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WHAT’S UP WITH THE BEANS?!

6 years ago

I decide to make some bean and ham soup. I put a bag of dried Lima beans in a pot of water to soak. (Not the bag.) Strange things began to happen. The bean skins are all wrinkly and the beans themselves have all split in two and each half is bowing away from the middle. I’ve never had this happen before. Anyone ever experience this ? Are they good to use?

Featured Answer

rosesstink

6 years ago

It might be my fault. I put a curse on all lima beans a while ago. I'm rather gratified to see hear that it's working. Choose another type of bean. ;-)

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Comments (8)

ediej1209 AL Zn 7
6 years ago
I use mixed beans and the larger beans all do that. I prefer that they do as I hate the skins. I pull them all off before I drain and rinse the beans before putting them in a pot or the crockpot to cook. So you're fine to either take them out or leave them in.
CA Kate z9 thanked ediej1209 AL Zn 7
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CA Kate z9
Original Author
6 years ago
As the evening has gone on the beans have shed their skins and uncurled and are decidedly looking like normal beans. The smoked shanks are done, meat picked off the bones, and refrigerated. I decided to let the beans soak overnight and finish it off tomorrow.
l pinkmountain
6 years ago
To get a little "science-y" on you, the outer coating of the bean shell is more leathery than the inside to keep the bean seed together until it is in the right conditions to sprout. The inside is the softer, sugary/starchy food source for the emerging bean sprout. When you soak the beans, some water passed through the outer shell and causes the insides to swell. In nature, that would be when the bean seed gets watered. It would be good for the outer shell to crack, so the baby bean's stem, leaves and roots could emerge. In your case, the shell floats away from the seed. Both are still edible, but a lot of people skim off the shells, and/or put mashed beans through a sieve if they are going to use them that way. BTW, after the shell is removed, white limas (called butter beans for a reason) make a great ingredient to add to a dish to stretch something creamy without adding cream.
CA Kate z9 thanked l pinkmountain
lindac92
6 years ago
Love dried lima beans cooked with some ham and a little onion! LOVE that!! And when I soak my limas they always separate like that...no harm no foul....but that means they will cook very quickly. I usually don't soak limas more than an hour or two.
CA Kate z9 thanked lindac92
CA Kate z9
Original Author
6 years ago
The beans soaked for several hours before adding to the soup. Today the soup is good tasting, but the beans have a decidedly strange texture: firm/solid yet easily chewed. I've eaten a lot of Butter Beans/ Limas in my life and never, ever, have they ever been like these.
l pinkmountain
6 years ago
Sometimes you get old beans, and I have found they never quite soften up as much as the fresher ones . . .
CA Kate z9 thanked l pinkmountain
CA Kate z9
Original Author
6 years ago
I guess I can go with really old dried beans.

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