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Bean Preparation & Cooking Information

Planted July 27, 2001
Last tended to on November 22, 2024
Reading time: 2 minutes

String Beans: It is important to remember that many old varieties of beans used as “green beans” (also referred to as snap or string beans) require some preparation prior to cooking.

Harvest the pods in their young, tender stage before they get tough. Before steaming or boiling, they need to be “snapped.” Starting with the stem end, snap it off and peel any string that is along the seam of the pod. Repeat this process from the tip of the other end of the pod.

As the beans mature, they naturally tend to form more fiber and become woody. Additionally, heat and water stress increase fiber production and can cause the pods to become stringy. Keep your plants well watered, and harvest often.

Dry Beans: The following table offers some average cooking times For dried beans. Use this information as a guideline and adjust for your preferred cooking temperature, as well as your altitude.

Dry Bean Variety	Soaking Time	Cooking Time
Adzuki	none	45 to 50 min.
Appaloosa, Cranberry, Jacob’s Cattle, Pinto	overnight	1-1/2 hr.
Black, Calypso, Marrow Fat, Soldier, Swedish Brown, Tongue of Fire, Yellow Eye	overnight	45 to 60 min.
Cow Peas (Southern Peas)	overnight	1 hr.
Chick-Pea, Garbanzos	overnight	1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hr.
Fava	overnight	45 to 60 min.
Kidney	overnight	1 to 1-1/2 hr.
Lima, Large	overnight	60 to 90 min.
Lima, Small	overnight	45 to 50 min.
Pea, Split	none	35 to 40 min.
Soybean	overnight	3 hr.

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