Beans can be called a unique food product, with high nutritional value and good taste. Legumes are indispensable for a complete diet, as well as during fasting. In order for the crop to remain valid during the winter (or longer), you need to know how to store beans at home.
There are three main ways to store beans.
1. Drying.
2. Freezing.
3. Preservation.
Each of these methods has its own characteristics and nuances that must be known and observed.
Storage of dried beans at home
Drying is the most reliable way to store beans, especially if it is necessary to process a rich harvest for the winter. You need to remove beans from the beds after yellowing the pods. Drying is best done in the open air, spreading the pods evenly on a dry surface. To prevent the drying process from disturbing the rain, erect a canopy over the beans or dry them in ventilated rooms, for example, on the veranda.
Beans should be dried in a natural way for several days. You can check the readiness by the appearance of the pods: the dried pods become hard, faded, and begin to open slightly. In this state, peeling the beans will be easier. In the process of peeling, be sure to select damaged and deformed grains.
Heat treatment of beans before storage
The main enemy of beans is a caryopsis, a small beetle that spoils the crop and from which it is not so easy to defend itself. If the storage of beans is supposed only for eating, without subsequent planting, then you can play it safe. Heat treatment can be a guarantee of the destruction of all pests. It is convenient for housewives to carry out heat treatment in the oven, warming it to a temperature of 90 ° C. Processing time - no more than 5 minutes.
What to store beans
The following containers are suitable for storing beans:
• canvas bags (ideal);
• cardboard boxes or boxes covered with paper (for storing a large amount of beans);
• glass jars.
How to store beans at home after drying
Even when dried, it is best to keep the beans cool. Optimum storage conditions for beans: temperature from -5 to +5 ° C, relative humidity not more than 50%. So after the drying and distribution process in storage containers, it is better to place the beans in the refrigerator. With the onset of cold weather, the blanks can be transferred to the veranda, to the underground (in a private house) or to the balcony, in the winter refrigerator (in the apartment).
Folk secrets to increase the shelf life of beans
To make the beans longer suitable for eating and retaining useful substances, people use several methods:
• in the container for storing beans, you can add dill seeds (about 15 g of dill per 1 kg of beans);
• put finely chopped garlic on the bottom of the bowl (4 cloves per 1 kg of product);
• To ensure better conditions, pour a thin layer of wood ash on the bottom of the glass bean jar.
With the right storage technology, beans are suitable for consumption up to 2 years.
How to store beans at home: freezing
By freezing it is customary to store green beans. Fresh green beans must first be removed from the ends, cut in half and blanched. String beans must be dried before freezing. Prepared beans are frozen in plastic bags. The duration of storage of green beans is six months.
Bean Preservation
Canning is another way to store beans. Below are a couple of delicious and simple recipes for harvesting beans.
"Beans in own juice with vegetables"
For 1 kg of beans you will need:
• onions - 0.5 kg;
• carrots - 0.5 kg;
• sunflower oil - 0.25 kg;
• vinegar 9% - 3 tbsp. l .;
• salt, peas, cloves.
Rinse the beans well, soak for 12 hours. Then drain the water, boil the beans until cooked. Chop onions and carrots, then stew in vegetable oil for 20 minutes. Add the boiled beans to the stewed vegetables, simmer everything together for another 10 minutes. Add spices, after 2 minutes you can remove from the stove. Cool the salad a little and pour into pre-sterilized jars. Roll up the cans, put on the lids, wrap. Store the workpiece completely cool in a cool place.
"Beans in tomato sauce"
For 1 kg of beans you will need:
• tomatoes - 3 kg;
• salt - 3 tsp;
• sugar - 2 tbsp. l .;
• 0.5 pods of chili peppers;
• allspice peas - 10 pcs.;
• bay leaf - to taste.
After soaking the washed beans, soak for 40 minutes, adding sugar (all according to the recipe) and salt (1.5 tsp) to water. Pour the tomatoes with boiling water, remove the peel, then make tomato puree using a meat grinder or blender. Put in a saucepan mashed potatoes, prepared beans, all spices according to the recipe (except for bay leaves). Cooking time - 25 minutes with occasional stirring. Bay leaf add 10 minutes until cooked. Pour the finished salad into sterilized jars, roll up and let cool under the covers (turned over onto the covers).
