To vine dry beans (navy, kidney, butter, great northern, lima, lentils and soybeans) leave bean pods on the vine until the beans inside rattle. When the vines and pods are dry and shriveled, pick the beans and shell them. No pretreatment is necessary. If beans are still moist, the drying process is not complete and the beans will mold if not more thoroughly dried. If needed, drying can be completed in the sun, oven or a dehydrator. Pasteurization is needed for those beans dried entirely in the sun.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
We have freshly shelled Ford-hooks and want to know how to dry them (as in dry beans that are sold in stores). Can someone help me? Thanks much!
By Kat H.
I do mine in a food dehydrator. But, you can also lay them flat to dry. Screens are good to dry them on, if you have fiberglass ones. Spread them out evenly and turn once a day. It will take them several days to dry out, longer if it is humid. You can speed this process up somewhat by drying on cookie sheets in the oven, on the lowest setting, but you have to watch them very carefully to not burn them.
If its a hot day, you can dry them in the back of the car near the back windshield
Check out these photos.
I needed a way to drain green beans and butter beans after picking and washing them. My husband made a frame and covered it with Hardware Cloth.
