Those Humble Beans

Those humble beans ~ they really are a great thing.

I've been working on my food budget, and meal planning with a vengeance.
That's where beans come in in a big way.  I like to include meatless meals
and beans fit the bill perfectly.  They fill up the hungry tummies nicely. 

They are inexpensive, and, if properly prepared, healthy for you.

A win-win in my books.

I've discovered that the bulk foods manager

at my local grocery store will order in whatever I ask for

in the 25 lb bag size and sell it to me for less than

half what I would have paid for it in the bulk section.

Another win-win ~ Yippee...yahoo!  :)

Now, how to prepare all those lovely beans?

25 lbs of dried beans translates into approximately 150 cups

of cooked beans.  Isn't that a crazy thought?  That works out to
approximately 25 cents per cup of cooked organic black beans.

From the dried form, you need to sort through and pick out any rocks 

and shrivelled beans and discard. Then, rinse the beans by putting them into

a large stock pot.  Fill it with water and swish and pour the water off. 

 Do this a few times until the water is no longer dirty.

Next, put fresh water in your pot to cover the beans by several inches. 

 Pour about 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar into the pot and set it on high heat. 

 Bring the water to a bare simmer and shut the heat off. 

 Cover the pot and let sit for about 12 hours.

Drain, rinse and repeat the above step.

After 12 more hours of soaking time (for a total of 24 hours),

drain and rinse the beans. Cover with fresh water.  Do not use vinegar. 

 Bring to a boil and skim off foam.  Reduce heat and simmer, 

partially covered, for about 1.5 to 2 hours. 

 Test your beans for doneness (taste test) 
every so often to be sure they are cooked. 

 Salt added to the cooking water will not allow your beans to soften. 

Do not add salt until thoroughly cooked.

Drain, rinse, and freeze your beans in recipe-sized portions.
I find many of my recipes call for six cups of cooked beans.
So, most of my bags of beans in the freezer are for that amount.
If you need less, freeze less.  It's always helpful to label the bags
so you know what's in them ~ the item and amount of it.

What about you?  Have you ventured into the world of dried beans and lentils?  
It just requires a little advance preparation to put them to use.
They really aren't as scary as they might seem.

Happy Homemaking!

With Love, Camille