How to Use Freeze Dried Great Northern Beans

Great-northern beans are white kidney beans that are oval shaped. A great-northern bean is approximately double the size of a navy bean or black-eyed pea. Great-northern beans have a mild flavor and are often substituted for navy beans or lima beans in recipes. If you are using freeze-dried great-northern beans instead of canned great-northern beans, the prep time and cook time is considerably longer.

Instructions

1. Sort through the beans to look for any small stones, stems and clumps of dirt. Remove any of these items that you find. Also keep an eye out for tiny, shriveled beans. Remove these as well because they will not cook properly.

2. Clean the beans by putting them in a colander and rinsing them under warm water. Let the water run for a minute to rinse the beans completely.

3. Place the beans in a pan or slow cooker and cover them with water. Leave the beans out to soak for five hours. Once the soaking period is done, dump the beans back into the colander to get rid of the soaking water. Rinse the beans again.

4. Put the beans back into the pan or slow cooker for cooking. Cover them with water again. Bring the beans to a boil if you are using a pan on the stove, and then reduce heat to "Simmer." Set the beans to cook for four hours on the stove or six to eight hours on "Low" in a slow cooker. Check the pan or slow cooker periodically to see if you need to add any water. Do not let the water completely cook out.

5. Drain the beans when done and add them to any recipe or eat them plain. Great-northern beans can be added to soups, stews and casseroles.

References

• Cook For Good: Cooking Dried Beans
• Survival Acres: Bean Information