Last night I mentioned to my 12-year-old that you can buy refried beans in a can. He made a face that indicated he did not believe me. I cannot even remember the last can of beans I bought. It has been a really long time. Once I learned how to cook dried beans, it has been a great source of nutrition for my family. We eat beans a lot--at least once or twice a week, and my kids do not even know that you can buy beans any other way.
I hope you all are doing the Long Term Food Storage challenge. Remember, the goal is to have a year's supply of food by May 1, 2019.
This month, we will focus on Beans!
Dried beans are cost-effective and easy to store. The health benefits of beans are huge! They provide a great source of protein, are high in folate, and are a great antioxidant. Those who regularly eat beans are less likely to have heart disease and cancer.
The list of beans is long: lima beans, black peans, kidney beans, lentils, black-eyed peas, garbanzo beans, red beans, soy beans, navy beans, pinto beans...pick a favorite!
The minimum recommendation for storing beans is 60 lbs per person. For my family, that is a total of 570 pounds.
The most-oft question I am asked is "How do I cook dried beans!" My favorite method is to use my crock pot. Let your beans sit in warm water overnight, then in the morning turn on your slow cooker (either low or high is fine, it usually depends how fast I want them cooked). Be sure water is covering the beans at all times. They can take anywhere from 3-4 hours all the way to 8-9 hours. The biggest deciding factor is how old your beans are. I have found that the older my beans, the longer they take to cook. Plan to check them every 2 hours or so to test done-ness. I typically cook an entire crock-pot at a time. I usually do not need that many beans in a single meal, so I freeze the rest. 1 1/3 cups of cooked beans equals a 15 oz can. I typically freeze 3 cups in a quart size freezer bag, so it's about the equivalent of 2 cans per bag. Then, I have beans ready and on hand for the next meal.
I challenge you to use this month to get your bean storage. Store they kinds of beans your family likes to eat and find new recipes to use your beans on a regular basis.
If you would like to add other items to your storage, here are some suggestions for this month:
Medical Supplies: Tylenol, band-aids, antiseptic
Paper Supplies: Toilet paper, Kleenex, Napkins, Paper Plates, Paper Cups, Plastic utensils
Pasta and Rice: Restock!
Previous monthly challenges can be found here:
Month 1
Month 2
Month 3
Month 4
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