beans

[tonasket]

does anyone know how long dried beans will stay good is it forever as long as they stay dry and in an airtight container? would like to stock up slowly for the move next summer, thought i might like to start with beans. any help is appreciated.

[Thumper/inOkla.]

I would expect correctly stored beans >air tight with silica gel packs and cold temps< (such as pintos) should remain viable to grow for over 3 years and still ok to eat up to 5 years. storage in a freezer is even longer.

[Freeholder]

They won't keep forever, though you may not notice any difference in their appearance. After a few years, they simply won't cook up -- they'll stay hard no matter how long you cook them. So the best thing to do is date each package as you buy it, and rotate your stock -- first in, first out. Use them, don't throw the old ones out.

Kathleen

[bare]

I keep hearing that they won't keep either, but I have pinto's, navy, lentils amongst others that are 20 plus years old and we eat them all the time. They are stored in plain old white plastic buckets which are somewhat air tight but that's about it. They don't take any longer to cook than new ones.

I wonder though if it's wise to purchase a lot of cheap beans and go through the expense of storing and hauling them. Why not just save the cash and purchase them after you land.