I love beans. It's delicious, it can be prepared in many ways, it's cheap, not to mention how important it is for me, as a vegetarian (almost vegetarian), to eat it regularly. It's the main source of vegan proteins.
Unfortunately, preparing beans takes a lot of time and requires planning the meal at least a day in advance. As time is the most important currency we all own, I started to look for natural solutions to save it.
The most natural way was to buy canned beans. It wasn't what I was looking for though. Canned beans are much more expensive and less healthy (contain preservatives and flavor enhancers). Since I'm trying to live in "zero waste" style, producing a lot of trash cans was another problem.
I already made string beans in jars in the past, so I figured out that there has to be some way to put in the jar also other kinds of beans. After a short research, I found the way which Is love to share with you right now.
I like to sacrifice one whole day for preparing many jars, which last for months. Beans from the jar can be used like canned. After opening, it's basically ready. You can add it cold to any salad or heat it and use it as one of the ingredients in your lunch.
You can use every kind of beans in that recipe. I've made three different types: white, red, and black beans.
Ingredients:
🟢 Any kind of beans
🟢 Salt
🟢 Water
🟢 Oil
1️⃣
Put the beans in the bowl and cover it with cold water. Leave it in the water for at least 10 hours, preferably the whole night.
2️⃣
Remove the water and wash the beans under cold water
3️⃣
Prepare the jars.
To make it perfectly sterile, put some pieces of fabric into the big pot and put the jars on the fabric. Try to avoid jars touching any other jar or pot.
Cover it with the water and turn on the gas. Boil it for at least 15 minutes.
Sterile jars allow storing beans for a very long time (even 1 year)
4️⃣
Boil the water with salt. Add 1 tablespoon of salt for each liter of water.
5️⃣
Put the raw beans into the jars.
Leave at least 1 cm of empty space in the jar.
6️⃣
Cover beans in the jars with very hot water with salt.
7️⃣
To each jar add 1 tablespoon of oil
8️⃣
Close the jars and pasteurize them in boiling water for 60-75 minutes (depends on the size of the beans).
I know it might seem to not be enough, but don't worry - boiling beans in the jars and storing it in the waterworks a bit differently than boiling it in the pot.
9️⃣
Take off the jars from hot water and put them upside down in the towel. Leave it that way until it will cool.
That will help to close the jars properly.
If any of your jars will be leaking, you will know that you didn't close it properly before. In that case, repeat point 8.
It's ready.
You might notice that beans absorbed extra water. In some jars, water might not cover all the beans anymore. Don't worry about it, it's absolutely fine.
Store the jars in a dark and cold place. Unopened it can last 1 year. After opening, eat the beans in two days and keep them in the fridge.
I love all the saved time which that recipe gave me, I enjoy having a cheaper and much healthier version of canned beans at home, but above all, preparing food gives me plenty of joy and satisfaction that I'm not dependent on supermarkets.
All the photos published in this post belong to me.
@papi.mati