Produce & Pantry

Dried beans, whether purchased at the grocery or homegrown, will keep up to one year if stored properly. Simply tossing the bag of beans on the pantry shelf can often result in tough beans, even...

You will learn a tried and true way to freeze Green Beans from the garden or farmers market. the green beans will stay fresh (if you follow the instructions) for up to a year - with minimal effort.

Kidney beans are named for their kidney shape, and are often used in soup and chili for their hearty, meaty texture. Freezing kidney beans is an easy way to preserve cooked beans for long periods...

Make delicious organic refried beans from scratch in your own home with a few other simple organic ingredients. Refried beans are a tasty complement to any Mexican meal, or you can eat them by...

It doesn't take very many pole bean plants to produce more beans than your family can eat fresh. There are three ways to preserve excess pole beans; freezing, canning and drying. All three...

Fava beans, also known as broad beans, are vividly green legumes with a nutty flavor and smooth, buttery texture. Although they gained notoriety in the 1991 hit "The Silence of the Lambs" as one...

Canned navy beans save time since they have already been fully cooked. With a can opener and ingredients for your favorite bean recipe, you can use canned navy beans instead taking the time to...

Green snap beans are one of many bean varieties that are often frozen for use long after the gardening season has ended. Preparing green snap beans for the freezer takes a bit of time, but the end...

Eating healthy can be a chore especially if you have a busy schedule. In addition it seems that eating healthy will cost much more money and with things tighter and the economy down, how can you...

Pole beans grow on a vine and are placed around a pole by the gardener. They can be grown either inside or out (though growing the beans outside is more common). There are several variations of...

Grocery shopping is one of the large expenses in the American home, and it seems to be getting larger. Most of us try to control the expense of groceries, but not everyone has the skills for...

Also known as green beans or string beans, snap beans are grown in gardens across the world. Their name derives from the sound they make when broken or snapped. Fresh snap beans are cooked in a...

Green beans taste best when they are fresh from the garden, but you can't always find fresh beans. If you can green beans when you first pick them out of your garden, you'll have the next best...

Vanilla beans and vanilla extract may have similar flavors, but these two forms of vanilla have different effects on desserts, drinks and cooked dishes through their flavor intensity and visual...

Green beans are a staple at family dinners. Enjoyed by people all around the world, green beans are a popular vegetable. Learn about them before you serve them at your next dinner.

Canning was invented by the French cook Nicolas Appert in the 18th century. Appert took a challenge from Napoleon Bonaparte to come up with a way to preserve food for feeding his vast armies out...

Fall brings an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables and canning these can feed your family throughout the winter months. Canning or bottling fruit and vegetables is a big job. Having other...

The best part of having a garden is getting to have fresh frozen green beans all year round! My mom and I just finished making about 22 Quarts of these for good home eating for the rest of the winter!

Green beans, string beans, snaps – they are known by many different names. But they are a challenge to preserve successfully if you don’t have a pressure canner. Green beans are a low-acidic...

If you love to bake you know that one of the most commonly called for ingredients is vanilla extract. In general, you have two options when it comes to buying this essential product: 1. Pure...

Vanilla is a tropical plant grown in warm climates, where the plants must often be pollinated by hand. Once the green vanilla pod appears, it is harvested, dried and cured for up to six months....

The kidney bean, also known as the chili bean, is a fundamental part of the daily diet in many regions of the world. In the United States, kidney beans are an integral part of southern cuisine,...

Chocolate comes from the beans of a tropical South American tree, theobroma cacao. The beans have been harvested and made into chocolate for eating or drinking for 3000 years.

Chocolate comes from the beans of the cacao tree, a small tropical tree native to Central and South America. The beans are harvested from large pods that grow directly from the tree's trunk and...

Cultivated red kidney beans are sub-erect bush-like annuals about 13 inches to several feet tall. The plant bears pods less than 6 inches long, each containing 10 to 12 seeds. In commercial...

Preparing dried beans takes time, but not much effort. Dried is the most economical way to purchase beans, and will save money versus canned or frozen beans. Beans are also highly nutritious when...

Pinto beans are oval-shaped, brown beans commonly used in Mexican-inspired dishes. According to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, pinto beans are the most commonly exported bean from the...

As you might guess from their name, kidney beans are shaped like kidneys. They're dark red in color (the white "kidney beans" are properly referred to as cannellini beans). Kidney beans are...

Yummy, good for you, and at around $2.00/lb, a bargain, besides! Here are 3 ideas--straight from the Great Depression--that made eating '5 a Day' deliciously easy. 1)Green Beans Topped with...

Kidney beans can be eaten fresh from the garden or dried for later use. Once dried, kidney beans can be stored in a cool place for several years and used when needed. There are several methods of...

Chocolate nibs, also called cocoa or cacao nibs, are roasted cocoa beans that have been broken up into smaller bits. They are crunchier than most nuts, resembling roasted coffee beans in texture...

Served with rice and in Mexican cuisine, pinto beans are a member of the kidney bean family. This legume is an excellent source of cholesterol-lowering fiber. Available year-round and purchased...

Butter beans are small beans about the size of a penny. They were initially cultivated between A.D. 1 and 500, during the Spanish occupation of Peru. Butter beans are also known as Lima beans,...

Kidney beans are so named because of their unique kidney shape. These beans have been called one of the world's most nutritious foods. They are grown and used by a variety of countries and...

Dilly beans are a great way to use green beans when there are too many to eat fresh but still not enough to justify canning. The recipe is for making a full canner load but you can do up just two...

If you grow your vegetables, you've got some real advantages over those who rely on others for their food supply. You can harvest your vegetables when they have reached the perfect stage of...

Dark chocolate comes from cocoa beans, which grow in cocoa pods. Once a cocoa pod develops on a tree, it must mature for 5 to 6 months. Cocoa pods are harvested off their trees, usually by hand,...

Nothing is better than fresh vegetables, especially old favorites like string beans and butter beans. Whether they're from your own garden, a farmer's market or from a local grocery that just got...

Soy beans are annual legumes native to East Asia, and have been used as food and a component in drugs by the Chinese for more than 5,000 years. Today, soy beans and their products are used as main...

The Great Depression lasted nearly 10 years. During that time people (most people) still ate. Given the challenging current state of affairs it might be wise to revisit depression era cooking.

Canned beans are a great way to stretch any budget by adding them to various casseroles and soups. With the price of canned beans at at least one dollar, wouldn't it be great to have canned bean...

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could grab a can of beans off of the shelf to quickly to your chili or casseroles? Dry beans are easy to store, but turning them into a usable canned good that is...

Coffee beans can be stored in the freezer as long as they haven't been ground. Never keep coffee beans in the refrigerator because the humidity will ruin the fresh aroma. Keep coffee beans or...

Cacao trees are grown for the chocolate industry throughout South America and Africa, generally within 20 degrees of the equator. The trees produce large, melon-like fruits that contain the cacao...

Remember the homestyle green beans Grandma used to make? Green beans are a healthy and delicious side dish, and it's easy to make them the old fashioned way. They go with just about anything, too....

Adzuki beans sprout into large shoots with a beautiful maroon color, making them not only a beautiful, but also nutritious and delicious addition to salads, stir fries, sandwiches and more. Adzuki...

For centuries, chefs, grocers and homemakers have used various tricks and techniques to keep bugs out of their stored beans and grains. Over time, some of these strategies have been debunked and...

Fava beans abound at farmers' markets and supermarkets in late spring and early summer. They look like giant, lumpy string beans, and are filled with padding for the beans that looks like cotton. ...

The health benefits of soy are well known, providing a wide range of vitamin and minerals as well as protein. However, most people are not aware that you can sprout soy beans and eat them raw in...

Mung bean sprouts are the most commonly consumed sprout on the planet, and for good reason. Not only are mung bean sprouts fun and easy to grow, they are delicious and packed full of vitamins,...