Beans for storage

[Weedygarden]

I have really been wanting to make the meals in jars, but I am limited on room I my stockroom so I have been considering on making them instead in a vacuum sealed bag. That way they won't take up as much room and can be stored flat on top of one another. But will also leave my jars to preserve my garden.

I have made my own instant rice by dehydrating after cooked and storing in half gallon jars. Works out great for quick meal preps.

Instant rice is something I want to do as well. Currently, I eat rice about once a year, New Year's Day, when we do our traditional meal of smothered steak, rice, greens, and cornbread. Edit, and black-eyed peas. But in a tough situation, that would change. Instant rice would be great in many meals in a jar.

I did that, too, Dani with the long cooking brown rice. Cooked and dehydrated it. Hey Weedy...anything you dehydrate, you can also powder. I had all those free pumpkins, cooked them, dehydrated, and powdered. Now I just add water to make a pumpkin paste to make pumpkin pie. Powdered cooked garbanzo beans make a good start for hummus. Dehydrated orange slices, powder them for orange flavor in rice, sweet potatoes. And no scurvy.

I have powdered some dehydrated food, but never thought about orange slices. Powdered garbanzo beans is definitely on my list to do. I love hummus. I have tahini, (sesame seed butter), that is typically used in it, but I also have some sesame seeds to make my own tahini. Hummus could be made up powdered in a jar, with some garlic powder. Add some water and a little oil when making it. Garlic has gone wild in my yard, so garlic will be dried and powdered this summer, and many gifts of garlic braids given out.

Have you ever had or made falafel? They would be great for your vegetarian daughter. They are typically served in a pita pocket with lettuce, tomato, red onion, cucumber and a few other things. They are served with a white sauce that I need to research. My idea is to be able to gather the produce from the garden and to make the pita and falafel from food storage. Falafel is one of my favorite things. They are typically deep fried, but can be baked as well.

You ladies ,
Are going to make me think again.

Great! I really believe things are going to get tougher before they get better. That is why I am working on this idea of instant beans and meals in a jar. I hope I am wrong, but I would rather be prepared, just in case.

Love my dehydrated northern beans. Throw them in a crockpot with a hambone from the freezer, add dehydrated onion, carrot, water and seasoning. Forget about it all day. Five minute dinner prep.

I was thinking that this would be one meal I would like to do in a jar. Beans are typically sold in one pound bags and that is almost twice as many as I can eat before I am done with wanting them, and that is a few meals in. I was thinking I could cook up a one pound bag as an experiment, dehydrate them, and make smaller batches of bean soup, just one meal each. I could add dehydrated carrots, onions, a seasoning bag. I have ham in my freezer I could use at home, and have canned hams, but am now thinking I should look for smaller cans of ham. The other option would be to look for some freeze dried ham.

 

[Dani]

I believe things will get worse before they get better too which is why I think I will be doing this in the very near future. My garden is doing great right now and am preserving as much as possible. Right now it is in the freezer but do plan to start dehydrating, freeze drying as I can along with canning the excess when time permits. Recently life is just busy with work (I get notice on days that we get trucks for my area so never know until I get a text from my boss I need to go into work extra over night shifts) and with things around the homestead.

 

[MoBookworm1957]

I also think it will get worse before it gets better.
So will be cooking up beans tomorrow to dehydrate and powder in the next few days.
Same with brown and white rice.
Will be dehydrating more vegetables as I find them on sale for soups packets(my version of cup of soup).
Thank you ladies for the ideas.

 

[Terri9630]

Dehydrated orange slices, powder them for orange flavor in rice,

I've never even thought of doing that! No more running out of oranges for orange chicken!!

 

[SouthCentralUS]

Ground dehydrated pintos can be made into pretty decent refried beans.

 

[MoBookworm1957]

Beings I'm always asking questions about dehydrating.
What book or dehydrating bible do so suggest for novice dehydrator person like me?

 

[SouthCentralUS]

Tammy Gangloff's Dehydrator Cookbook. It is great.

 

[MoBookworm1957]

Tammy Gangloff's Dehydrator Cookbook. It is great.

Thank you for the information.

 

[SouthCentralUS]

She is also on YT with some very informative dehydrating videos

 

[Weedygarden]

Tammy Gangloff's Dehydrator Cookbook. It is great.
She is also on YT with some very informative dehydrating videos

I had subscribed to her channel, but looks like I never rang her bell, so her videos were not popping up for me. Thank you!

I was going to come on and share about your suggestion, SouthCentralUS, of cooking, dehydrating and making pinto beans into powder for quick refried beans. With powdered beans, we can make smaller or larger quantities to fit our needs. LDS has these available in their storehouse when it is open, but with a 5 year shelf life. That shelf life is probably worth noting for any of us wanting to make some dehydrated beans.

https://www.youtube.com/user/Dehydrate2store/videos

 

[Weedygarden]

Dehydrated orange slices, powder them for orange flavor in rice, sweet potatoes. And no scurvy.

I had a thought about this, dehydrating lemons and limes for flavoring as well, and even for lemonade and limeade. I love lemonade and limeade even more, but there can be so much sugar in it. I know there are times when lemons and limes can be purchased for better prices. And, what about grapefruit?

 

[Amish Heart]

I've done grapefruit, orange, lemons...dehydrated and powdered and mix it together and call it citrus powder. It depends what citrus is getting tough in my fruit bowls. Same with greens...mix up powdered kale, spinach, anything green and call it green powder. Good in Italian dishes.

 

[Dani]

Ground dehydrated pintos can be made into pretty decent refried beans.

What are you using to powder? I make powdered eggs and have already burnt up two blender motors over the last couple years?

 

[Dani]

I save my shrimp shells when I peel and then use them to make shrimp broth and powder the shells to add in to seafood dishes.

 

[Amish Heart]

I use a bullet. Not a real one, that's what it's called. Maybe it's a magic bullet. I already packed it, otherwise I'd check.

 

[Patchouli]

Amish Heart is so hard core, she puts bullets in her blender.
haha
You ladies are hard core dollar stretchers and penny pinchers and innovative with how you spread around the leftovers. How do you ever have time to take care of everything you take care of? Amish, you employ your minions and crack the proverbial whip. Amazing.

 

[MoBookworm1957]

Tammy Gangloff's Dehydrator Cookbook. It is great.

Ordered her book tonight.
Thank you again for the information.

 

[MoBookworm1957]

Amish Heart is so hard core, she puts bullets in her blender.
haha
You ladies are hard core dollar stretchers and penny pinchers and innovative with how you spread around the leftovers. How do you ever have time to take care of everything you take care of? Amish, you employ your minions and crack the proverbial whip. Amazing.

Lots and lots of practice.
In my case divorced single mom.
Active duty full time, student full time for the next promotion, worked full time too, single parent full time to sons and their friends whom lived with us most of their high school years(10 boys besides my own 2.) Lots and lots of practice. The boys made my troops look tame.

 

[MoBookworm1957]

I had subscribed to her channel, but looks like I never rang her bell, so her videos were not popping up for me. Thank you!

I was going to come on and share about your suggestion, SouthCentralUS, of cooking, dehydrating and making pinto beans into powder for quick refried beans. With powdered beans, we can make smaller or larger quantities to fit our needs. LDS has these available in their storehouse when it is open, but with a 5 year shelf life. That shelf life is probably worth noting for any of us wanting to make some dehydrated beans.

https://www.youtube.com/user/Dehydrate2store/videos

I went and watched their videos and subscribed to the channel.
Thanks Weedygarden for the information.

 

[Weedygarden]

Amish Heart is so hard core, she puts bullets in her blender.
haha
You ladies are hard core dollar stretchers and penny pinchers and innovative with how you spread around the leftovers. How do you ever have time to take care of everything you take care of? Amish, you employ your minions and crack the proverbial whip. Amazing.

Patchouli, it is a great comaraderie here, isn't it? Great to have a group of people working together on ideas, sharing, learning and supporting each other.

 

[Amish Heart]

In my blood, Patch. You are what you do.
But I have lazy minions who live with me. They do work for their favorite food, though.
Yesterday I got the young lazy minions to rake the front yard area for an Arizona Iced Tea each.
They did a good job. Although it took them 2 hours, because they took long breaks to throw rocks at the empty can they put in the tree. And the neighbor girls came to the fence line to talk for a long while. But that's ok, no big rush. Today they will be helping to load the POD after homeschooling.

 

[Weedygarden]

What are you using to powder? I make powdered eggs and have already burnt up two blender motors over the last couple years?

Two is one and one is none.

I have multiple possibilities for grinding stuff. I used to always be on the hunt for what I could get for this purpose at yard sales, Craigslist ads, and thrift stores. Almost all of my stuff I bought used or got for free. I hunt for bargains. I have two stones that were once used by someone for grinding, a few old hand crank grinders, Cuisinart food processors, small batch coffee bean grinders, Nutri-Bullet and electric grain grinders. I have many possibilities for grinding wheat, so should be able to grind any food with what I have.

Honestly, I find blenders to be not as desirable anymore and I have one I haven't used in many years that I need to donate to a thrift store. The design shape on the glass part allows stuff to get stuck at the bottom.

 

[LadyLocust]

I am just catching up but I also agree @Weedygarden that it might be a bumpy ride for a little while. I have a 6 bean soup recipe that I do a meal in a jar with. It makes quite a bit & funny you mentioned it, because I was just thinking I need to do half recipes since it's just hubby and me. I also do in small jars our own pancake mix (we don't do store bought mixes) so only have to add egg and butter. For greens, I leave them whole leaf to dehydrate them then shove them in a jar. When I go to use them I leave them whole (or at least not totally crumbled) or crumble them up. Great way to get greens in winter. Also, when we were kids, we would take cold horse beans in a baggy in our coat pockets to snack on during the bus ride to school - fava beans. I have some planted and am hoping they do well I hadn't really thought much about grinding things (except herbs and garlic) like mentioned - will have to ponder it.

 

[Weedygarden]

Watching the movie, "Amish Grace," about the school shooting at an Amish school. Someone brought bean chowder to the potluck. I had to look it up, because I have never heard of bean chowder. This recipe is for a Southwestern version. I could see making this. I got green chili's last weekend and they are cleaned, chopped and in the freezer.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/southwestern-bean-chowder/
Southwestern Bean Chowder

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 20 min. Cook: 35 min.
YIELD: 8 servings (2 quarts).
Ingredients

• 2 cans (15 ounces each) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained, divided
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1-1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 1 medium carrot, shredded
• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 4-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Minced fresh cilantro and additional shredded cheddar cheese, optional

Directions

• 1. In a small bowl, mash one can beans with a fork; set aside.
• 2. In a Dutch oven, saute the onion, celery and pepper in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the mashed beans, broth, corn, carrot, chilies, cumin, chili powder and remaining beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
• 3. Combine cornstarch and milk until smooth. Stir into bean mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted. Serve with cilantro and additional cheese if desired.

 

[Grimm]

I believe that Dollar Tree has the best price for 1 pound packages of beans, at least what I have found so far. I did some research a few years ago, but things could have changed. I need to check those prices again. I put one pound packages into a 5 gallon bucket with a gamma seal lid.

Our dollar tree sells beans for 99¢ a pound but Target and even Walmart are 95¢ or less.

 

[Weedygarden]

Our dollar tree sells beans for 99¢ a pound but Target and even Walmart are 95¢ or less.

Dollar Tree has had the best price for beans in 1 pound bags for a while.
I rarely go to Target since the bathroom debacle. I have noticed the last few times I was at Dollar Tree, that they only had pinto beans, not the other varieties they used to carry. I have pinto beans, but am always looking for variety at a good price. I was able to get 25 pounds of pintos at Costco's Business Center recently, for around $17. (I honestly don't remember the exact price) I would like to have more lentils and white beans. I am in good shape with pintos, black beans, garbanzos, and red beans.

 

[Amish Heart]

That recipe looks pretty good, Weedy. Some of the common soups in this Amish community are cheese chowder, potato soup, ham bone and navy bean, and hamburger soup. My favorite cousin learned to use the dehydrated potato shreds I gave her to make a good potato soup, and dehydrated foods are not commonly used here. Her favorite is ham and navy bean with cornbread on the side. I make hamburger soup fairly often, and everyone likes that. Southwestern recipes around here can be hit or miss. Most of the mexican dishes are more texmex, and not the newmex I'm used to cooking. Alot of jalapeno use here instead of green chili use. That being said, if I'm cooking for family, I use green chili, but put it on the side for those that want to add it.
I haven't shopped Target in years, either, because of the bathroom incident. Have been finding small bags of beans at the Amish discount store for about a buck. They've had dried black beans, large lima, lentils, pinto, and navy. The Dollar Tree in the bigger town from here has had rice, black beans, and pinto. If I can get rice or potatoes for 50 cents a lb or less, I take that as a decent price.

 

[Grimm]

Dollar Tree has had the best price for beans in 1 pound bags for a while.
I rarely go to Target since the bathroom debacle. I have noticed the last few times I was at Dollar Tree, that they only had pinto beans, not the other varieties they used to carry. I have pinto beans, but am always looking for variety at a good price. I was able to get 25 pounds of pintos at Costco's Business Center recently, for around $17. (I honestly don't remember the exact price) I would like to have more lentils and white beans. I am in good shape with pintos, black beans, garbanzos, and red beans.

Smart and Final! They have large restaurant sized bags of various beans for cheap. My dad is on a bean kick and has 10-25lb bags he got there.

 

[Weedygarden]

Amish, I have never really understood the difference between Tex-Mex and Mexican?

 

[Weedygarden]

Ground dehydrated pintos can be made into pretty decent refried beans.

You could buy instant refried beans from the LDS when they were open. (I expect them to open up again) Powdered, just add water and heat. The shelf life is 3 years, I think.