Dried Beans - Shelf Life

[Muddy Dog]

How long would you trust beans past their shelf life printed on the plastic bag?

I thought about storing them in cold mason jars, without a canning method.

 

[Cabin Fever]

We recently finished eating dried black beans that we had stored in preparation for Y2K. These beans were in a plastic bag inside of a box. This was a 25# box of beans. They were very edible. We had to cook them in a pressurized Instapot 2 to 3 times longer than the recommended cooking time to soften them.

 

[Weedygarden]

How long would you trust beans past their shelf life printed on the plastic bag?

I thought about storing them in cold mason jars, without a canning method.

I agree with storing them in mason jars, with no canning method. I wonder if oxygen absorbers would make them harder?

What kind of beans do you have?

If they haven't been contaminated, gotten wet, or otherwise damaged, I would trust them to be edible. The question is, how will you use them? Will you cook them like you normally cook beans, soaked overnight, water drained and new clear water on them? Pressure or instant pot cooked?

The biggest challenge will be to get them to soften up. One thing you can do is to grind them up and use the powder to make things. The web site that I shared below has lots of recipes.

"What is Bean Flour?
Naturally gluten-free and high in protein, bean flours are made by milling dried whole beans of just about any variety. Beans are one of nature’s most healthy foods, providing ample vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber — so, finding ways to incorporate more beans into your diet is a good idea. Unfortunately, beans often don’t generate the same kind of excitement as, say, chocolate cake. Luckily, with bean flour, you truly can have your cake and eat it too.

That’s because bean flours are extremely versatile. They can be used to make baked goods (like chocolate cake), dips and spreads, or as a thickener for soups and stews. If you’re tired of eating the same old bean recipes, try incorporating bean flour into some of your dishes for added nutrition."

https://www.21stcenturybean.com/coo...zYIJsVst2_WLe_9S2Pr-i-TBGZ0QOt2Mug_A-eRwSyTdL

 

[montanabill]

I just cooked some up that had sat on a shelf in a plastic bag for four years....tasty and delicious. Somewhere I might have some from 1996 packed in #10 cans with a O2 absorber, I need to try some of those just for fun.
Food is food, no matter what it takes to process it . There is a storm coming.

 

[Mountain trapper]

I really don't care for beans that much, but I think it would be wise to have some in storage. I do want to make my own beenie weenies and pork and beans some day and can them.

 

[Weedygarden]

I really don't care for beans that much, but I think it would be wise to have some in storage. I do want to make my own beenie weenies and pork and beans some day and can them.

You are not the first person that I have heard say that they do not care for beans. It may be a texture thing, or it may be a seasoning or lack of seasoning thing. I think that storing dry beans for the long term is very important. In another thread I shared that in a group someone posted that they cooked up some beans and they were horrible. I asked what he seasoned them with? Nothing! I have actually seen that response before and in other places. Storing beans and rice might be the known prepper thing, but the spices to make them palatable is so important if we are going to be able to stand eating them. Garlic, onion, cumin, salt, pepper, and other seasonings are what makes them palatable.

For all the people expecting someone else, such as a wife, to cook them for you, please realize that men can cook! Some men are much better cooks than women. Take a turn in the kitchen periodically. Just like women should know how to change a flat tire, men should know how to make something to eat.

 

[Mountain trapper]

You are not the first person that I have heard say that they do not care for beans. It may be a texture thing, or it may be a seasoning or lack of seasoning thing. I think that storing dry beans for the long term is very important. In another thread I shared that in a group someone posted that they cooked up some beans and they were horrible. I asked what he seasoned them with? Nothing! I have actually seen that response before and in other places. Storing beans and rice might be the known prepper thing, but the spices to make them palatable is so important if we are going to be able to stand eating them. Garlic, onion, cumin, salt, pepper, and other seasonings are what makes them palatable.

For all the people expecting someone else, such as a wife, to cook them for you, please realize that men can cook! Some men are much better cooks than women. Take a turn in the kitchen periodically. Just like women should know how to change a flat tire, men should know how to make something to eat.

I'm a pretty decent cook. I specialize in mostly outdoor cooking; grilling, over fire, smoking food and drying. For inside I make chili, ketchup, hot sauce, seasonings, rubs, etc. I just started looking up recipes for making pork and beans. It looks simple and sounds tasty. I'll start out with a small batch and see how it turns out.

 

[montanabill]

We shop at a box store that has bulk spices and seasonings....also at costco which sells larger containers of spices..
Beans need something, even ketchup.....I wonder if american ketchup has an expiration date for real. I can freeze dry it if I first water it down, too much sugar otherwise so it just gets gooey..
I just vacuum bagged up a load of chili mac from the freeze dryer. 7 boxes of mac and cheese and 7 cans of chili.. Not the best food maybe but it fills one up and most people will eat it..

 

[Tootsie]

I believe that catsup is not great in storage. My store bought stuff looks pretty nasty, dark colored, at a year or so past best by date. I will use it in chili where I can ‘hide’ it but no more stocking up on catsup for me. We just don’t use that much of it. I can always make a small batch from other stored tomato products.

 

[Cabin Fever]

This is our Instapot baked bean recipe,

INGREDIENTS
¼ cup water
1 medium onion, diced
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon EACH garlic + onion powder
1 1b. dried small white beans (navy, black, or great northern) (2 cups), rinsed and odd beans removed (not soaked)
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (or half water + broth)
⅓ cup pure maple syrup
¼ cup tomato paste (use a 6oz. can for extra tomato flavor)
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons mustard (regular, dijon or whole grain)
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 bay leaves
½ – 1 teaspoon mineral salt, or to taste

Optional add-ins for variation: (we add all of these)
Small jalapeno, seeds removed and diced (add a few seeds for extra heat)
Small green bell pepper, cored and diced
2 – 4 tablespoons unsulfured blackstrap molasses

INSTRUCTIONS

INSTANT POT (no soak method):

Press the SAUTE setting on your Instant Pot and add ¼ cup water. When hot, add onion and saute for 4 minutes. Add the smoked paprika and garlic powder, cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant, stirring frequently.

Next add the beans, broth, tomato paste, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, mustard, bay leaves, ground pepper and salt, gently stir until the tomato paste is dissolved completely and everything is well combined.

Attach the lid, and make sure the vent is in the SEALED position. Push the PRESSURE COOKER button, and manually set at HIGH for 75 minutes. When done, let the steam vent for 20 minutes. Move the vent to open, careful not to burn yourself as there may still be a little steam left. Remove lid and let cool a bit, add salt to taste. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. Transfer beans to a serving dish.

Beans will thicken once cooled. If too thick, add 2 tablespoons of water at a time, mix well, and repeat until desired consistency.

Total cooking time with coming to pressure is about 2 hours and 5 minutes.

Store: Keep leftovers in and airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. These freeze wonderfully, and will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer. Thaw before reheating.

Serves 6 – 8

 

[Muddy Dog]

Thank you all for the help.

My wife asked me how long beans last for, and we now have a vast amount of additional help.

My wife is also a member of this site, but I cant seem to get her to log on very often.

She takes care of most the food preparations, but Im beginning to learn much more myself.

Thanks again.

 

[Muddy Dog]

What kind of beans do you have?

All three bags are Great Northern beans.

 

[Amish Heart]

In the wintertime when there's no garden to tend to, I cook up my older beans (5 yrs or so) and then dehydrate them for instant beans.

 

[joel]

We recently finished eating dried black beans that we had stored in preparation for Y2K. These beans were in a plastic bag inside of a box. This was a 25# box of beans. They were very edible. We had to cook them in a pressurized Instapot 2 to 3 times longer than the recommended cooking time to soften them.

A friend in a wheel chair bought #7 (?)/gallon can of Navy beans, when Y2K was over she gave us a few can. The bean where tough, tasted uncooked, did not have a pressure cooker or this site.
I have heard that this problem has been fixed/repair now, but I have not tried the canned survival
kits. I can get beans cheaper & store them in freezer & five gallon buck.

 

[Cabin Fever]

A friend in a wheel chair bought #7 (?)/gallon can of Navy beans, when Y2K was over she gave us a few can. The bean where tough, tasted uncooked, did not have a pressure cooker or this site.
I have heard that this problem has been fixed/repair now, but I have not tried the canned survival
kits. I can get beans cheaper & store them in freezer & five gallon buck.

I would think that canned cooked beans would likely not last as long as dried beans. The canned cooked beans would also lose some of their flavor and nutrition content.

 

[Cascadian]

I have eaten dried pinto beans that were easily 10 years old. We ended up pressure canning the rest. It did take longer to soften them.

 

[Caribou]

I would think that canned cooked beans would likely not last as long as dried beans. The canned cooked beans would also lose some of their flavor and nutrition content.

Canned food has been found that is over 100 years old. The cans were in good condition and the food tested out to be safe and nutritional. The trick on canned goods is to keep the cans in good condition.

 

[dademoss]

Dried beans will likely last longer than I will. Of course, there is probably an expiration date on SALT, been around for centuries.

Yep, had that discussion with corporate quality assurance, I have a bad attitude

 

[joel]

I would think that canned cooked beans would likely not last as long as dried beans. The canned cooked beans would also lose some of their flavor and nutrition content.

I was not clear, the free bean were not cooked, they were raw dried beans & were hard after they were cook. I was talking about dry bean in the rest of my post.
If every thing you posted is fact,(I have no ideal) I would eat can cooked beans first, because they are there & easy to cook/heat up. Then any bean in the freezer, no power, freezer not running.
The start on the vacuum packed dry beans.
By that time my garden & orchard should be producing in the spring & summer, by fall we would have winter squash, apples, pears, muscadine other fruits & vegetables to help with the vacuumed supplies & greens from Brassica family, carrots, onions, sun chokes, potatoes & jars of green bean from the summer garden hopefully a few rabbits & chickens.

 

[Aerindel]

I believe that catsup is not great in storage. My store bought stuff looks pretty nasty, dark colored, at a year or so past best by date. I will use it in chili where I can ‘hide’ it but no more stocking up on catsup for me. We just don’t use that much of it. I can always make a small batch from other stored tomato products.

Its fine. It darkens but its mostly salt and sugar, highly preserved. Lasts almost forever.

I don't use much either, but have a lot stocked as it's a handy force multiplier.

I try to rotate beans out before they hit 10 years. No problem with that so far.

 

[Caribou]

I was not clear, the free bean were not cooked, they were raw dried beans & were hard after they were cook. I was talking about dry bean in the rest of my post.
If every thing you posted is fact,(I have no ideal) I would eat can cooked beans first, because they are there & easy to cook/heat up. Then any bean in the freezer, no power, freezer not running.
The start on the vacuum packed dry beans.
By that time my garden & orchard should be producing in the spring & summer, by fall we would have winter squash, apples, pears, muscadine other fruits & vegetables to help with the vacuumed supplies & greens from Brassica family, carrots, onions, sun chokes, potatoes & jars of green bean from the summer garden hopefully a few rabbits & chickens.

Old beans can benefit from long soaking, long cooking, and pressure cooking. They can also be ground into bean flour. Cooking old beans the normal way leaves you with partly cooked beans. The beans are fine for several decades but the cooking requirements change.

 

[Proud Prepper]

A very long time to forever, depending on storage methods.

 

[DrHenley]

The "Use By" date on dried beans is when the oils start to go rancid for beans stored on the shelf at room temperature in a normal atmosphere. It only affects the taste and texture, not the edibility.
You can extend the effective "Use By" date almost indefinitely by vacuum packaging, using oxygen scrubbers or freezing or a combination thereof. And keep them out of the light.