Soak dry chickpeas and barley 8-12 hours before cooking. Bring water to a boil and add chickpeas (it's supposed to be faster than bringing the water to a boil with the chickpeas together); simmer until tender, about one hour. 

Drain the chickpeas into a colander, pouring the water into another pot. Pour soaked barley into the already hot water (saving energy, time, and water - whoot!). Simmer for about 20 minutes.

Rinse with cold water, if desired to speed up the cooling process. When at room temperature, refrigerate until needed.

Half tomatoes and squeeze out water. Chop tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, and onion and put in a large salad bowl. Add chickpeas and barley and a handful of olives, if using.

Whisk together olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, basil, oregano, and salt, and pour over. Who am I kidding - I just throw them on top of the salad and mix them in.

Crumble feta and add to salad. Ideally, the salad can rest for an hour or so in the fridge for the flavours to meld. Enoy!