Thursday, April 22, 2010

Beans Continued

So, I made my third batch of beans from scratch. I made pintos and they're rather bland. I just don't remember to add the salt until they're completely cooked and then if I add it (still haven't found the right amount!) when they're done I risk mushing up the beans. (Which is why you're not supposed to stir beans while they're cooking - the skins break off and they resemble more of a mush. I learned this the hard way with lentils.) Anyway, they're still perfectly edible. We just haven't had beans in awhile. I realized that I'm going to have to do something with them so they don't go bad. Which made me think of ways of preserving beans once they've been cooked.

I have thought about just canning the darn beans so I don't have to cook them all day. It's not that big a deal to cook them all day, but cans are just so much easier! The USDA does not recommend canning beans in a bath canner. They must be done in a pressure cooker. Here's the USDA recipe. I'm sure plain bean juice can be used instead if you want to have plain beans.

I also found a site that talks about freezing cooked beans, which is the route I'm going to take with this batch:

Speedy Pre-Soak

2 C dried beans (any variety)

6 C water

Wash and pick through the beans. Place beans and water in a large pan, and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 or 3 minutes, stir, remove from heat, cover and let set for 1 hour. Drain, rinse, package, label and freeze.

My in-laws canned beans using dry beans and water and processing them in the pressure canner. It took a few tries to find the right ratio of beans and water. But, I think the results aren't as predictable as I'd like, so I think I'll try canning them when they're cooked. Oooh! Another canning project! :-)

Thanks, Karen, for your comment which prompted my bean search!




3 comments:

Amber said...

I have heard that you can freeze beans. But I would try a small batch before you froze a ton.

Karen Sue said...

glad you checked this out. I looked at a pressure canner this weekend at a store and then walked away. I'll let you work the kinks out of the whole thing!! Waiting to hear what you think about the canned ones...

Sarah Rachelle said...

When it comes to freezing food, I just look at what I can buy already frozen. I know there are frozen bean and cheese burritos, so beans are a go! Of course, that doesn't mean I shouldn't do my own research on HOW to freeze things.

I assumed putting my asparagus straight into the freezer would be alright, but it's not! Vegetables need to be blanched in hot, boiling water, often with salt, to kill the natural enzymes that break down the plant. That way, when you freeze them they last a lot longer. My poor asparagus didn't stand a chance.

Hmm... I just might have to do some experiments and get back to you with the results! I'm going to try spinach today as I have a huge bag in the fridge.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...