Pressure Cookers - Your Grandmother's Microwave

Pressure cookers are NOT the scary things they once were, but they ARE just as quick and easy. We had a class earlier this month to learn the basics of using a pressure cooker and I had a lot of fun trying some new recipes! I originally bought my pressure cooker to cook dried beans and until recently, that's all I've used it for. Now I've realized how easy it is to cook all kinds of things - even frozen chicken breasts and meatballs.  And it makes wonderful, easy risotto.

Using the pressure cooker uses less energy since the actual time the stove is on is less.  This is great for everyday use, but it would be even more helpful is you were trying to conserve energy during an emergency situation.  It is also a very nutritious method of cooking since the food is cooked quickly, maintaining more nutrients.

There is a printable handout HERE that covers the background of pressure cookers, what to look for if you're planning on buying one, resources for information and recipes, and some recipes that I've tried and liked. My favorite cookbook for pressure cooker recipes is Pressure Perfect by Lorna Sass. It gives wonderful background information on how to use a pressure cooker and great recipes with lots of variations. There aren't any photos in the cookbook, but I still highly recommend it and I've included a few of her recipes in my handout so that you can get a glimpse of how well I think it is written.

May/June Preparedness Newsletters

If you didn't get a copy of the May/June preparedness newsletters, you can access a printable copy of the Relief Society newsletter HERE. This newsletter includes articles on

• gardening in Texas in June
• places you can pick fruit locally
• helpful ideas for increasing both your food supply and 72 hour kits for families with young children
• yummy recipes
• and more!

A copy of the newsletter geared more towards "The Man of the House" can be accessed HERE. It includes articles on

• Self-Reliance: It's not just about Food Supply
• generators
• hurricane preparedness
• and more!

We hope these newsletters will be one more resource of ideas for self-reliance and that they might be a spark that will prompt you to action in one way or another.

Summer Recipes & Pick Your Own Fruit

We had planned on including a recipe for basil pesto in the preparedness newsletter, but it didn't fit. You can access a printable copy of the pesto recipe along with the other recipes in the Relief Society newsletter HERE.

Now that summer is here, it's time for fresh fruit and even homemade jam! HERE is a list of places where you can pick your own fruit in our area.

Recipe Handout from Other Breads & Milk Class

You can get a printable copy of the remainder of the handout from our class last week HERE. It includes the recipes for

• tortillas
• other bread recipes
• English muffins
• pita bread
• corn bread
• a few dairy related recipes
• and more!

Hope you enjoy them :)

Beans - More Recipes and Some Great Websites

Sharon found this great handout that has lots more bean recipes and tips. My favorite part is the internet websites listed at the very end of the handout, which I've included below. The first website listed has lots of information including photos of different types of beans and decriptions of their flavor, uses, and cooking times (once you go to the Beans for Health Alliance website, you can access the page with the varieties of beans by clicking on the photo of the beans on the lower left.) Click HERE for a printable copy of the entire handout, including more recipes.

INTERNET SOURCES . . .
(click on each title to go directly to the website)

• Beans for Health Alliance

• Nebraska Dry Bean Commission

• The Michigan Bean Commission

• California Dry Bean Advisory Commission

• Northarvest Bean Growers Association

• California Bean Shippers Association

• Idaho Bean Commission

Cooking with Beans

In December we had a great class on how to use beans. Here are some basics (For a printable copy of this information, click HERE. )

Using Beans: Always inspect beans for small rocks. Soaking and cooking beans before mixing with other recipe ingredients helps to get the right tenderness and can minimize cooking time. Adding a tablespoon of oil to beans during cooking, keeps the foam down. Hard boiling causes beans to break. Turn the heat down to allow a gentle boil. The temperature difference is minimal, but will keep the beans from breaking up and also helps prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot. If more water is needed during the cooking process, add BOILING water. Adding cold water will cause the beans to discolor and/or toughen. Be sure to wait until close to the end of cooking time to add tomatoes, lemon juice, or vinegar to beans. Cooked beans and bean dishes freeze well. Cooked beans can be drained and stored in the refrigerator for several days if rinsed daily.

Overnight Soaking: Wash and sort 1 pound of beans and place in large pot with 6 cups of water. Soak overnight.

Quick Soaking: For each 2 pounds of beans, bring 8 cups of water to boiling. Wash and sort beans, add to boiling water. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat, cover and soak 1 hour. Drain and cook with fresh water.

To Cook Soaked Beans: Drain beans and rinse. Place beans and fresh water in pot. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for the time necessary (about 1 ½ to 2 hours). Keep beans covered with water, cooking until tender, about 2 hours. Stir carefully but not too often; over stirring can break the beans. When done, they should hold their shape as well as be tender. If additional water is needed, add BOILING water as needed.

Pressure cooking will hasten the prep time. Pinto beans will cook in about 15 minutes depending on the age of the beans. The cooking time increases by approximately one‐third if beans are unsoaked. Salt after cooking.

Rotate beans and legumes at least every 8 years. If stored longer they get so hard they will not absorb water. Dried beans should triple in volume when soaked overnight in water. If they do not they are nearing the end of their shelf life.

Slightly sprouting your beans and grains before cooking will make them less “gassy” and vastly increase their nutritional value.

For Old Beans: Wash and sort out discolored beans and foreign material. For each cup of dry beans, add 2 ½ cups hot tap water and 2 tsp. baking soda and soak overnight. Drain and rinse two times, then add water to cover beans and cook until soft and tender, about 2 hours, adding more BOILING water as needed.

Bean Recipes

We were able to try lots of yummy bean recipes at our Cooking with Beans class last month. A printable handout from the class with recipes can be found HERE and some additional printable bean recipes can be found HERE.

Canning Beans

One of the things that makes it harder for me to use beans more often is the time and planning it takes to prepare them. I now use a pressure cooker most of the time to speed up this process, but another way that can help is to have some beans already cooked and readily available by canning them. HERE is a handout from the University of Georgia, The National Center for Home Food Preservation that gives a few basic recipes for canning beans and the correct procedure for doing so.