Comments on: Step 6: Legumes

By: Kristi Brown

Kristi Brown — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:46:36 +0000

Yes–the salt and the space.

By: Christina

Christina — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:52:16 +0000

For the cheapest dried beans, try an ethnic grocery in your area – Latino and Asian cultures use beans much more frequently than Americans!

By: Step 6 Legumes Food Storage Made Easy | bean bag chairs

Step 6 Legumes Food Storage Made Easy | bean bag chairs — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 00:44:07 +0000

[...] Step 6 Legumes Food Storage Made Easy Posted by root 13 minutes ago (http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net) Day three i divide the now cooked beans into labeled freezer bags and into the deep desserts made from mashed beans or bean flour have surprised a lot of so if that is a can of beans go for it blog comments powered by disqus please note we reserve the rig Discuss | Bury | News | Step 6 Legumes Food Storage Made Easy [...]

By: Lisa H.

Lisa H. — Fri, 08 May 2009 04:03:01 +0000

Canned beans take up more room than dry beans. They are wonderful for storage because you don’t need to soak them or use much energy to prepare them. The book, Food Storage in a Nutshell, gives great information about storing different kinds of foods. For example how many cans of beans equals a pound of dry beans and how much TVP equals a pound of beans.

I store dehydrated refried beans, tvp, canned meat, shelf stable tofu, and canned beans. I have some dried beans.

Years ago I tried the bean flour recipes. Nice idea, but it didn’t pan out in the long run like making my own bread, yogurt, and granola did. Finding what works for you is key to being successful with rotating your food storage. So if that is a can of beans, go for it!

By: Heather

Heather — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 02:10:42 +0000

Is there a reason we couldn’t just store canned beans aside from the higher price?

By: Cami

Cami — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:43:01 +0000

My favorite way to prepare beans:
In morning put some beans in a pot and cover with a few inches of water (think 1:6 bean to water ratio). Add one whole onion halved and a couple of garlic cloves, broken. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and just leave it – until they’re soft, sometime later that day. I add salt near the end of cooking time, to taste.

For refried beans, I drain them (save the cooking liquid to add if the beans are too dry), and either mash them with a potato masher, or toss them in the blender for extra creamy beans. You can season them if you like with cumin, chili powder, oregano, etc.

Use these as a base for 7 layer dip (we often eat this as a main dish – heavy on the beans, light on the sour cream), or serve on toasted corn tortillas and topped with a fried egg and toppings for huevos rancheros. Or leave the beans unmashed and rinse to add to any recipe the way you would use canned beans (think salads, burritos, fat replacements in baked goods, etc).

By: Laura

Laura — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:49:53 +0000

I also have struggled with using beans in everyday cooking. Here are some things I have learned by trial and error. For me It is easiest to make 2-3 times as many beans as I need and freeze the remainder. If you spread the cooked beans out on a cookie sheet and freeze until solid and then scoop them into a freezer bag it gives you the versatility of canned beans but the cost effectiveness of dry beans. Just take the bag out of the freezer and add to any casserole or soup you are making. I love the convenience this creates.

The second thing is that I found a great website with hundreds of recipes using beans that broadened my ideas on how to use them (I used to think beans were for soup and Mexican food only). Check it out for some great ideas. http://www.vegetablewithmore.com

By: Phoebe

Phoebe — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 20:09:49 +0000

Beans can be used in so many ways and are so nutritious and cheap that they are worth any hassle in preparing them. And in a pinch, there are always the canned ones. Rinse well to get rid of the salt. Lots of great tips above.
I have a book called “Full of Beans” which is the greatest book ever for bean recipes. Every course can be made with beans, things you never thought of. Desserts made from mashed beans or bean flour have surprised a lot of visitors at my house, they’re so delicious!
Mash them and use in place of part of the meat in main dishes (meatloaf, meat pie, etc), or most of the fat in baking recipes. Don’t think boring when you think beans.
I often add them to tossed salads for lunches to get a little extra protein and fiber.

By: Jamie

Jamie — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 05:53:31 +0000

An idea that was shared with me on canning your beans and why its a good idea. If there were to be an emergency and you have to live off your water supply your water will be limited. Think of all the water it takes to soak your beans in. If you have your beans canned you dont have to soak them. Also having them canned is just so handy. I plan my meals for the week so I know what I am going to make but I never know until that night what I am actually going to cook.

This site is WONDERFUL!!! So full of info. Thanks so much for putting your time and effort into this. It truly blesses everyone who comes to your site. And you will be blessed for helping so many people with their food supply.

By: Jen

Jen — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:54:22 +0000

I just realized no one had a “quick bean soak” At least for my Ham soup recipe above, it will work. If you forget to soak overnight, which I do, simmer the beans in the water for 2 minutes, cover and then remove from heat. Let beans stand for 1 hour.

Because there is still more slow cooking in the recipe, it works marvelously.

By: Jen

Jen — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:48:59 +0000

I need more recipes with beans. I can do soups and chili but do you have any “side dish recipes”? By the way I have the best ham soup recipe. It uses only 6 ingredients:

2lbs dry navy beans, 4 qts cold water, 1 meaty ham bone, 1/2 tsp salt & pepper, 1 medium onion (chopped)

Wash beans, add water & soak overnight. DO NOT DRAIN. Add ham bone, salt & pepper. Cover & simmer 3 hrs. Add onion & continue simmer 1/2 hour more. Remove bone. Mash beans slightly until liquid is milky looking. Cut ham off bone and add to soup. Season to taste.

By: mom2hrz

mom2hrz — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 20:38:56 +0000

I use beans when making cookies and such. You can cook white beans, mash them and use them in place of the shortening/butter in the recipe. When I pair it with items like chocolate chips, coconut, raisins, peanut butter, etc…the kids don’t even realize.

By: Caitlin

Caitlin — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 03:22:41 +0000

I am not totally sure, but at least a year. I would think it would be closer to two or three years. I’ll have to find out for sure.

By: Tara

Tara — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:41:18 +0000

What is the shelf life for beans that you can yourself?

By: Caitlin

Caitlin — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 04:32:16 +0000

I have recently started canning my pinto beans, because it just is such a hassle to get them cooked in order to use them in recipes. I am amazed at how easy it is to can them! I put 1 1/4 cups of dried beans in each quart jar, add 1 teaspoon salt, then fill with water up to 1 inch of headspace. Put on the lids and rings, then pressure cook them at 15 pounds of pressure for 90 minutes. They are perfect and so easy to use! Yesterday I dumped them into my kitchen aid mixer, added salsa and cheese, mixed them and then microwaved to use them in burritos! Yum!

I am trying to find out the amount of lentils to use in a quart or pint jar for canning, if anyone knows.

By: Morning Sunshine

Morning Sunshine — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 22:24:20 +0000

I have tried all sorts of ways to get beans soft enough to eat. None of them worked until this one. I do not have to think of it too far in advance, and this has worked EVERY time (except the one time I forgot to plug it in!)
I rinse 2 cups of beans and then put them in the bottom of my 3-qt crock-pot (or, 1 c of beans in my 1.5 qt.), then fill the crock-pot with cold water. I turn it on before bed, and in the morning, I have soft, cooked beans. I rinse these off before I add them to my meals. Sometimes I have forgotten the night before, but if I get these started at breakfast, they are done in time to make dinner that night.
I have used white, black and pinto. I have some garbanzo I have been meaning to try, but have not yet.

By: Angel

Angel — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:31:10 +0000

I have a pressure cooker/canner that I have not used yet but I think canning the cooked beans is a great idea.
Using the freezer method is good too but in that case I would do both in case your electricity goes out. If that happens you lose your food.
(Or find yourself trying to can lots of meat etc so it doesnt spoil.)

By: Tegan

Tegan — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:08:09 +0000

Dried beans are a big part of my family’s diet- we’re vegetarian! There are LOTS of ways to use these besides soups, try:
*burritos, tacos, and nachos- replace the usual hamburger, or go half-and-half
*having salad for lunch? toss some beans into the bowl- lentils, black, kidney, garbanzo, blackeye peas all work well
*bean dips (think hummus or black bean dip), these are great with chips or crackers, or as the base for a wrap
*when making burgers, mix in 1/2 to 1c lightly mashed black beans to make them go farther and add fiber- or go all-out and try your hand at veggie burgers! vegweb.com has lots of good recipes for these and other vegetarian approaches to the humble bean
*stir cannellini or garbanzos into a batch of spaghetti in place of hamburger
*spicy black beans- or leftover bean soup or chili- on top of baked potatoes, with a little sour cream or cheese
*make “chicken” noodle soup the same way as usual- but use garbanzos instead of chicken
*make bean salad- equal parts black, kidney, and garbanzo beans with chopped scallions, celery, diced bell pepper, and Italian or ranch dressing
*if you run out of ideas, think ethnic- Indian and Latin cuisines rely heavily on beans and are usually very economical
As far as preparing dry beans, I’ve taken a different approach: day one, I soak them overnight, day two I cook them in the slow cooker until just tender (doesn’t require attendance or heat up the house), day three I divide the now cooked beans into labeled freezer bags and into the deep freeze they go (if you lay them flat, they take up less room). When I’m ready to use them, they thaw quickly under the kitchen faucet- or if I’m making soup, they get tossed in frozen. I’ve found that 1lb of dry beans yields about 6c cooked- or 4x what you get in those over-salted cans. Since my family is on a strict budget and must avoid excessive salt for health reasons, this has been the most practical use of my time and our money.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 22:57:40 +0000

I also had trouble using dry beans since you have to think ahead and soak them. My solution has been home canning them – with a pressure canner. It is fantastic! Homemade convenience food – just open a can and you are ready to go. We like to make a jar of pinto beans – place in pan without draining, add brown sugar, bbq sauce, mustard, salt and pepper – easy and yummy!

By: Janette

Janette — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:05:46 +0000

I would always forget to soak my beans overnight, so we had them very rarely. I have used a pressure cooker for the last few months, and that has made using beans infinitely easier.

I can go from dried beans to the table in 40 minutes, which is often how long my other preparations take.

In many recipes I will replace half of the meat with some sort of bean. Then we still get the meat taste, plus the benefit of the beans.

I will often make a less-spiced version, then I can add the beans to whatever else we are eating. The way I like black beans best is just with natural sea salt.

The hardest part about getting used to using beans is messing up the first couple of times. They’re either too hard or too smushy; too spicy or just bland.

I figure they’re super cheap, so my first few mistakes were very inexpensive. And now I know how to use them so I am not forced into something I am unfamiliar with.

I also know that beans can be bottled (pressure cooked), then it’s just like popping a can from the grocery store. No waiting! I haven’t tried this yet, though.

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:16:04 +0000

If your family likes Indian food, then you can find lots of yummy lentil recipes. My new food storage goal is to make Mexican refried beans from scratch.

By: Melodie

Melodie — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:50:20 +0000

I am a heavy deal seeker when I shop. Our stockpile has been growing steadily over the past year. But these foundational items are hard to come by cheap. Where do you go to get large quantities of beans, grains, etc. at cost effective pricing?

By: Jodi

Jodi — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 22:09:10 +0000

Heidi, Yes there is a difference! Sprouting wheat is similar to sprouting alfalfa, beans, or other seeds. Wheat sprouts are best when the root is only as long as the seed. To prevent further growth you store them in the fridge. Wheat grass literally looks like grass and is extremely nutritious. You can watch a video with instructions for growing it here http://simplylivingsmart.com/food-storage-videos/growing-wheat-grass.html (you might have to login to view it but it’s free, don’t worry). Sneak preview … more about sprouts coming soon!

By: Heidi

Heidi — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 05:45:49 +0000

Is there a difference between sprouting wheat and wheat grass?

By: Jodi

Jodi — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:33:42 +0000

Thanks for the comments on sprouting. We will be doing some more posts about that in the coming weeks but we should probably add a bit about it here in the babystep page as well. Sprouts and wheat grass are a great way to get some fresh greens into your diet in an emergency situation.

By: Lori

Lori — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:44:44 +0000

I’ve sprouted lentils before. They taste a lot like fresh peas. The lentils I used to buy in Canada always had little rocks in them. I could never perfectly pick them all out. It was sort of interesting to eat the lentil soup. I never could get soy beans to sprout.