How can I reuse or recycle baked beans?
We’ve had an email from Hayley asking:
Can I compost baked beans? From a tin. We always seem to have some leftover!
Like many composting questions, there is no definitive answer. Some people say it’s fine – they’re vegetables after all, they’ll break down – but other people say don’t do it – the preservatives can upset worms/bacteria in the heap and/or attracted unwanted vermin. If you’ve got a well contained, healthy heap, a few beans won’t ruin it.
Composting though should be a last resort – try to use them first. If you don’t think you’ll use them up within a couple of days in the fridge, you can apparently freeze them (anyone had experience doing that? anything to do/avoid?). You can also add them as filler to soups and casseroles – but if they’re salty ones, remember to adjust your recipe accordingly.
How do you use up your beans?
I can’t find them where I currently live, unfortunately, but I used to heat them and put them on buttered toast for breakfast the next morning.
If I don’t give them to the chickens, I have a container I keep in the freezer and just add them to that, for soup. I will rinse them prior to freezing them and I have always had good luck. The container I keep is for left over rice, beans, small bits of chicken. Another container is for veggies, and I make a big pot of soup with that about once every two weeks, then freeze that in smaller containers for lunches. Hope this helps.
Ooh I like the idea of keeping a leftovers container in the fridge for soup and just adding whatever comes along! Gonna try that myself.
Aren’t you afraid of defreezing of the leftovers that are already in the container. It seems to me that it isn’t really save to add non-frozen food to frozen food in the same container. Or do you freeze it first?
I use them up by putting them in soups or adding them to a meal even if they don’t quite “match” – I mean a breakfast of fruit salad and beans on the side may not match but it’s pretty awesome!
I mix them in with re fried beans and make bean burritos. Tastes amazing! = ) Also beans on toast is so delicious!!!