Beans, beans they’re good for your heart, the more you eat the more you….we couldn’t help ourselves. Childhood fun aside beans do protect against heart disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. How exactly does a little bean do all of that you ask? Well beans are a great source of fiber and fiber helps to promote healthy gut bacteria. We need that healthy gut bacteria to help keep us regular and clean out the bacteria and other build up that is in our intestines. Bean goodness doesn’t end there though, beans are rich in a number of micronutrients like potassium, iron, zinc and they are even an excellent source of protein. Pretty amazing for a relatively low cost food staple if you ask us. 

At Source we prefer to Source dried beans versus canned beans. We believe in eating foods that are in their natural state and as we like to say, come directly from the Source. We have partnered with several family owned farms here in the US that grow a variety of different beans in the fertile soil of Minnesota and Washington. We also strive to make sure our products aren’t just good for us but are also good for the environment so we work directly with these farms to make sure their farming practices meet our sustainable standards. 

What to do with Dried Beans

• It’s important to pre-soak your dried beans. 
• Place 3 cups of water to 1 cup of beans in a pot, anywhere from 8hrs-24hrs. This allows your beans to soak up enough moisture.
• You can also try the short soak. Place 3 cups of water to 1 cup of beans in a pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 1-4 hours.
• Strain and rinse beans after soaking.
• Once soaked, it's time to cook! 
• Place beans back into a pot, cover with water and add your favorite seasonings like salt, pepper, garlic, bring to a boil then allow to simmer for 45 minutes or until they reach desired tenderness. 
• You can also try sauteing onion, garlic, turmeric first then adding water and your beans and allowing them to simmer for 45 minutes or until they reach desired tenderness. 
• Store the beans in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze them for several months. 

Regardless of how you cook your beans, just remember that adding beans to your diet has a number of advantages not only to your health but also to the environment as a replacement for meat and other animal products. Although the trusty bean is often overlooked, we highly encourage you to increase your bean consumption and enjoy all the healthy and nutritional benefits they have to offer. 

Source Recipes 

Source offers a weekly FarmBox of fresh organic produce and an assortment of dried beans sourced from farms have adhere to sustainable, regenerative practices. Shop or learn more here.