Contributed by Lisa (Urban Harvest)

Cooking dried beans is simple once you get into the rhythm of planning and pre-soaking.

Cooking a large amount of beans, and the freezing them in portions, is an easy and inexpensive way to have cooked beans on hand.

Ingredients

n/a

Instructions

Step 1: Lay beans in a shallow pan, so that you can pick out any small rocks, sticks, clumps of dirt, or shrivelled beans which may have found their way into the bulk bin.

Step 2: Rinse beans several times and cover with water in a pot overnight (or for a few hours). If the temperature in your kitchen is warm (particularly during the summer months), you may need to put the beans in the fridge to soak, to avoid fermentation setting in.

Step 3: Drain and rinse beans once more, and cover with water (approx 4 times the volume of the beans).

Step 4: Bring beans to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1-2 hours, depending on the size and type of bean, or until they are completely soft, but not yet mushy.

Tip: Do not salt the cooking water for the beans, as the salt will counteract the softening process, leading to tough or stringy beans.

Tip: Adding a piece of dried sea vegetable (such as arame or dulse) may eliminate the gas-producing effect of eating beans, and also adds a subtle, full flavor the beans.

Tip: Organic dried beans can be found in bulk at various local stores, including Springfield Bulk Foods, Nature's Fare, and Overwaitea Foods.

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