Handy Beans

A nice alternative to canned beans is cooked, frozen beans.

Short-cut method:
1. Dump 1 or 2 lbs of beans into a large pot.
2. Pour in enough to water to cover beans by two inches.
3. Bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute.
4. Remove from heat and let sit for 1 hour. (Drain and refill water, if desired.)
5. Bring to a boil again, then reduce heat and simmer until beans are cooked (see chart below). Bring beans just to the point of done--if you overcook they will become mushy in your recipe.
6. Dump the whole pot into a colander to drain.
7. Cool.
8. Scoop 2 cups of beans into 2-qt. freezer bag. 2 cups is roughly equivalent to a can.
9. Flatten bags and stack neatly in freezer.
10. Use in recipes as needed.

Traditional method:
1. Soak beans overnight.
2. Drain water and refill to cover by two inches.
3. Continue with step 5 above.

Cooking times for various soaked beans:
Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans) 3-4 hours
Marrow Beans (white) 2-3 hours
Black beans, Black-eyed peas, White beans, Kidney beans, large Lima beans, Pea beans and Pinto beans 1 1/2 - 2 hours
Small Lima beans 1 hour