Posted: 1/24/2016 2:54:28 PM EDT
I can't believe the search function yields ZERO results for threads in this forum containing the word "beans" in the title. 
But anyway. ONE YEAR shelf life is what I keep reading? This can't be true can it? A ham sandwich lasts that long! |
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I bought some navy beans in #10 cans to keep on the shelf. I should probably open one and see if they will cook up soft enough to eat. Sometimes you just can't cook old beans enough, they just stay tough. That's probably what they're talking about with shelf life. |
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Like anything else, it depends on storage conditions.
Oxygen and light are the enemies. I think what you are looking at is an average 1yr shelf life when stored in the plastic bags they come in from the store. However, if you store them in #10 cans or in Mylar with O2 absorbers, then it would be 10+ yrs. The LDS give them a 20yr shelf life when stored in this manner. Here is a source from Utah State University, for those that like sources: http://extension.usu.edu/foodstorage/htm/dry-beans |
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I've posted this before on this forum, but if you vacuum pack the bags into sealed bricks they will last a long time with no extra time needed to cook. I've currently used 8 year old beans with no problems. I simply use a Foodsaver vacuum sealer for the job. Just put a couple of tiny holes in the original bag of beans to allow all air to be sucked out. The finished product is solid like a brick until you break the seal. They are easy to transport and maybe barter if needed.
I also use this method on rice, flour, and sugar. Although I put the flour overnight in a freezer first to kill any bugs that may be present. |
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Great, thanks for the input, guys. Pretty much what I figured.
I pulled a 5 gallon bucket of various beans out from under the house today and was amazed to see them labeled "August 2006"! Man, time flies! They aren't in Mylar, just the individual plastic bags they came in from Publix. I'm pretty sure I did toss some 02 absorbers in the bucket just for good luck. So for 10 + years they just sat in the cool dark crawl space under the house. They LOOK perfect, but who knows. I have a bag of them soaking now. Tomorrow evening I'm gonna cook them up and give them a try. I'll post a report. 
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I made the mistake of stocking up on Pinto beans because they were cheap. Several years later I attempted to cook them. Wasted HOURS and they never did become edible. I even tried to grind them then cook. Still no success. I still have them...slingshot ammo? Pressure cooker? |
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Plant some of them and have fresh beans every year. Red beans and pinto beans are about the easiest thing to grow in a garden that you can plant. once they get established, just leave them alone until they are done growing and dried on the bush. pick them and shell them when they have dried. Let then dry for several days in a warm dry place then bag them or start cooking them.
The same bean that you buy off the shelf will grow a plant full. |
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Pressure cooker? Quoted:
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I made the mistake of stocking up on Pinto beans because they were cheap. Several years later I attempted to cook them. Wasted HOURS and they never did become edible. I even tried to grind them then cook. Still no success. I still have them...slingshot ammo? Pressure cooker? Soak them overnight and then cook them in a pressure cooker. I cooked some that had been in Mylar for 4 years and they were fine. The taste wasn't as good as fresh, but they softened up just fine and were edible. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Quoted:
Plant some of them and have fresh beans every year. Red beans and pinto beans are about the easiest thing to grow in a garden that you can plant. once they get established, just leave them alone until they are done growing and dried on the bush. pick them and shell them when they have dried. Let then dry for several days in a warm dry place then bag them or start cooking them. The same bean that you buy off the shelf will grow a plant full. Thanks for that suggestion, I like it! |
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Quoted: Plant some of them and have fresh beans every year. Red beans and pinto beans are about the easiest thing to grow in a garden that you can plant. once they get established, just leave them alone until they are done growing and dried on the bush. pick them and shell them when they have dried. Let then dry for several days in a warm dry place then bag them or start cooking them. The same bean that you buy off the shelf will grow a plant full. |
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Gentlemen, I apologize ... there will be no range report on ten-year-old beans tonight. After soaking them 24 hrs and rinsing them, I put the pot on to boil, then went outside to do a little touchup painting on the porch.
I think everyone knows what happened next. 
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My Dr has warned me that we need to cook them very thoroughly in a survival situation as under cooked beans are the number one cause of food poisoning in the US. It probably won't kill you outright but make you sick at a time where sick can be deadly. This came up when I told him I was eating / sampling raw beans in my garden.
I am planing on trying to sprout some 10 year old pintos and black beans this weekend and see what happens. My plan is to turn them into chicken feed and eat eggs if they won't cook or sprout. Deer love plots with beans in them and they grow easy. |
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What about lentils? great nutritional value and cooks fast and easy along with rice. no soaking needed which at least for me makes life easier. FerFAL I mostly store lentils for these reasons, but I prefer the taste and texture of beans to that of lentils. |
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WTF is the significance of your AVATAR? 
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Red beans are noxious when eaten fresh. They have to go through the drying cycle to be edible. I don't know if that is true of pinto beans but I wouldn't try it myself. WTF is the significance of your AVATAR?
I can't help how I look. Where is your avatar? |
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Quoted: I can't help how I look. Where is your avatar? Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Red beans are noxious when eaten fresh. They have to go through the drying cycle to be edible. I don't know if that is true of pinto beans but I wouldn't try it myself. WTF is the significance of your AVATAR? I can't help how I look. Where is your avatar? |