If Everyone Ate Beans Instead of Beef With one dietary change, the U.S. could almost meet greenhouse-gas emission goals.

From the Atlantic:

If Everyone Ate Beans Instead of Beef With one dietary change, the U.S. could almost meet greenhouse-gas emission goals.

Excerpt: "That is, even if nothing about our energy infrastructure or transportation system changed—and even if people kept eating chicken and pork and eggs and cheese—this one dietary change could achieve somewhere between 46 and 74 percent of the reductions needed to meet the target.

“I think there’s genuinely a lack of awareness about how much impact this sort of change can have,” Harwatt told me. There have been analyses in the past about the environmental impacts of veganism and vegetarianism, but this study is novel for the idea that a person’s dedication to the cause doesn’t have to be complete in order to matter. A relatively small, single-food substitution could be the most powerful change a person makes in terms of their lifetime environmental impact—more so than downsizing one’s car, or being vigilant about turning off light bulbs, and certainly more than quitting showering."

...So... in service to this goal here's how to cook (dried) beans:

1. Get fresh beans (Denio's is where we go, but your local Mercado, or Hispanic grocery should be good too). We like cranberry beans, but any variety will do. The freshness more than anything else influences their digestibility and flatulence-producing properties. Fresher is better. If you have beans that won't get soft, discard them. They're too old.

2. Clean them, discarding any stones or broken beans.

3. Cover with 2" of water and soak them overnight.

4. Discard the soak water, and re-fill with just enough water to cover the beans.

5. Cook on low heat for several hours. This is easiest in a slow cooker, but you can do it on a stove-top too as long as they are on the lowest available temperature. The amount of time depends on how fresh the beans are. When they're soft, they're done. A typical time: 3 - 4 hours.

6. Add salt to taste. I add three teaspoons in a four-quart Crock Pot, and change the temperature to "Warm" until I'm ready to serve the beans.

The Pinto (or substitute cranberry beans) are what you'll find with most Mexican food. Very good with salsa. (Good salsa: tomatoes, onion, garlic, lime juice, salt, chiles...chopped together. Optional: Cilantro. One of those salsa makers is handy, too)

If you cook the small red beans (New Orleans Red Beans), you can add a mirepoix of chopped onion, garlic and bell pepper when you add the salt. Serve that with tabasco, celery and a baguette or rice.

To make chili, add canned tomatoes and chilie powder, and/or cumin...etc.

Beans are also terrific because they make long-lasting leftovers (not so, salsa). They are my go-to backup food. You can make tacos, burritos, chimichangas, etc.

...Worth the trip!