The Quick and Easy Guide to Dehydrating Beans

Introduction

Dehydrating beans is a great way to save money and a have nutritious food on hand. Beans are rich in protein, fiber, and iron, making them an ideal staple for anyone who wants to improve their health or lose weight. This article provides a quick guide with instructions on how to dehydrate beans. Green and yellow beans are ideal for this method.

Some nutritional facts about fresh green beans you may be interested are as follows: 1 cup of green beans contain 3.6 grams of sugar, virtually no fat and no cholesterol. They also contain very low sodium, in fact one cup has only 6.6 milligrams(mg). One more thing to mention they are high in vitamins A, C, K and folic acid as stated by healthline. They really pack a punch so why not learn to dehydrate and store your own beans.

You can purchase fresh beans or grow them yourself, we show your how here.

Why store dehydrated beans?

Dehydrating and storing beans is a great way for preppers to prepare these types of foods as they can keep up to one year in storage. They are one of my favorite super foods due to their nutritional value. The other reason why you should learn to dehydrate your own beans is there are endless ways to cook them. From soups to casseroles and everything in between.

Steps to dehydrate beans.

Wash your beans thoroughly ,they may look clean but looks can be deceiving.

Cut them into small pieces, around 1 to 2 inches long.

Now it’s time to blanch them. This requires you to boil the bean pieces for around 3 minutes. Simply place them into a pot of boiling water and after 3 minutes your done.

Take them out and place them in a container of iced water for a couple of minutes. This will preserve their goodness and texture.

Now take them out and put them in a strainer and give them a good shake to remove the excess water.

Now it’s time to place the cut beans on dehydrator sheets. If you don’t them oven trays will do just fine.

Place the tray in the oven that’s set to 50 degrees C or 120 degrees F. The drying process can take anywhere between 8 to 12 hours depending on your oven. I would begin checking them every hour after 6 hours. Make sure they are completely dry and brittle.

Once beans are ready remove from oven and let them sit for another 6 hours to remove any excess moisture.

Then it’s time to place them in airtight containers, I prefer jars. You could easily store them from 1 to 2 years.

How to use dehydrated beans

You can use dehydrated beans in soups, chili, or any recipe that calls for uncooked dried beans without having to rehydrate them.

To rehydrate them you just need to soak them in boiling water for around 10 minutes and your ready to go.

Final thoughts

Dehydrating beans is an easy, frugal way to save money and add variety to your cooking. It’s a another food that can be stored and brought out when food is scarce and you need a healthy food to get your family through the next winter. I really enjoy writing posts about preserving foods and preparing them for long term use. As you know I’m a prepper at heart and I love being self sufficient. Not having to rely on supermarkets or other shopping outlets. There’s nothing better in my opinion, than to grow your own food and then preserving that food. This allows you to enjoy that particular food year round.

I hope you enjoyed this post as I enjoyed writing this for you.