BY SANDRA RICHARDSON

BY SANDRA RICHARDSON

Extension Agent

As the new year is in its infancy, both budgets and palates may need relief from the lavishness of the past few weeks. Legumes may be the alternative that pleases both the budget and palate.

Many people are familiar with legumes by different names. The most common name is dried beans.

Packaged dry beans are readily available in nearly every store. In this form, dried beans are the most economical, but require longer cooking times. For convenience, many homemakers prefer to use canned beans.

A new form of bean is being offered in the produce section of many retail stores in California and also in some eastern cities. These are dried beans that have been processed so that they taste fresh and cook quickly. The presoaked beans are packaged in polyfilm bags and must be kept refrigerated to prevent spoilage.

Some people don’t eat beans because of the legendary gas producing qualities, sometimes being referred to as the “musical food”. Researchers have been trying to remove the gas from beans but have not been completely successful. Undigestable complex sugars are the cause of this gas. Several methods are used to help remove the gas. Adding a small amount of baking soda to the soaking water is one method. This method destroys the B vitamin thiamin. Another method that helps to eliminate part of the problem is to put washed, sorted beans in hot water, boil them for three minutes, remove from heat, cover and let stand for a minimum of four hours. After the beans have soaked, drain, and discard the soaking water.

Cooked dried beans offer tremendous health benefits. Beans contain less than 2 percent fat which is vegetable in nature and therefore contains no cholesterol. Beans alone are low in sodium, although some ». recipes call for the addition of seasonings that may be high in sodium, particularly seasoned salts, bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, and catsup.