myriad uses for bulk dried beans

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by yonder, Oct 29, 2006.


  1. yonder

    yonder No Despot's Servant

    I'm hoping this thread will become a good magnet for dried bean info.

    It strikes me that dried beans should be something we heavily invest in for deep food stores. They can be kept fresh for decades, and easily reconstituted with soaking or boiling. Nutritionally they are the perfect companion to another must-have staple, rice. And they come in so many different varieties (flavors!) that you don't have to feel like you're eating the same thing day in and day out.

    I've been making a point of trying to expand my normal food intake to include more bean-based dishes from around the world to get an idea of what I like (and the wife & kids) so I know what kind of beans to add to the food stores.

    Some of the beans we're storing are normal staples for many... red kidney beans, lima beans, peas, black beans.

    Add chick peas to the list now. Why chick peas?

    There is a great little middle eastern restaurant right across the street from our supermarket. The first time I went in there, I don't think I recognized anything on the menu except "gyro". So I went sometime when they weren't busy, asked them to be patient with me, and asked a few questions about different dishes.

    I also took a take-out menu with me so I could hit Wikipedia and learn more about these dishes.

    Sesame seeds (ground into tahini) and chick peas (ground into hummus or falafel) are very common elements of many of the dishes. And you know what? They're darned good, too! When the meat runs out, rice and beans are going to fill that hole in your stomach that misses meat. A falafel patty fried in some oil, wrapped in a flatbread with tahini and some fresh garden veggies is actually a very tasty sandwhich. And it's all made from stuff that we can easily store and process.

    Flat bread dipped in hummus is one of the simplest meals of all to prepare from scratch. And it's darn tasty! Chickpeas, some garlic, and a bit of oil ran through the food processor. That's it!

    So chick peas will be added to the food stores next time I buy bulk beans. Probably in greater proportion than some of the other kinds of beans we keep!
     
  2. Blackjack

    Blackjack Monkey+++

    Here's a link to some cool info http://www.auri.org/news/ainoct03/08beansmart.htm

    It seems you can buy culled navy beans not suitable for canning at 40 to 60 bucks a ton. Plus it says that dry beans are a great pelletized fuel!


    From Wikipedia:
    Similar to other beans, the common bean is high in starch, protein and dietary fiber and an excellent source of iron, potassium, selenium, molybdenum, thiamine, vitamin B6, and folic acid.
    Dry beans will keep indefinitely if stored in a cool, dry place, but as time passes, their nutritive value and flavor degrades and cooking times lengthen. Dried beans are almost always cooked by boiling, often after having been soaked for several hours. While the soaking step is not necessary, it shortens cooking time somewhat and results in a more evenly textured pot of beans. In addition, discarding one or more soaking waters leaches out hard-to-digest complex sugars that can cause flatulence. There are several methods: the power soak method is to boil beans for three minutes, then set aside 2-4 hours, then drain and discard water and proceed with cooking. Common beans take longer to cook than most Pulse (legume) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:phaseolus_vulgaris_seed.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Phaseolus_vulgaris_seed.jpg/240px-Phaseolus_vulgaris_seed.jpg"@@AMEPARAM@@commons/thumb/e/e7/Phaseolus_vulgaris_seed.jpg/240px-Phaseolus_vulgaris_seed.jpg: cooking times vary from one to four hours but are substantially reduced with pressure cooking. The traditional spice to use with beans is Epazote which is also said to aid digestion, and Kombu (a type of seaweed) can be added to beans as they cook to improve their digestion as well. Salt, sugar, and acidic foods, like tomatoes, will harden uncooked beans and therefore should be added last, after the beans have been completely cooked.
     
  3. RightHand

    RightHand Been There, Done That RIP 4/15/21 Moderator Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

  4. ricdoug

    ricdoug Monkey+++

    Rice, Beans and Boullion Cubes...

    Make for some interesting Survival Casseroles. I was searching through http://www.traderonline.com for some Motor Homes/Travel Trailers and was paying particular attention to Water Capacities. Beans & Rice, without Water, would be difficult to eat. Some of the Lightweight Scamps and TAB's have merit. Ric

     
  5. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    Interesting thoughts on the variety.
    I like ME dishes myself. Haven't made my own hummus yet.
    You found dried chick peas? Haven't looked but don't remember seeing them either.

    Thanks for the ideas. I bet $500 buys a lot of dried beans in 5 Gallon buckets.
     
  6. RightHand

    RightHand Been There, Done That RIP 4/15/21 Moderator Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Garbanzo beans
     
  7. yonder

    yonder No Despot's Servant

    Here is one source. 25 lbs for about $44 shipped. With a little looking you can probably do better (but that site should be interesting to look at for other products as well)
     
  8. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    Ahh, That's right. Thanks RH.
    (admin=melbo doing a quick update)
     
  9. Tango3

    Tango3 Aimless wanderer

    Great thread... me too(?)coincidence, I think not. I've been looking up recipes for navy beans, and tried pintos for refried the other day just put 2 cups in a tupperware the night before with plenty of water, trying to make it a habit so there's always 2 cups ready to experiment with made a pretty good ham and navy bean soup inthe crock pot, could be made in any big pot, 2cups soaked navy beans, 8cups water ,1 medium onionchopped, 1clove garlicchopped, acup or so diced up ham, couple diced stalks celery and few sliced up carrots, about 1/1/2 hours on a regular stove,cook to taste.,
    Beans take alot of energy for long cook times but you can't beat em for storage,weight or filling you up. flatulence is no joke but they're very good fiber.And really cheap. 5lbs is like $2.60 at wallyworld..
    Plenty of recipes on the net google navy beans or pinto beans ...I could see starting a dutch oven in a campfire in the morning adding to it by forage and eating all day out of it...
     
  10. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    One thing I have heard about doing and want to try soon is to run pinto beans through a grain mill and the meal that comes out is supposed to work asa kind of 'instant' refried beans when you boil them and supposed to not have to boil them very long. If it works I figure that might make a decent base for a kind of bean soup if watered down more or refried beans if it is thick.
     
  11. Tango3

    Tango3 Aimless wanderer

  12. Tracy

    Tracy Insatiably Curious Moderator Founding Member

    gas reduction: Add fennel seed to your beans.
     
    Ganado likes this.
  13. jim

    jim Monkey+++ Founding Member

    Don't forget to add a tablespoon is wood ash to the recipe. It will break down enzymes and allow you to better absorb the nutriants.

    Shake the dry beans in their container every month to help keep down beetles if not stored in CO2.
    jim
     
  14. ricdoug

    ricdoug Monkey+++

    I'll have to try that with my coffee grinder. I'll bet...

    that would make a Quick Meal. Ric

     
  15. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    I heard somewhere, that beans were good for the heart?[gasmask]
     
  16. Tracy

    Tracy Insatiably Curious Moderator Founding Member

    EEK!
    1. What type of beetles live in dry beans??
    2. How do I prevent them from coming BEFORE the need arises to shake the container?
    3. How does shaking the container keep the beetles "down"?
     
  17. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    (SPEW) [rofllmao]
     
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