
• Ever met any farmers? They’re good folk.

PS- I should pre-emptively add that to make this a complete meal you should…add a meal. Just in case anyone wants to leave a comment along those lines *winkwink*

PPS- I didn’t get paid to write this, nor free hummus.

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