Bean seeds are rich in vitamins and minerals, which is why this legume has been considered an important part of the human diet since ancient times. But in order for this product to remain useful for as long as possible, and insects do not settle in it, it is important to know how to store beans at home. And do it right.
Preparation for storage
If legumes are prepared for storage, observing certain rules, they will save nutritional value for several years.
The crop should be harvested in pods, after which they should dry well for two weeks. This time, as a rule, is enough for the pods to turn yellow and open slightly, and for the grains to become hard.
The next stage of preparation will be to clean the beans from the dried pods. And then they are calcined in the oven at +60°C for 30 minutes. In this case, the grains are placed on a baking sheet in one layer. This procedure will rid the crop of insect larvae. But use beans like planting material It will no longer be possible.
Beans are best stored in glass containers with tight-fitting lids. Canvas bags are also used, which are pre-soaked in a concentrated salt solution and dried well.
Beans should not be washed before storing. Also, for storing legumes, you should not use containers that can accumulate condensation.
Beans should not be stored near radiators or other heat sources.
Under what conditions should it be stored?
The storage conditions for beans are the same for all types. The main thing is to create a normal level of humidity and temperature.
More low temperature promotes long-term storage of bean grains. It is best if the temperature is at +5°C -+10°C. In this case, the air humidity should be no higher than 50% so that the beans do not become moldy. If this happens, the product will be purchased bad smell and will lose its marketable appearance. It will no longer be possible to use such a product.
Storing beans for the winter can be done without problems in a city apartment, under natural conditions. The main thing is that the place where it is stored is dry and dark. A kitchen cabinet or pencil case located as far as possible from the stove is a good option.
How long do beans last?
- Shelf life of beans in canvas bags is 2 - 3 years, provided it is properly prepared.
- Under the same conditions (room temperature), the beans that are in a glass container and hermetically sealed, will be able to retain their original properties for 4-6 years.
- Best before date canned beans - 2 years.
- Freshly picked unpeeled Beans in pods, even in the refrigerator, will last no more than 4 days.
- Peeled legumes Will keep in the refrigerator for up to six months.
- A frozen The shelf life of fresh beans in pods will increase to 6 months. It is important to soak the legumes for 2 - 3 minutes in boiling water before freezing.
Green beans after 6 months in the freezer may lose some of their taste and beneficial properties. Therefore, it is advisable to use it as quickly as possible.
Pest Control Measures
Most often, legumes are affected by the weevil beetle. This insect is capable of reproducing at high speed once it gets inside the pod. Even if one bean grain is damaged, pests can destroy the entire stock. Moreover, one legume can become a home for twenty larvae.
To store beans to prevent bugs from getting in, you need to adhere to the following recommendations. Or using additional processing before sending for storage.
- The weevil beetle runs without looking back from the smell of garlic and dill. With these spices, storing beans will be safe and will be successful in a cool pantry.
- Beetle - grain stops reproducing at low temperature, and at -10°C it dies completely.
- Bean processing cold most often occurs in the freezer. To do this, the legumes must be placed at a temperature of less than -10°C for up to 3 days.
- Calcination carry out in the oven at a temperature of about 60°C for 20 - 30 minutes. In this case, the shell of the grains will become wrinkled, but the taste will remain the same. The bug cannot withstand heat treatment and dies, after which the beans are cooled and placed in storage containers with tight lids.
Storing green beans
IN recent years Green (asparagus) beans are gaining popularity. But not everyone knows how to store it.
This product will go bad on the refrigerator shelf on the third day.
Only freshly harvested legumes can be frozen. However, they can be in pods.
The main thing is to remove the stalks and damaged areas.
- The pods must be thoroughly washed and blanched. Then, after a few minutes in boiling water, the beans are cooled under a running stream. Such processing will preserve the beneficial qualities of the product to the maximum extent.
- Before freezing beans, they must be thoroughly dried. At room temperature, the pods are laid out on paper towel, and keep until completely dry.
- Then they are placed in small portions in sealed bags and sent to the freezer.
Legumes cannot be re-frozen, so portion sizes should be determined judiciously.
At -24°C –18°C, the shelf life of frozen beans is 6 months.
In nature, all living things are found in the food chain. Beans with their nutritional properties are no exception. Where its cultivation area is located, specific insects and bean grains live. When infected in the habitat, with grains, these insects spread, getting to places where beans do not grow, but there are a lot of them as a result of storage.
Therefore everything warehouses are treated with insecticides on a schedule to destroy not only the grain, but also other insects in the warehouse. The question of how to store beans for winter consumption is related to to a greater extent precisely with its preservation from bruchus, the bean grain.
How to store beans for the winter?
Storing beans and green pods is initially different. Green beans are canned by everyone by known methods, freeze and thus it is stored with maximum benefit during the winter. But to preserve grain beans, other conditions must be created. Considering that beans are very useful product, which replaces meat in its composition, it is easy to spoil stocks without following storage rules.
Protect herbal product follows:
- from improper drying and laying of wet grain;
- from storage in conditions of high humidity;
- non-compliance with temperature conditions.
When beans are stored, even correctly, their nutritional value decreases over time, and the cooking time increases.
Of all the bugs that are pests of grain and legume seeds for beans, the most common is bean weevil or. These insects are quarantine pests. They live in a narrow range where beans have long been cultivated. They arrive with seed material and gradually multiply. Therefore, the task of the quarantine service is to prevent the spread of the beetle to new territories.
Recently, we stopped this insect from reaching the Far East on a Chinese ship carrying beans from India. The insect and its live clutches were found on the ship in food beans. Security measures have been taken. Bruchus often comes from the fields of Transcaucasia, they have their own species. Therefore, in home plots, each bean should be examined before planting and the seeds with holes in the bean should be destroyed by burning. This pest came to Russia at the beginning of the last century, at the height of Civil War when there was no quarantine service. So far no grains have been observed in black beans.
How to preserve beans so that bugs do not infest you can be understood by knowing the biology of the beetle. The weevil actively reproduces in summer and winter in heated rooms, producing 5-6 generations. In nature, eggs are laid in ripening beans, up to 30 eggs each. But the masonry is extended over time. Oviposition is found on the valves of the pod or on an unripe bean in a crack or gnawed hole. The larvae will develop in 10-11 days and invade the beans. After 21 days, the caterpillar turns into a pupa and after 10 days an adult insect is obtained.
At cold temperatures of 0-1 0, the death of larvae and pupae occurs within a month, at -12 0 within a day. So cold method storage can protect food supplies from destruction. The beetle in the southern regions is not destroyed during mild winters and can colonize storage facilities during warm times. They colonize crops and manage to produce 4-5 generations. Damaged beans lose their viability. In colonized seeds, black dots of passages and excrement are visible through the shells.
The initial drying of the grain before loading is of great importance. In good weather, the beans pulled out from the garden should lie in the sun for several more days before opening the doors or, collected in brooms, hang in a draft on racks. For food purposes, beans are threshed and prepared for storage in winter.
Saving bean seeds at home
How to store beans for seeds in winter is a different story. Pods with intact leaves and without the slightest flaws are selected. After drying in the sun, the beans in pods are packed in a canvas bag and kept in the refrigerator until cold weather sets in. Later, the bag is taken out into the cold and hung up so that rodents do not eat it. The pods are disassembled before planting. Another way to store seeds is to sprinkle them with ash and store them in an airtight glass container. By adding a head or several cloves to the package, the safety guarantee increases.
There are several ways to store beans at home for the winter. The humidity of the surrounding air should be no more than 50%, and the temperature that stops biological development should be 10 0, that is, before the onset of frost, the storage place is in the refrigerator. Store in linen bags, you can put a garlic head inside.
If there are a lot of beans, they can be stored in cardboard boxes or wooden boxes, but inside there should be a layer of ordinary black and white newsprint. Printing ink also prevents insects from settling in. Of course, winter storage in a cold place will guarantee the safety of the product.
Another way to preserve beans for the winter is to use heating of commercial grain. When heated in the oven to 90 0 for several minutes, the beneficial properties of the beans will be preserved, but the contents will die. After this treatment, in dry containers with airtight lids, the beans will last for more than one winter. Another way is to heat it at 10 0 for an hour.
The lids under which beans are stored can be glass or metal. Polyethylene - breathable. Linen storage bags must first be soaked in a saline solution and dried.
When storing beans in a warm place open form If the humidity is disturbed, the beans may sprout or become moldy. Bean sprouts should not be consumed. It can be used as planting material if the time for sowing has come.
Proper storage of beans - video
The legumes have been grown, the harvest has been harvested, but what to do next? How to preserve all the useful elements of this legume: fiber, which beans are so rich in, vegetable protein, vitamins and minerals? It turns out that there are many secrets that are known to those who live in rural areas.
Some housewives, to protect beans from insect pests, place garlic cloves cut into several pieces inside closed boxes with legumes. Also for these purposes, dill seeds are used, which release aromatic substances that repel grain beetles.
The procedure of spraying the crops themselves with special preparations also helps. It is only necessary to carry out such procedures using contact-intestinal drugs at least 2-3 times per season. And no less important rule– the legumes you select for preservation must have a smooth surface without any damage.
Another secret is that beans are better preserved without pods. It is also better to keep peeled legumes at a minimum positive temperature to avoid the appearance of bugs. Air humidity is also important – it cannot be low. It is believed that if these rules are followed, legumes will be able to survive the winter without much loss.
We choose containers and premises – we create optimal conditions
Green beans without loss - we store a large harvest
If you don’t have time to tinker with jars, use the freezer - all the pests will definitely die in it. By the way, you can put it in the freezer, which we talk about in another article. If there are few beans, then everything is clear, but what if the harvest is large? In this case, the correct question is: “How to store green beans?”, since we will save the beans along with the pods.
If you only need the product for food consumption, you can use plastic bags. We transfer all the pods into them, well dried in advance, and leave them in a dry room. If the winters are not too warm, then there is no threat to your crop in the barn.
It is advisable to then place them on pallets - this will help maintain the necessary air circulation. Under no circumstances should the product be placed in a well-heated room. If you decide to keep green beans for the winter, then the green pods need to be blanched in boiling water (for a few minutes), then put in the refrigerator until you decide to cook them.
There are practically no problems with green beans: they can be frozen or canned according to any suitable recipe. With grain fruits everything is more complicated: due to high humidity or incorrect temperature, the crop spoils.
Save the beans in fresh impossible: even in sealed containers, the shelf life is a maximum of a week. But if you dry the beans thoroughly, you can extend their “life” time. Smooth, elastic pods that are not wrinkled or stained are suitable for long-term storage.
The alternative becomes heat treatment in the oven: 4-5 minutes is enough. at a temperature of 90 degrees. The pods need to be husked after they become yellowish and dry, and a crack appears along the line of the sash.
The prepared beans are placed in jars or containers, tightly closed and placed in a cool, dark place. Optimal temperature storage - no higher than 5 degrees.
How to store beans to prevent bugs from infesting them
One of the main enemies of the crop is the bean weevil. These are small bugs that appear in beans at the ripening stage. Insects actively reproduce, laying larvae in the beans. It is difficult to notice the grain, but thanks to proper preparation and storage insects are destroyed.
Cold is destructive for bugs, but at temperatures above +5 insects actively reproduce.
To avoid this, it is advisable to put the beans in the refrigerator for the first time.
A basement, cellar or balcony are suitable for winter storage. Beans can be placed in cardboard boxes or wooden boxes, lined with newspapers on the inside. Canvas bags are also used, which must be hung so that the crop receives natural ventilation.
If you find out in advance how to store beans and carefully follow all the recommendations, the beans will survive the winter well and retain all their beneficial properties. Only whole, unsprouted, mold-free fruits can be used for food.
Beans are known as an unpretentious agricultural crop in many countries. The plant is distinguished by its unpretentiousness and high productivity. This nutritious protein food can replace meat on the table. The absorption of beans by the human body is easy.
The culture is also rich in amino acids, a set of vitamins and carbohydrates. So that the harvest can be used until spring and beyond, and it is not damaged by bean bugs, you need to have knowledge of how to properly store beans.
Preparation stages
The suitability of freshly picked beans is short. Once you pack the spools into containers and refrigerate them, you will need to use them within a week.
Dry beans can be stored for quite a long time. The dried product retains all its benefits and nutritional value.
Before storing beans, you need to carefully sort them out so as not to damage the entire stock with even one spoiled pod. If the beetles even slightly damage the beans, it is better to throw this specimen away immediately.
Before storing beans at home, each pod is inspected, the color of the shell must be even, and there must be no spots or yellowness on the pods. All specimens must be elastic; if there are wrinkled pods, they are disposed of.
How to dry beans?
Drying should be natural. WITH harvested no need to remove the casing. The pods should be placed on trays or on a spread cloth or sheets of paper. The products are left in a ventilated place, excluding direct radiation. You can place the beans under a canopy or on the veranda.
In the villages they resort to the old way drying, when the pods are not separated from the tops, and whole plants are hung along the fence, while the leaves will cover the beans in the shells, providing shade.
The drying process takes about a week. Everything depends on weather conditions. The pods should become completely yellow and feel hard and dry when touched. Pods that are cracked along the lines of the valves must be peeled. Before the beans are separated from their shells, it is best to double check that the product is not damaged.
Dry beans will not be springy. Taking several reels, you can shake them in your hands, characteristic knocking sounds will be heard.
Tip: Excessive drying is not advisable. To cook dried beans, you will have to soak them in water for for a long time, and also cook for a long time.
Freezing
Frozen beans can be stored in the freezer at 18 or 24 minus degrees for up to 6 months. In this case, knowledge of how to store beans is important. Bagged products in pods, after being removed from the freezer and defrosted, will turn black, become soft, slippery and unfit for consumption.
The correct process begins with the preparation of the product in the casing, when the ends are cut off from each specimen. The pods are cut into pieces 5 or 7 centimeters long. At the same time, add a little salt and boil the water. Chopped beans are dipped into it. The boiled product is laid out on a fabric or paper surface.
Cooled and dried raw materials are packaged in small plastic bags or plastic bags. For storage, you can use sealed plastic containers.
Tip: If you freeze a boiled bean product in bags, remove as much air as possible from them, without making holes in the packaging. The bags are tied well and placed in the freezer.
Beans are not boiled before storing in the freezer. They are washed, dried and scattered into containers.
Preventing the appearance of a bug
If bean weevils infected a bean crop in the garden while the plant was ripening, they could leave several of their larvae in the beans. The grain is difficult to see with the naked eye. Therefore, it is necessary to follow recommendations on how to store products in the correct way. If the bugs are infested, it will be difficult to eradicate them completely even with pesticides.
Beans are best stored refrigerated. In such conditions, grains cannot start, and existing larvae are killed by negative temperatures. At sub-zero degrees, beans will not be able to germinate for a long time.
Tip: To prevent beans, you will need to dissolve a tablespoon of salt in a glass of water and soak the products in the solution for a while. After drying, I package it for long-term storage.
Good places to store
Where to store beans is determined based on the method and depending on the temperature and humidity levels of the room. It is ideal to store beans in cellars, sheds or pantries, where the temperature does not rise above “plus” 5 degrees.
You can store the product in the basement and loggia, but not for long, since the temperature and humidity in these places are changeable, and in suitable containers. In order to store products all winter, they need to be scattered in paper or cloth bags.
Large volumes can be packaged cardboard boxes or wooden boxes with ventilation holes in them. High humidity can lead to mold and mildew, so it is important that there is air movement in the boxes.
How long beans can be stored depends on what form, what and where they will be left. Thrifty housewives store beans for more than one year. It is ideal to use glass jars as containers. The bottom of the jars is sprinkled with ash; half a handful is enough for one container. The beans are poured in so that the dishes are completely filled. For sealing take tin lids. This method will allow you to store the crop for 3 to 5 years.
The suitability is influenced by the crop variety. Useful properties are completely preserved. These beans are not sprouted; they are used to prepare dishes according to various recipes.
How to store it in the room?
Bean products can be left to be stored in the apartment for the winter at room temperature.
You can heat the beans in the oven at 50 or 70 degrees for about an hour. The oven door should be slightly open, and the beans scattered on the baking sheet should be covered with a sheet of baking paper.
When the temperature increases to 100 degrees, the heat treatment time will be three times shorter. Care is required to ensure that the raw materials do not burn. After drying, the beans cannot be planted in the beds.
Canvas, ceramic, tin, glass and opaque bags are suitable for packaging. plastic containers. Dishes must have tight-fitting lids.
IN room conditions Beans should be stored in a dry and dark place, for example, in a kitchen cabinet with closing opaque doors.
Tip: In order not to be afraid that the grains will crush the preparations, you can add dill seeds, coriander, rosemary, a laurel leaf, and a cut garlic clove to the packages of beans. The aroma will gradually fade.
Canning
Sometimes beans are canned themselves. Half a kilo of beans is soaked in cold water, drain after 7 hours. The beans must be boiled in a liter of water with the addition of sugar and salt (40 grams each) and spices (cloves, peppercorns). At the end of the process, add vinegar (7 teaspoons). The product, cooked after 2 hours, is rolled up in sterile jars. Boiled beans can be stored in a sealed container for a couple of years.
