Why store Beans?
- Paired with a carbohydrate, they make a complete protein- and one with a lot less fat than an animal protein (which is in and of itself a complete protein.)
- White beans can replace the fat in most baking. Cook, mash and replace in recipes cup for cup.
- Whole beans/peas can be sprouted for added variety and nutrition.
- Beans can be ground into flour for instant soups and will add protein to bread and other baked items.
- Beans provide an economical substitute for meat or other animal proteins.
I have read some sources that say the shelf life of dry beans is relatively short and after 2 to 3 years the beans are too hard to be useful. This is simply not true. Whole beans have a long shelf life- up to 30 years. For example, Sunday evening I went to my parents for dinner and my mom had made a white bean soup. While eating it I asked her if she poured the entire can of beans in with the juice or if she rinsed them first ( I was a worried about digestive distress.) She looked at me a bit confused and then said they were dry beans she had cooked. I was floored! I could not tell the difference! And the best part it is that they were over 10 years old and still going strong. So there you have it...storage in action.
The rest of the week we will be finishing up with our "what to store and where to store it " overview. And then will move on to an in depth discussion of grains.
One of my most FAVORITE soups...
Lentil Vegetable Soup
2 cups lentils, rinsed and drained
1/2 pound sausage, cooked and drained
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrots
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
8 cups water
1 (16 oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Place all ingredients in soup kettle (or pan), except tomatoes and vinegar. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Add tomatoes and vinegar. Simmer for 30 minutes longer.
5 comments:
Thanks for all the time you put into this site! Such helpful info. I still need to get more beans.
Beans are what I struggle the most with...not with the storing, but with the consuming. I cannot seem to break into my food storage to use some dry beans. It seems like so much work to soak them, or sprout them, or do anything with them. Pretty much, I am lazy. But I would love to start using them. I just need ideas. I know you have a good recipe for lentil soup. How do you feel about posting it??
Suzanne-I am with you on using the beans I have stored. It can be really challenging. One thing I do is cook a bunch up and them freeze them in 2 cup servings
(that's about a can). That way I get the convenience and the low cost.
P.S. I will post the lentil soup recipe at the end of the "bean" post!!
We use a lot of beans in our home. So we have had to deal with the storage issue. We have dry beans, but the majority of our storage is in those little one pound cans.
Pre-cooked and pre-soaked. Black, navy, white, red, refried, pinto...you name it. Just open the can and off you go.
I don't think that lentils are available this way.
Shelf life is not near as good as the dry beans, but we can easily rotate enough non-dry beans to maintain a one year supply.
Post Script...If any one has a cheater recipe for the Rumbi Grill's Jerk Chicken rice bowl (and beans) I need it...Please...
I am providing an addendum to my previous comment. The equivalent to a can of beans is 1 3/4 cup( dry, cooked beans)not 2 cups. Now I know why my white bean chili didn't quite have enough spicey flavoring...too many beans! Now I know!!
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