Dried beans should be picked over for dirt, rocks, twigs, etc and rinsed several times.
Beans can be soaked overnight and then rinsed before cooking, or a quick method is to bring beans to a boil with water well covering them (they will absorb water), allow to sit for an hour or two, covered, then rinsed and cooked.
Whatever the depth of the beans in the pan, I put 2x that depth in water over them and bring them to a boil, and then reduce them to a simmer. Now is the time to add flavorings that you may have. That can include onions (wild or stored), garlic (wild or stored), fatty meats like pork or possum, hot peppers, salt and pepper.
Depending on the age of the beans and your altitude, it may take from 3 to 6 hours to cook the beans until they are tender.
Do NOT allow beans to scorch. That ruins them, and there is no way to make them edible.
I am always happy to answer food and cooking questions, and my history includes living in a shack in the woods on a mountain without power for over two years, so I've got experience in 'survival' cooking.
/johnny
I’ve got plenty of dried beans.
What I worry about is the water source.
I guess you could put the beans in your mouth until they are soft, chew and swallow.
I’m not being argumentative. This is one of my major concerns about dried beans and rice. Water.
You must have water to drink and/or cook with. With a limited source, wouldn’t you prefer to drink?
I’d love an answer to this, as I am in drought stricken West Texas
Ever written about that experience? I would think it would be highly interesting.
Do you have any bean (or other survival food) recipes that you could share?
I have a slow cooker recipe that I’ve used for my beans which I like, but I could use some stove top or survival-type cooking recipes (those that will not require electricity?)
Thanks so much.