Dear CSA Member,
We are getting closer and closer to the official start of the fall season but, the tomatoes and peppers aren’t ready to end just yet! We are slowly transitioning from the summer harvest to more fall hearty crops such as beets, carrots, kale, and potatoes. As these field crops are changing so are the leaves on the trees. They are changing from the bright green of summer to a tinted yellow of fall.
We have had many requests for dry beans to be grown here on the farm. We have planted some this season and the beans are now ready to be harvested. Here are some interesting facts about dried beans.
-The United Nations has declared 2016 “The Year of the Pulse” to celebrate and promote the consumption of beans, lentils and peas around the globe and their website has some wonderful recipe ideas to try.
-They are low in fat and high in fibre and protein. Just half a cup of lentils will give you the same protein as 2 cups of rice.
-Beans make you feel full for longer, releasing energy slowly as your body breaks down the complex carbs rather than the quick energy hit you get from simple carbs in sugars.
-Soaking dried beans reduces cooking time. Discarding the soaking liquid and cooking in fresh water may reduce flatulence, but some say this is a load of hot air and loses flavor in the bean. I tried both and didn’t notice an appreciable difference!
These facts came from “Top 10 Things to Know About Growing and Cooking Shell-out Beans”
Try this great bean Fagiloi Recipe: Click Here
Enjoy!
-Candice for Everyone at Stoneledge Farm
UPDATE
- Remove the rubber band from the bunch of dry beans.
- Pick off all the pods
- Open pod and take out the bean : )