As we continue to adjust our habits, routines, and even lives to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is interesting to look back at the early days as the virus emerged, particularly the buying habits of people around the country.
We all heard, saw, and maybe even experienced the horror and hardship of trying to get your hands on a simple pack of toilet paper, but that wasn’t the only product that went up in demand. The country saw an explosion of all sorts of items people felt the overwhelming urge to stock up on, beans among them.
Time reported that sales of some bean varieties like garbanzo beans were up as much as 150%! That’s a lot of beans. That was a demand boom that we definitely felt too. It took a lot of effort to keep shelves stocked and our loyal Randall Bean fed with their favorite beans.
But, now that we are several months into dealing with the pandemic, many of those people that went whole hog and stocking up may currently find themselves sitting on a hill of extra beans not sure what to do with them.
In light of the surplus of beans many of our loyal bean eaters may currently have, we thought we would take some time to re-address a couple of very common questions we get.
Is your shelf full of Randall Beans good to eat?
So you have been looking at these jars of extra beans in your pantry for the last six-plus months and you aren’t sure if they are still good. We get this concern often because of the nature of our packaging that can be a little confusing.
Our jars don’t come with an expiration of a “sell-by” date because of the way they are packaged and sealed. Once Randall Beans are cooked and put in the jar, it is sealed and heated enough to kill any and all microbes that could possibly compromise the beans. This process certifies them by the US FDA as “commercially sterile.”
That means that our beans have an indefinite shelf as long as they are kept at moderate temperatures and the jar is securely sealed. We recommend a “best by” date, however, because even though they are fine to eat after extended time in your pantry, they will begin to lose some of their incredible flavor as time goes on.
So, if you have extra beans in your pantry and aren’t sure if they are still good, just make sure you check the jar’s lid to make sure it was secured properly. If you get that satisfying pop when you open the lid, your beans should be perfectly fine to enjoy!
Put those beans to use
Now that you know those beans are good to eat, the question now becomes what to do with them all! Well, don’t worry. There is no shortage of bean recipes and ways to use beans in meals that will keep your breakfasts, lunches, and dinners exciting and fresh for quite some time!
If you want a good place to start for using up your beans, check out Recipe page. Each month we feature at least one brand new original recipe, roundups of recipes from some of our favorites and recipes from around the world wide web, and our collection of free bean cookbooks. We guarantee there will be a wealth of recipes there you will love.
Beans aren’t just great meal starters. They also make terrific additions to leftover meals to help stretch them for extra days. Especially since Randall Beans jars are resealable and stay fresh for at least a week once opened, you can open one up to add to a meal and then close it back up to save the rest for another day.
Don’t panic if you find yourself with extra beans after stocking up, your beans should be safe and delicious for several months to enjoy your beans at their highest quality and there is no shortage of way to use them in fresh and exciting ways during your meal planning.
