Beans, beans, the magical fruit...
Sorry I'm late with this week's pantry stuffer!
So many kinds of beans...there's sure to be one or two that your family likes. Dozens of ways to eat them and almost as many ways to store them.
For a whole meal in a can...chili and beans can't be beat! Fry's has them on special this week for 79 cents a can if you purchase 10. So for under $8 you can add a few more cans to your pantry.
Plain canned beans are also a great item to store. Pinto, black, navy...all perfect to make a soup or burrito.
Dried beans are a little bit more labor intensive but store almost forever. The church cannery is a great source for dried beans. The cost in the store seems to be going up a little right now. Dried beans can be purchased in bulk and stored in #10 cans with oxygen packs, mylar bags, or PET(E) containers.
I like to can my own beans because it is a lot more cost effective...especially because I've had those big 50 pound buckets of beans in my food storage for almost 20years and I purchased them for about 10 cents a pound. I also don't plan very far ahead (like the night before or even a couple of hours before) and beans need to be soaked to rid them of the gas process. Now some people will tell you they never soak their beans, but I'm not willing to suffer the after effects. For me it is more convenient to have several jars on hand and just be able to take them from the pantry and use them right away.
Hint: I like to add a little taco seasoning to the pintos before I process them. They make awesome refried beans!
IF YOU HAVE BULK BEANS AND WOULD LIKE TO LEARN HOW TO CAN THEM, PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND WE CAN SET UP A TIME. YOU HAVE TO USE A PRESSURE CANNER TO BE SAFE.
So...this week, B is for BEANS!
Oh....and don't forget green beans, too!
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I would like you to do a sample of soaked beans vs non-soaked beans and tell me if there is a gas problem (wink)
ReplyDeleteI don't soak my beans just throw them in the crock pot all day with garlic and cumin. I may have to soak them first to see if I notice any difference. I am also going to have to try the taco seasoning. Great tip!
Any time you can something, let me know. I want to get started, but first I need to buy a pressure canner. Any tips on where to get a good, big one for not too much $$?
ReplyDeleteI bought my pressure canner at Walmart for about $65. It works great for me, but if you are going to be really ambitious, there are bigger ones, but they run closer to $200. We are going to can pinto beans sometime soon! I will keep you posted.
ReplyDeleteI am interested in learning how to can beans- I don't know how available I am, but let me know when and I will try to make it. Great blog, good entries.
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