The Everything Bean Thread

**dinah** · 07-19-2011, 11:26 AM

i've never thought about the fact that beans have crops. lol.

thanks for the info.

**Nishu** · 07-22-2011, 09:54 AM

Originally Posted by greekislandgirl

oh I didn't realize you had soaked them overnight AND all day - they probably just weren't good anymore, or they needed to cook longer. Ideally you shouldn't use beans that are more than a year old, and if you buy beans close to the time (but before) the new crop is on sale, you could be getting beans that are ALREADY a year old when you buy them. Best time to buy beans is in the fall (October) when they are fresh, then they will keep for a year to 18 months. If you buy them in August, and keep them for a year, they are 2 years old.

Is there a way to tell how old they are? Are they marked?

**greekislandgirl** · 07-22-2011, 10:07 AM

if you're lucky, they might have a 'produced on" or "packaged on" date but otherwise, just try to avoid buying them in summer when they're clearing out the old inventory.

**Nishu** · 07-22-2011, 10:49 AM

It's okay to use the older ones though, right? They're just hard?

**greekislandgirl** · 07-22-2011, 05:35 PM

yes, it's okay - if you use a pressure cooker, you probably won't notice a difference. Just add a few minutes longer to the cooking time. With conventional cooking methods it could take many, many more hours or potentially never really get there. Pressure cooker is the way to do for older beans.

**RaineyDaye** · 10-27-2011, 05:31 PM

just bumping this thread - this cold wet weather is making me crave some bean soup

**Palooka** · 10-27-2011, 08:53 PM

Crock Pot Baked Beans

1 pd (great Northern, Navy, Kidney, or a mixture of your favorite)
6 cups water
1 8 oz. tomato sauce
1 chopped onion
2 or 3 tbls. molasses
1 or 2 tbls. mustard
splash of liquid smoke (optional)

Cook on low 8 hours or until beans are tender.

(McDougall site)

**Palooka** · 10-27-2011, 08:55 PM

Easy Chili Beans

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 tbls. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
garlic to taste

Mix and heat. Yummy on a baked potato.

**Palooka** · 10-27-2011, 08:57 PM

Pioneer Baked Beans

Apple(s) cut in big chunks
onion, sliced thinly and separated into rings
vegetarian baked beans

Combine and put into baking dish. Bake uncovered 30 minutes at 350.

**Palooka** · 10-27-2011, 09:00 PM

Black Bean and Orange Salad

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
chopped cilantro (I suppose you cilantro haters could leave this out. heh)

Mix together and Chill.

**RaineyDaye** · 10-29-2011, 08:13 AM

Originally Posted by Palooka

Pioneer Baked Beans

Apple(s) cut in big chunks
onion, sliced thinly and separated into rings
vegetarian baked beans

Combine and put into baking dish. Bake uncovered 30 minutes at 350.

hmm... apples with baked beans - sounds good!

**Saule** · 10-29-2011, 11:03 PM

If you have hard water, you may have problems getting your beans to cook. Add some baking soda to the cooking water. Yes, this does reduce some of the nutrients, but the effect is slight and better to have tender beans.