People this is so amazingly simple, I wish I ditched the canned beans sooner and starting making my own beans.
But I was scared, I thought it was hard.
It is NOT hard at all.
It is so ridiculously simple, I really wonder why I didn't learn sooner.
When you use your crockpot it makes it even easier and less time consuming than you think.
First, you need to go to the store and actually but some dry beans to cook.
But let's assume you have already done that.
Grab your dry beans, a strainer, and a pot.
Rinse the beans with water and pick out any rocks or other things that shouldn't be there.
This is where your strainer should come in handy.
Once you are satisfied with the cleanliness of your beans, add them to your pot and cover the beans with water. The water needs to be several inches above your beans
Now it needs to be a big pot, remember we are hydrating these beans so they will double in size.
I let the beans soak in water overnight at room temperature, that is what works best for me.
Once the beans have soaked overnight, I rinse the beans off with water one more time.
I then add the beans to my crockpot. I add enough water to cover the beans and then cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, depending on the tenderness of the beans.
This is a great time to add some ham, bacon, onions or garlic to give your beans some flavor.
You can totally cook these beans on the stove for a few hours, about 2-4 hours is normal.
But I like the stick the beans in the crockpot and forget about it approach. Again that is just what works for me.
Now I am sure you are wondering how in the world are you going to store all these beans. Well, rest assured I have you covered on that as well.
I typically leave at least one jar of beans in the fridge for dinner that week and for the rest of the beans, they get stored in the freezer.
I like to use Mason Jars to store my cooked beans. After the jar has been cleaned, I fill the jar almost all the way full of beans and a little juice. Seal it with a lid and off to the freezer, they sit until we are ready for beans.
I usually plan out our meals beforehand so I know if I need beans, I pull a jar out of the freezer the morning of or the night before to start to thaw.
Why do I use jars as opposed to freezer bags?
Well, I wish I had some long nice scientific answer about how bad freezer bags are for you, and why you should stop using freezer bags but when it comes right down to it, I AM CHEAP.
It is so much easier to clean mason jar and reuse them as opposed to trying to reuse a freezer bag.
Now in all fairness, it is not only about being cheap, but I am also saving the environment.
Michelle
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