"Better beans and bacon in peace than cakes and ale in fear.” Aesop quote

Wednesday is a busy day.  We have co-op which starts back up in 2 weeks.  That is also our library and church night.  Crockpots save me this day of the week.  Tonight is chili but since I am home this morning I am just cooking it on the stove top but the crock pot is still being used!  I buy dried beans in bulk, by the 5lb bag actually.  I always have at least 5 different beans on hand.  The problem comes in when you have forgotten to soak the beans overnight.  I know you can do the quick soak but the problem with that I will answer from the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.

"Such care in preparation ensures that legumes will be thoroughly digestable, and all the nutrients they provide well assimilated because such careful preparation neutralizes phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors and breaks down difficult to digest complex sugars.  What about canned beans?  High temperatures and pressures used in the canning process do reduce phytate content, but the danger is that such processing overdenatures proteins and other nutrients at the same time.  Canned beans are best eaten sparingly."

So what should you do?   Bulk buy several types of dried beans, ones you normally use. Take one type add them to your crock pot after looking them over.  Fill the crock pot with water.  Leave them overnight, drain the water and fill it backup.  Cook all day until tender in the crockpot.  Let cool, you can put it out in the garage during the winter and it will cool off faster.  When cool divide them into 4c portions in freezer containers.  The next day do another type of bean.  By the end of a week you will have a few months supply of beans on hand ready to go!  Makes it easy to have a quick lunch of beans and rice too!

Today's Chili
(because each time I make chili it is never the same, depends on what I have on hand)
Brown in oil, 1 huge onion, green pepper and 1c celery.  Added 2lbs ground beef and spiced until cooked:
3tbsp chili powder
2tbsp smoked paprika
1tbsp dried thyme
1tbsp salt
2tsp cumin
5 garlic cloves minced

Add 2 bags of beans, kidney & black beans.  Added 3 big cans of tomato sauce and about 3c water.  Simmer until thick.