Freezer Kidney Beans

Imagine the convenience of canned beans, but with flavor!  Give these a try, and you'll probably never go back to cans...and that means a lot of saved money!!

Freezer Kidney Beans
1 lb dry kidney beans
Soaking Water (about 12 cups)

Sort and rinse beans.  Soak beans in water overnight, or for quick-soak method, combine water and beans, bring to a boil, boil for 5 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let sit for 1.5 hours.

Drain beans.  Pour drained beans into Crock Pot.  Add enough water to cover beans completely. 
Add the following ingredients to crock pot:
1/4 cup Kosher Salt (if using table salt, cut in half)
6 Tbsp Butter or Margarine
1/4 cup minced garlic
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf

Stir to combine.  Cook on Low 12-14 hours (I like to start it after dinner and turn it off before breakfast).  Test beans for doneness (soft, not chalky, and very flavorful).  Remove bay leaf and discard.  Turn off heat, let beans cool 30 minutes.  Place cooked beans and cooking liquid in freezer containers, ziploc freezer bags, or canning jars.  We like to freeze in 2 cup measurements (or pint jars), which is close to the 14 or 15 ounce cans you can buy at the store. Close container and freeze.  When ready to use, simply remove from freezer and thaw in refrigerator or microwave.  Great for Chili, or anything else that calls for kidney beans.