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Okay to freeze dried beans/peas/nuts?

16 years ago

Hi,

I was wondering if I can freeze dried beans, peas and nuts? Thanks.

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Comments (12)

SuzyQ2
16 years ago
I freeze nuts all of the time. I actually buy them at a charity fundraiser right before the holidays and freeze them for use all year long.

I store my dried beans & peas in old canning jars. Curious why you would want to freeze them.
catherinet
Original Author
16 years ago
Hi Suzyq,
I just figured they might keep better, longer, that way. I've read that dried beans deteriorate after a certain length of time, and thought I could extend that time by freezing them?? Thanks for your help.
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Generally, people only revive a thread when they find themselves in a similar situation, or have something constructive to offer. It's been 6 years, it is likely that the OP has already found an answer & has forgotten about this post. ;-) In areas where insects can destroy beans & peas, the seeds should be frozen to kill any eggs or larvae... even if the seeds will be planted the next year. The seeds need to be close to 0 F. degrees for several days to kill insects, the temperature reached in a stand-alone freezer. The ice box above a refrigerator usually does not get cold enough... if in doubt, place a thermometer in the freezer to test it. For frozen seed storage, the greatest risk is not over-drying; it is that the seed moisture will be too high, which would seriously damage (or kill) the seed when frozen. This is particularly true for large seeds such as beans & peas, which take a long time to dry. An air conditioner lowers indoor humidity, so Dlsm's suggestion about drying seed with an air conditioner has merit. Because my indoor humidity is naturally low in Winter, I can dry my seeds just by leaving them open until then. But if indoor humidity can not be controlled, desiccant is the only practical way to reduce seed moisture to the proper level. While you can re-use silica gel packs intended for other purposes, you will have no way to measure how effective they are. For this reason, I recommend the use of color changing desiccant for seed saving. (This can sometimes be found in hobby stores, where it is used for drying flowers.) Start with an amount equal in weight to the seeds being dried. If the desiccant color changes to indicate moisture saturation, repeat with fresh desiccant until the color remains unchanged. At that point, the seed should be dry enough for frozen storage, and no further drying is needed. Store the seed in a sealed container, along with a small amount of color-changing desiccant - it will add a little extra protection, and warn if humidity has penetrated the seal. Absent a way to accurately measure seed moisture, there is a good rule of thumb for testing small amounts of beans & peas for proper dryness. If you strike the seed with a hammer (wearing eye protection!) and it shatters, it is fully dry. (For a frame of reference, try this with popcorn.) If it is just crushed, flattened, or the pieces stick together, it needs further drying. It is actually difficult to over-dry seeds, unless they are exposed to a drying atmosphere for an extended period of time. One last note, regarding frozen storage. When the seeds are removed from the freezer, the container must be allowed to reach room temperature before being opened. If opened while cold, moisture will condense on the seeds, just as it will on a glass of ice water. That moisture could quickly cause the seed to either sprout or spoil. If the seeds will be used in multiple years, it is a good idea to divide them into multiple zip-lock envelopes within the sealed container... that way a single packet can be quickly removed (and the container returned to the freezer) without warming the whole container.
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We love beans and black beans are often on our menu. I usually do a Cuban Black Bean recipe. I am not going to type out the recipe because you can find it at the link below but basically it is so easy to cook bake beans and add a few condiments to make them even better. Since we are bean lovers, I actually can my own dried beans. They are easy enough to cook but sometimes at the last minute DH will say "Let's have black beans tonight" or I'll just feel like some pinto's and cornbread so all I have to do is go to my pantry and get a jar off the shelf. This thread is pretty timely as I just finished canning black eyed peas, black beans and pintos. The other jar there is strawberry jam. You do have to have a canner because you can't just water bath beans, but they are easy to can. In brief, all you do is Soak overnight, cook thirty minutes, put into hot jars with 1 tsp salt (optional) and pressure can. It is important not to overfill the jars because you need some room for the beans to expand and you don't want it to be so packed full of beans that it is to dense to process correctly. Don't follow the directions above, but check any good canning website including our Harvest forum for the accurate directions. I pack mine in pints because they hold enough for my husband and I each to have a serving with a meal. If we are having say just cornbread and beans, then I open two jars because we love beans. Here is a link that might be useful: Taste of Cuba
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ksrogers
16 years ago
If you were actually looking to find a home version of a freeze dried item, its impossible to do. They are frozen in liquid nitrogen while under a strong vacuum that pulls all water out of the item. Freezing nuts and dried beans are fine however, as it helps to slow down rancidity. However, nuts cannot be freeze dried. Even grains and flour can be frozen as it helps to keep wheat and rye types from going rancid too.
bejay9_10
16 years ago
Of interest - I freeze my macadamia nuts all the time. However, this year we had a crop from our newly planted almond tree. As usual, after they were sun dried and shelled, I froze them too.

When I went to use them, however, after thawing, they became soft and spongy. I posted on the Fruit Forum - and someone answered that probably they shouldn't have been frozen. I was not sure because this is the first year for a harvest. On the other hand, I wondered if they might have been picked too soon, or perhaps needed some kind of spray during their dormant season. Still don't know for sure, but will see what happens next year.

In the meantime, I will continue to freeze the macadamias.

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay
SuzyQ2
16 years ago
Thanks for the info. on dried beans....I didn't know that :-)

Bejay - I have frozen roasted unsalted almonds purchased from a nut wholesaler with good success. Oh, what I would give for macadamian nuts :-)
fedup321
16 years ago
Thanks to he wacky weather here in N.C. earlier in the year (and now also, 26 tomorrow night- 70's next week)We had no pecans this year.. I froze a a two plastic grocery bags in the shells last year, and we used some at Thanksgiving... JUST as good as off the tree..
" You know if you are from N.C if you use your air conditioner and turn on the heat in the same day", LOL
rachelellen
16 years ago
bejay, perhaps you didn't dry them long enough? Because I have frozen almonds with no loss of crunchiness. Or, in terms of possibly picking too soon, I believe the husks have to split on their own, and then they shake out of the tree rather than having to be picked...

At least, that's what they do in the orchards around here. Funny little vehicles that look like something out of Star Wars grab the trees and shake the "L" out of them.

That explains why those who live 'round here call them Almonds when they are growing, and Ah (the a sound in "ask") Monds once harvested...the "L" has been shaken out of them. :D
bejay9_10
16 years ago
rachelellen -

LOL - now that little chuckle really made my day!

I wondered about that too - perhaps I was a bit hasty, because it was a new experience. It seems to take a few tries to get me oriented in this new growing/preserving endeavor.

There weren't an awful lot of nuts on them anyway. The tree is a dwarf type to begin with, and it's first season try.

About the macadamias - I'm pretty excited about the way they turned out. The tree is right at home - it is evergreen anyway, likes the climate and produces beautiful long plumes of pink blossoms several times a year - making it a fine ornamental as well.

Actually, I have more problems with being able to give my deciduous fruit/nut trees the chill hours they like for optimal production. They may not live too long as a result. Last year, however, they got enough, and I'm happy to say, most of my fruit tree production was very good - especially the apricots, and the new low-chill apple trees - also semi-dwarf.

I'll take note of the almond advice - and thanks - you may be right.

Bejay
ksrogers
16 years ago
Almonds may keep better in the freezer if they are roasted first.
david52 Zone 6
16 years ago
I read somewhere that the 'raw' almonds one buys in the stores are actually blanched for a short time to kill off bugs or something. We often buy 'raw' almonds in bulk and freeze them, they stay much fresher.
morz8 - Washington Coast
16 years ago
During the many years my aunt lived in Guam, she froze all staples including beans (and flour, sugar etc) but it was so humid there year round, insects were a problem.

I often freeze nuts, sesame seeds, things that could go rancid if not used within a certain length of time but I don't quite see the need to freeze quantities of beans and peas unless living in the tropics :)
ksrogers
16 years ago
Filberts, or hazel nuts go rancid very fast. I had a bad box of Hershey 'Pot of Gold' chocolates that had rancid filberts in them.

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