'Ethiopian Jewel Landrace' Chickpea

Cicer arietinum

Origin: Ethiopia

Improvement status: Landrace

Seeds per packet: ~40

Germination tested 01/2026: 89%

Life cycle: Annual (or Biennial)

We just love chickpeas. Popular the world over, chickpeas were one of the earliest domesticated crops, possibly as old as 10,000 years. From their center of diversity in he western rim of the Fertile Crescent (specifically modern-day Syria and Turkey), chickpeas spread to North Africa and Southern Europe, to the rest of Africa (including Ethiopia, like these), east to the Indian subcontinent, and eventually across oceans to the Americas, where they're grown and consumed on both continents.

Driven by both the export market and by an increase in popularity in the US (especially to meet the rising demand for supermarket hummus), US chickpea production has surged in recent years. From 2012 to 2018 alone, chickpea production in the US grew from 161,000 to 580,000 tons. Most of it is grown in the northern great plains and intermountain west, in Montana, Washington, Idaho, and North Dakota (listed from most production to least).

This Ethiopian landrace is a diverse population of chickpeas in all of the common colors chickpea (brown, tan, and black). That diversity should translate to strong resilience and wide adaptability. These seeds were grown by our friend Chris Hardy of Hardy Seeds in Southern Oregon, who has this to say about the variety:

"We were given Ethiopian Jewel Chickpeas by seed saver Evan Sofro who had grown them out from elder seed saver Thumbs in the Rocky Mountains of Idaho. We have been growing and trialing this diverse landrace out over the past several years in Southern Oregon, selecting them for cold and drought tolerance. Our selection work has also been focused on low-tillage practices and their regenerative potential, especially when planted in rotation with the many heritage grains we grow."

GROWING TIPS: Chickpeas like cool weather. In much of the country, your best bet is planting them in early spring, though in more mild climates they can be planted in fall, grown through winter, and harvested in spring. Chickpea plants can irritate some folks' skin, so we recommend wearing cloves when interacting with the plants. In Oregon, these plants reach an average height of 18 inches.