Begin by washing beans and discarding any which are discolored, badly formed and debris such as small rocks or twigs. Beans cook quickly if soaked in water, covered by 3 inches (7.5 cm) of filtered water for 8 hours or overnight. After soaking time, discard the soak water and cook the beans in fresh water. Since beans require lengthy cooking, we recommend adding salt and seasonings during the last 15 minutes so flavor can be absorbed. There are other factors which contribute to the length of cooking such as, hard water and beans that have been dried for a long period of time. For the lengthy cooking beans, we have found that soaking 24 hours and changing the soak water 2 or 3 times hastens the cooking time.

Many people are concerned with the reputation that beans have; causes flatulence. Starting your bean ventures with small amounts will aid to increase your body's enzyme production. Soaking and cooking the beans thoroughly helps to break down the complex sugars (oligosaccharides) which challenge our digestive systems. Some herbs may be added to the final cooking stage which aids in the digestion of beans. These include bay leaf, cumin, cilantro, coriander seed, winter or summer savory, fresh epazote (available in Hispanic markets). Many people from India maintain the tradition of chewing on dried fennel seeds or drinking a cup of fennel or peppermint tea at the end of a legume meal to aid the digestion.

QUICK-SOAK METHOD
When time is limited, you can wash and pick over beans and put them into a stock pot with water to cover by 3 inches (7.5 cm). Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes to remove toxins. Then cover and allow to soak for 1 hour. Discard soak water, add fresh water, and cook until tender. ** As a general rule of thumb, 1 cup of dried beans will yield about 2 1/2 - 3 cups (.5 to .75 liters) of cooked beans.

PRESSURE COOKING
For pressure-cooking beans, you can choose to soak the beans overnight, use the quick-soak method or eliminate soaking altogether. We do not soak beans before pressure-cooking. Whether you choose to soak or eliminate that step, put the beans in the pressure cooker with 3 times as much water as beans. Cook at 15 pounds of pressure for 30 minutes for small beans. For large beans, such as limas or fava beans, pressure cook for about 40 minutes.

COOKING FRESH BEANS
Because few people actually grow beans and go through the time-consuming process of shelling and cooking them, most of the information about preparing beans refers to dried beans. However, fresh beans are delicious and easy to prepare and can often be found at farmers' markets. Fresh black-eyed peas, garbanzos, cannellini, limas, and others offer excellent flavor and nutrition. There are two methods of cooking fresh beans: boiling or steaming.

To boil, drop the shelled beans into boiling water to cover and boil gently for 5 to 10 minutes. You may want to add some onions, garlic, herbs of your choice and a dash of salt to the water to flavor the beans.

To steam, put about an inch of water into the bottom of a saucepan and place the beans into a steamer basket that fits into the saucepan. Cover the pan and steam over boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes.

After fresh fava beans are cooked, their tough skins are usually peeled and discarded. When left on, they give the beans a bitter flavor. To peel the skins, use a small paring knife and peel away one end. Then squeeze the opposite end and the bean will slip out easily.