One of the staples of a survivalist or prepper is beans. Beans are a durable food that can last a long time in your food storage and on top of that they are healthy for you. The term bean is a common name for a product that is used not only for human consumption but also as animal feed.
The beans should be harvested from the plant just as the pods begin to ripen and the fruit is in a dry and tender state. In fact, these beans can generally be eaten either raw or cooked. When they termed the word bean it was originally meant to mean the seeds of the “broad bean” plant however, it was later expanded and now includes members of the other bean related flora as well. Common meaning now applies to chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, peas, and soybeans.
Beans have a long history of being cultivated by mankind. Broad beans have been reported as being harvested for thousands of years in locations such as Afghanistan or in the Himalayan foothills. Upon opening tombs from ancient Egyptian times beans have been found deposited with the dead. For the last six thousand years the common bean has been successfully cultivated in both North and South America. They have even been traced to several archaeological cave sites around Peru, placing the date approximately in the second millennium BC.
A unique planting system developed by the tribes of North America. They would grow maize, beans, and squash together in an unusual manner that originated from Mexico. The tribes would plant the corn in a checkerboard fashion across the field. They would use from one to four stalks in each spot. Next they would plant the beans around the base of the corn stalks at which time as they matured they would vine up the stalks. The cornstalks would serve as a sort of trellis for the beans while the beans themselves provided the necessary nitrogen to encourage corn growth. The squash would next be planted between the various patches of corn. The corn would provide some means of shade for the squash from the hot sun by using the corn stalks as a shield. In addition, it acted as an animal deterrent with its coarse vines and stiff leaves. Such an environment made it extremely difficult for animals such as deer to wander through the crops. We could learn much from these early Native Americans in regards to planting efficiently.
Health wise some raw beans particularly the red kidney beans contain harmful toxins that are only destroyed when the bean is cooked. Most recommendations say to cook the bean for no less then ten minutes. It has been reported that undercooking the kidney bean could in fact be more toxic then eating the product raw. I realize that many people always like to cook their beans in a slow cooker however due to the lower temperatures generated by these types of cooking appliances the dangerous toxins may not necessarily be destroyed. Below I have listed the best way to prepare the beans that you have stored in your emergency food supply.
Start out by soaking your beans overnight in water. Even though the following day they may not necessarily appear to be any softer research has shown that they do in fact cook quicker after being soak. Once your beans have begun cooking never add cold water to them but instead use hot only. Never add any salt to your beans until the final half hour of their preparation.
Since beans in general are very bland you will discover that most cultures that make use of beans as a staple frequently are big on seasonings. It would behoove us all to follow this simple rule in order to improve the taste of our prepared beans. Various spices and seasonings such as Bay leaves, chili powder, cumin, garlic, onion powder and Italian seasoning does wonders to improve the flavor of plain beans. Additional enhancements can be provided by the Addition of maple syrup, sugar or tomato sauce.
When we are in the wild as a result of an emergency and we are using our final reserves of fuel for cooking conservation becomes critical. In that case it would be best to cook the beans on a wood stove or to use a Dutch-oven or fireplace. If you prepare your beans by the use of propane you will be consuming several hours of this vital resource to prepare one meal of beans.
Dried beans can readily be ground into a type of flour and easily substituted in part of a bread recipe at the rate of 1 cup of bean flour to 1 cup normal flour. Another great use of your pinto beans is as a substitute in a sweet pinto bean pie. This pie is made exactly as you would your favorite pecan pie recipe with the exception of using pinto beans in place of pecans. Although it may not sound as appetizing as you would expect when served to guests they frequently return for seconds.
Pinto beans are a great substitute for hamburger. When used in any recipe that normally would call for hamburger you will find that you have a similar texture and taste according to the spices you use. How about trying a Bean based Sheppard’s Pie? Maybe add some cheese or pasta to your beans. Top it off with a sauce of some sort and you have a tasty meal. Don’t knock it until you actually try it on the table.
Copyright @2010 Joseph Parish
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