Dried beans cooking lessons

Lots of space because beans are so versatile! You can either eat them green or, if you can't cope with the glut, leave them to dry - and you can store them or swap them.

With 72+ plants climbing up canes, plus a few wigwams stuffed where there's room and another say 40ish DFB, and now you've got me growing peas. I will be over legumed for just two of us. if that is possible. The decision will be in the ratio of varieties. Plus I want to try Scarlet's pkt of magic beans. Such fun.

I remember when my Ma used to get dried peas there was a tablet in with them the size of an extra strong mint to put in with them. No idea what it was?

Probably baking soda to help the peas go mushy quicker. Raising the pH of cooking water causes the fibre in the skins to weaken and break down easily. Tomatoes are acidic so can have the opposite effect of stopping legumes from cooking properly. Sodium ions in salt are absorbed into the bean skin and make the fibre slightly stretchy, so they are less likely to burst.

https://beaninstitute.com/cooking-with-d...uy-crosby/

I soak overnight. Boil for 20 at least- BUT some beans are much tougher than others. I think you get used to this. I would happily cook for much longer if I just wanted to sling them in something at the end. I don't like beans with tough skins.
Usually I store my beans in variety- not mixed. So I test before using in a dish.
I think homedried beans take a while to soften? Maybe me...I like mine soft.
If I haven't soaked them I boil and put them in a low oven until done enough ( oven is always on - aga)

I store in jars - beans take ages to dry out so I don't put lids on mine for a long time! I stick a circle of grease proof/ kitchen roll on the top to let them breathe until I'm really sure they are really dry.

I also use a pressure cooker. I leave the beans soaking in hot water for an hour then pressure cook in fresh water for about 15 minutes. This is all while whatever else is going with it is prepared and cooked. This always works fine for soisson beans, which is why I grow them.

If I didn't have "an always on oven" I think I would need a pressure cooker.


I *may get rid of my Aga running costs are huge and my kitchen is too small to have a cooker and an Aga so I can't turn off in the summer. Pressure cooker seems the way to go?

As I've picked and mostly podded all the beans grown for drying now and they're all drying on trays in a sunny windowsill in their separate varieties, I'm beginning to wonder what to do with both storing and recipes, so I thought I'd bump this thread.

The drying and storing have been covered here already, although I didn't realise they needed quite as long to dry out. There is some mention on the Web of using a dehydrator ( which I haven't got) or a fan oven (which I have ) to dry the beans, is this something anyone else has done?

With all the hype around eating less meat,  I thought the idea of growing for drying would be eco friendly, but realise I'm just not in tune with cooking without meat.  I make chilli and other random  tomato based related dishes where beans can be incorporated but am at sea when it comes to anything else. So team, what are your favourite recipes (generally -  I'm not asking for detailed qty measurements) to use up the masses of various beans I've got. 

PS I blame Scarlet

Thank you for bumping this SC

If you bung the shelled beans straight into the freezer, you don't need to dry them out, or take so long rehydrating them.
I cook a lot of beans at once, then split them into containers. Some go back in the freezer, others in curries, stews, chillis, or mashed into burgers. The cooked, frozen beans can be pulled out at any time and lobbed into a meal.

Danny, twas I that bumped it!
Veggie, freezer space is in short supply so dried beans are more suitable. Bean burgers?? No thanks, not an any sort of burger fan but I may resort to that eventually and call them rissoles/patties. Thanks for the inspiration.

I thought I might try this one some day.
https://healthyhappylife.com/tuscan-styl...eans-with/