Prepper’s Pantry: Beans

Beans, beans

Good for your heart

The more you eat

The more you…

One of the longest cultivated foods, beans have been grown and eaten since before humans developed pottery. Beans were placed in the tombs of pharos in ancient Egypt, and beans are still an important part of our diet today.

The name ‘bean’ (like nut) has been extended from the original discoveries like broad beans, chickpeas, and the like to cover a variety of edible pod-borne seeds. These encompass not only the new world soybean and pea, but also some plants with only a scant resemblance such as coffee, vanilla, and cocoa beans.

Today, a variety of beans can be purchased dry for long term storage, but will need additional prep before eating; this can involve extended soaking in water or cooking in a pressure cooker. Beans of different types are also available canned; while plate-ready, store-bought beans preserved in this manner generally have a high sodium content and frequently include additional chemicals as part of the canning process.

A selection of beans from the author's pantry

If growing beans at home, an important detail to keep in mind is many varieties of beans are vine-based plants and need something to climb for optimal health and productivity. This can be as simple as a garden stake next to the plant, or more involved items such as a trellis or fencing. This element was an integral part of the Three Sisters method of planting which allowed the beans to use the corn stalks for support.

As with rice and pasta, beans are a dietary staple in our home. When many types of beans are combined with rice, the result is a complete protein, which means the dish contains enough of each of the nine essential amino acids necessary as part of a healthy diet. There are a wide variety of beans on the market and even more recipes for how to prepare them: some good, some not so good, and some rather surprising.

Barbeque beans, courtesy of the author's wife

One of the dishes my wife makes in the warmer months is Barbeque Beans. It’s a very simple dish: three 12 oz cans of beans heated in a pot on the stove, then BBQ sauce added to taste and consistency. For variety, she usually uses a mix of beans; in this example, Red Kidney, Great Northern, and Black beans. On occasion, she’ll add browned ground beef to the mix and call the resulting dish “Red, White, and Moo.”

Available commercially canned, dry, or frozen, and in varieties easily grown in a container garden, beans are an important part of our diet and a good staple (along with rice) in every prepper’s pantry.