Lentils - who grows them?

Anyone growings lentils? Like endame, regular soybeans among others these high protein legumes are on my radar How to Grow Lentils - Harvest to Table.
Interesting article https://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/different-types-lentils . I suspect people are missing an oppurtunity by not growing these and ive never known anyone who grows them.

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Looks like it because their success has a very limited geographic area. I’m in Florida and seriously doubt that even in out very mild winters I can reproduce the environment needed for growing Lentils. Not that I wouldn’t try. I agree I love lentils. A good lentil soup IMO can hardly be beat.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/lentils/how-to-grow-lentils.htm

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I want to grow them!
I am putting them on my list to try next year!
It sounds like they are a lot like english peas and like cool weather and take late frosts so what do you think?
Perhaps you think a March 15 to 20 plant date?
That would give them the cool april and may grow season and june to finish filling out and then july to dry and harvest?
https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/lentil.html
https://www.northernseedllc.com/choosing-the-right-lentil-for-your-farm/


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I’ve read up some more on these as well. Seems I should be able to plant them in October or November and possibly have success. I’m going to give it a go.

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Appreciate this topic. We love brown lentils. We use them like refried beans and like them better.
A favorite here is a flour tortilla with seasoned up lentils (blended in the vitamix with a bit of salt garlic and cumin, and usually some fat, beef lamb or turkey) and cheese (cheddar or homemade jack) folded in half and cooked crispy in some butter. Then you can open it and add anyyhing else if you want like lettuce, sour cream, salsa, fresh tomatoes, roasted chilis.
Always popular here. My guys take them to work without all the messy fresh additions and just eat them with hot sauce.

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Lentils do well in arid, short-season Montana conditions (and in fact Senator Jon Tester grows them as well as winter wheat). The protein level will go up with decreased water.

I love lentils, but when I cook them my SO always seems to disparage them at first; by the end of the meal she comes around until the next time!

I haven’t tried the refried trick but now I will. They cook fast and easy. I usually make a thin stew or thick soup with them, lots of veggies and maybe a little bacon or sausage for flavor. Doesn’t hurt to throw in chunks of whatever cheese you like, drizzle in cholula or ketchup, and it’s a good place to swirl in some cooked spinach.

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Lentil consumption continues to increase becoming the #1 food people eat in many locations around the world. My former fiance Peaches made me lentil tacos a lot which was partial meat and partial lentils. If you have never tried them I recommend it.

Beef and Lentil Taco Meat • Cook up Love

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I can’t help but think of this when I come across the topic of lentils

The philosopher Diogenes was eating bread and lentils for supper. He was seen by the philosopher Aristippus, who lived comfortably by flattering the king. Said Aristippus’If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils .’

Said Diogenes’Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king"

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I love lentils. They’re not my wife’s favorite so we don’t have them too often, but they are great in soups. Particularly like the dark green “french” lentils, but the flat brown ones are great. I’ve always loved them with ketchup and now Cholula.

Quite a bit of acreage devoted to lentils in Montana, I believe.

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We are a lentil family and prefer them over beans. I usually cook them 4 or 5 days out of the week for at least one meal. We just don’t tire of them. This year I went to a large international store and bought several varieties to plant this gardening season. I’m hoping that they do well. :slight_smile:

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I wanted to add that I was encouraged to try the above after watching the same documentary that you posted @clarkinks . I stumbled on it last year after doing some research on lentils. I can’t seem to find any resources (other then the international grocery store) where I can buy different type of lentils to grow. Is anyone here aware of any?

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There are excellent on line Indian and Asian markets that sell many different types of lentils. Mr. Google will help you out!

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Good idea, I didn’t check that avenue. I guess I was just hoping for a seed company who specializes in beans and legumes who would be selling a lot of different varieties.

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Since my last post on this thread i have read up on lentils and found the easiest one for me to grow, here in my zone, as well as for zones 5b-7b is likely winter lentils like Morton, grow like winter wheat, they establish in oct-nov, and come march they take off ahead of weed pressure and take max advantage of the early cool moist mar-april conditions, perfect for my climate as is winter cereal rye and winter wheat as long ss you have some moderate october moisture to sprout it and the march-may moisture which is usually dependable on our prairie to support wheat. Heavier summer rain reigions to the east should do fine too but yall out east have more summer/fall crop options to more dependably grow summer dry crops like summer beans, etc.
Grown commercially in dry eastern WA and also in SD though sd is on its winter cold range limits, further south like ks is ideal but no one grows it here though it has been tested to do well in N. TX so kansas is perfect being in between! Its the one im gona focus on first though with early english peas doing great here perhaps one of the early spring lentils would be good here too!

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Sounds like we should take advantage and double crop. Wheat like any grass can be planted in any month ending in r . Lentils could be planted in July after hard red turkey winter wheat is out. Moisture is the trick and July does not normally have it. This thread is worth looking at Anyone growing grains on a smaller scale?

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The right variety should do it for july planting, though i read the common summer crops iften have low yield if flowering in a hot time, sort of like english peas. Something like Tepary bean may do better as a summer double crop since they can take dry heat being from the dry Southwest where they grow on minimal moisture. They are sort of similar to lentil. Ive grown them here they do good but i want to test them again soon here, both early and july plantings to compare!

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As a WSU grad (Pullman, WA), I feel compelled to share this with you…:smiley:

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