I think they’re supposed to be good beans. I remember seeing them somewhere. I couldn’t figure out if that was the woman’s tongue or a bean in the photo. Aside from that, I can’t imagine it being a joke.🤷‍♀️

ETA - It looks like he gave you their ”Deluxe” gift box. Their site has some tasty sounding recipes.

https://www.ranchogordo.com/blogs/recipes/cooking-basic-beans-in-the-rancho-gordo-manner

I never soak beans. Cover with water and cook. Add salt at the end. The only beans that take hours are old beans. I cook the entire package and freeze in pint containers.

They are very good beans, and you don't need to soak them. it takes less than an hour to cook beans in the oven. Tou can just cook them plain, and add salt when they're done, and use them just as uoi would canned. You can freeze cooked beans. But if it all sounds like an unpleasant chose for food you don't want to eat, give them away or give them to a food bank. (ETA--LOL that Sherry and I posted essentially the same thing at the same time!)

Those Rancho Gordo beans are highly regarded. Cooking dried beans requires a bit of planning more than lots of work. i imagine that some recipes were included. Alison Roman has lots of ideas on line. If you can remember to soak in advance, that will save some time. I’d generally allow 2-3 hours of mostly hands off cooking time for a satisfying recipe. A nice stash to get you through the winter!

https://www.alisoneroman.com/recipes/brothy-beans

What a wonderful gift! There's no need to presoak. Cooking will take a bit longer, but I stopped soaking good beans (and those are great beans!) years ago.

Looks like you have a pound of cranberry beans. They make the BEST broth! I use them in pasta e fagioli.

Look through the Rancho Gordo site and see what a fine gift you received!

We were gifted some last year. Very good beans.

I have a digestive problem with beans, if you know what I mean. Is it baking soda that you add to the water to help with that?

I've never found a difference in the cooking, but I read that it was a reaction to too little fiber in the general diet.

I recall some discussion here about that company and their beans - gourmet quality, I believe.

FWIW, I've found that if I soak beans first and discard the soaking water (I use it to water my plants), they don't seem to be so gassy - especially kidney beans.

It's really not that hard to soak them at all, IMPE. I pick over, in case there are any bits of dirt or stones, then rinse well and cover with water and set aside covered until they're hydrated, then drain and add fresh water and a bay leaf or 2, bring to a boil then simmer until done. When soaked they seem to cook very quickly - maybe 30 minutes or so. I use my big chili pot, and a Dutch oven works well too. There's not that much hands-on work to it, but you do need to check every so often while soaking and cooking to make sure there's enough water to cover.

Beans are "gassy" because they are high in fiber....and people who consume a high fiber diet do not find them gassy. Tehre are enzymes in pill form you can take with the beans that will aid yopu in their digestion if you do n ot generally consume a high fiber diet.

We love good beans! I don't find them that much trouble, only that I have to have them in mind the night before if wanting them the next day. I'm a soaker. Beans for us are just about gas less if sorted and rinsed, placed in a bowl of cold water in the refrigerator before going to bed. Nice plump beans ready to cook quickly the next day.

We'll have a good buttery bean as a side dish. (DH's father always grew something he dubbed 'horse beans'. Large buttery bean of Croatian origin he'd grown up with) Not something DH will find makes him gassy as some things can do....😂 I typically have ham scraps in my freezer or can add a bit of browned bacon. Or not. You can cook them in broth or stock of any kind, or water. I often add garlic to beans, some onion, a bay leaf, a little tomato paste, whatever is handy in my cupboard.

Somehow beans and fried clams seem to go together. DH will often fry clams (garage with the door open) for his friends and I make a salad and pot of beans to go with them for him. There are never any beans left, or if there are, they are claimed to take home to one of the wives. One of his friends who is quite a good cook is surprised at the garlic but somehow it works and no one has ever complained, only consumed.

I do remember gassy beans as a child but my mother was never very interested in cooking. She would empty the bag of beans straight from the bag to a pot of water without checking for debris and begin to cook. It took forever to get them tender. It was her version of navy beans and ham. Many years later, someone gave her one of the three bean jarred soup mixes and she called, saying 'this doesn't even make sense to me'. Most of her meals those days were frozen, microwave, whatever was the least amount of prep. She announced it said to bring to a simmer then cover and turn off for an hour and that was completely foreign to her, never having soaked a bean. I assured her it was correct and to just follow the printed directions she'd been given.

I always soak beans. Not lentils or split peas. (they cook quick so no need)

I don't understand 'so much work'

5 minutes of my time from start to finish. Take out my one quart pyrex. 1/2 pound of chosen bean. Fill pyrex with water. There goes one minute of my time.

Next day, at my convenience while doing other things, laundry, etc, rinse and add to pot with fresh water. On med-high and bring to a boil. (set timer for 20 minutes)

Move to back low burner and simmer 45 min. Check for tender. Usually done but may need 20 more minutes depending on the bean.

If i need to run an errand, i shut off the burner and cover the pot tight. Probably less than 5 minutes of my time total. Drain and rinse again. They do not need babysitting.

I joined the RG bean club maybe 10 yrs ago. Or whenever the NewYorker article was published. Then in the NYTimes and featured on CBS Sunday morning. Steve has done good work finding heirloom beans and small farmers making sure they get fair wages.

After the CBS feature in Spring 2020 his beans boomed,,(haha)

Now over 20,000 on the wait list for the bean club.

That said, i gave up my bean club spot last Spring. I've had so many varieties and have my favorites. I can order anytime my choice. Now maybe once/twice a year.

Soaking and rinsing helps with the 'boom'. Soaking helps begin the sprouting process. Wakes up the endospern. Easier to digest.

Even better, after an overnight soak, into the fridge for another 18-24.

What we don't use as side dishes, in salads, and soups, go into the freezer. Pints and half pints and a gallon zip-lock i add a variey for a mixed bean salad or soup. Fully cooked and handy.

I use my pressure cooker for pulses. They're done in a fraction of the time.

You are thinking of Beano. It is supposedly to counteract whatever. We never use it. I used to soak beans. They do cook faster after you start to cook, but the elapsed time is the same. I cannot tell any difference with ”gas”, but that has never been a problem. We do eat a high fiber diet.

sleevendog, thanks for sharing that video!

We have decided to give them to Second Harvest Food Bank. Yesterday DH cooked some of beans without soaking and it was OK. He followed a recipe that was included in the box. He saute onion, garlic, celery and sweet peppers with the cooked beans and served it over pasta. It was not great but alright. We still have 5lbs to get through. We are not bean lovers. I hate to waste them so will give them away.

Well you could send them to me. I love beans and those are highly regarded beans. And just to mention, salt should be added when you start cooking. What you never want to add until the beans are tender is anything acidic, including tomatoes, or they'll never get tender.

IMPE, it's not so much how much fiber I consume, but if I consume beans with sugars, like a sweet dessert or drink.

I take digestive enzymes after meals, and that seems to help too.

Awww I am sorry you got a gift that just wasn’t for you. This would have led me down an internet rabbit hole of bean varieties and recipe research. That said It sounds like you found someplace good to donate them.

I love beans and use them regularly. I do not really find them hard to prepare. I tend to cook a pound or two at a time and freeze them in pint jars. Beans are the beginning of so many great dishes.

Someone (from this forum?) sent me a box of Rancho Gordo beans. Very nice quality and variety.

I love these beans and buy them regularly. I agree tha tthe photo of the woman is weird!

It's a bean. There was an old thread where, I think it was, Sleevendog explained the whole picture.

"The Rancho Gordo label—a retro image of a woman licking her teeth— is eye-catching, not to mention the gorgeous heirloom beans visible in transparent packaging. It’s clear from the outset that there are no boring beans to be found under this label."

https://wordofmouthmendo.com/word-of-mouth-stories/2022/3/1/rancho-gordo-heirloom-beans

We'll be having a bag of their Black-eyed Peas on New Years Day.

I found the thread, but Sleevendog said "tongue" and someone else said "bean":

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5739744/a-few-questions-about-cooking-giant-beans#n=29