Angela Kantola

I’ve struggled with old beans, too. I echo the recommendations for baking soda and pressure cooking. I would also add that if you have hard water, soaking and cooking the beans in distilled or bottled water can be helpful. Our water has a hardness of 10. We have 3 gallon jugs that we refill at the grocery store water machine for $.25 a gallon. Here’s how I cook my old beans. Soak 2 cups of beans in 10 cups of bottled or distilled water for 24 hours in 6-quart stovetop pressure cooker pot. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 to 5 minutes, remove from heat, and let sit for four or more hours. Add 2 tablespoons oil (I use coconut oil), then place lid on pressure cooker, bring to pressure and cook for 30 minutes (you may need less time, but 30 minutes is what’s needed at my I 7,300’ elevation). Remove from heat and let pressure release naturally (slow release). You can change the water after soaking, but I’m cheap and don’t and it seems to work out fine.

Three cheers for the (large) toaster oven version. We find our 13-function (Toast, Bagel, Broil, Bake, Roast, Warm, Pizza, Proof, Airfry, Reheat, Cookies, Slow Cook, Dehydrate.) Breville Smart Oven Air Pro to be incredibly versatile. I think we've had it a couple of years now. And we move it outside in the summer so as not to heat up the house. I just said to my husband this morning that the Breville, a multi-cooker (e.g., "instant pot"), a microwave, and an induction hot plate would be all that a small house would need (forget the range/oven). They're not small (21.5''x17.5''x12.7'') or cheap ($400), but we use ours at least once a day. (Although we are retired and it's just the two of us at home, we do almost all our own cooking and much of it "from scratch.") I bought two extra mesh baskets and I use those for making granola and air-frying. We installed solar panels on our roof this year, but haven't yet replaced our range/oven with induction electric, so I love using the electric Breville instead of my gas oven. Drawbacks: the Breville is big, so won't toast as fast as a small toaster oven. The mesh baskets need to be oiled for use with most foods so you don't get baked-on messes that are difficult to clean (when you do, soak them in soapy water in a large rimmed cookie sheet, then use a stiff-bristled brush to clean). Even then, when I make my granola (which has egg whites in the mixture), I use a silicone mat on the mesh baskets.

Update: I was fully recovered by mid-Friday and now swear by Amedean's rosemary tea (to which I also added apple cider vinegar, honey, and ginger). It was no fun feeling like I'd been run over by a truck for 12+ hours, but much better than that plus vomiting and diarrhea any day!

I don't know who you are, Amedean, but I am most grateful for your post (and that this forum is open to Google searches!). My DH came down with norovirus early this morning. I felt under the weather, but didn't yet have any serious gastrointestinal symptoms other than mild stomach discomfort. I began taking water (~1 cup) in which I'd steeped fresh rosemary and added ~1/8 cup organic apple cider vinegar, 1t-1T raw honey, and ~1/4t of jarred ginger. Like you did, I feel achy and generally under the weather, but have had no gastrointestinal crises. For the achiness, I made a headache oil of 2T olive oil, 20 drops lavender oil, 10 drops peppermint oil, and 2 opened Vitamin E capsules. I rubbed it on my temples and inhaled the aroma and it seems to be somewhat helpful.

After my DH's gastrointestinal crises (which spanned a total of ~5 hours), I begin giving him an oral hydration solution of water, lemon juice, lime juice, honey, and a bit of salt (recipe widely available on the internet). I also gave him some peppermint-only tea with ~1/4 t of jarred ginger and ~1T honey. DH and I have both gradually added a bit of banana, homemade unsweetened yogurt, and a few bites of homemade whole wheat toast with ~2T homemade applesauce with raw honey this evening. So far, no issues.

Time will tell. Meanwhile, THANK YOU!