Raedwulf, I've never heard that about kidney beans, but then, I would never try to use them without a great deal of cooking, so the problem has never arisen. The two methods of preparation in my household are, if I think of it the night before I sort, wash, then put to soak overnight. That water is poured off and fresh added before cooking. If I am using them the same day I sort, wash, boil for 2 minutes then let sit for an hour. I pour out that water and fill the pot with fresh and then they need to simmer for at least an hour before I start to add anything more than a bay leaf or ham hock.

Onions - I can grow onions here, and I have some that have been in the same spot for a couple of years; I cut off stalks and use them as needed, they don't have the bulbs (though I suppose if I thinned them they'd form in later generations). I'll start the bulb onions from seed or sets, though every time I plant onion sets I swear it's the last time; that's one garden activity that kills the back.

I am so disappointed with the length of time store-bought onions keep these days. It used to be they were kept in a dark cupboard or even the fridge and kept for a long time. My home grown hard-neck garlic (in this case, as much leek as garlic, the sort they call elephant garlic) I have some in there that is three years old. Store it in a dark paper bag in the pantry.

One of my dishes that I created to use much of my garden produce (tomatoes, onions, green peppers, zucchini squash or yellow squash) has crumbled Italian sausage, onions and peppers chopped and sauteed, then squash cut in irregular shaped chunks so it is easily turned in the pan (slices just lie there); when the onions are the way I want them and the squash softened I add tomatoes. Sometimes I add cheese, or sprinkle Parmesan over the top. Lately I've been boiling a few frozen cheese ravioli and mixing them into the bowl of the squash mix. Other times I make it with enough tomato juice (from my canned tomatoes, in particular) and add whatever pasta is handy at the end so it cooks long enough to be tender.

There are some things that are better kept cool and dry but not in the refrigerator, but here in Texas I have a difficulty with cool anywhere in the house for about six months of the year (since I don't want to run the air conditioner at such a low level and break the bank with the bill). I've thought about how to invent some kind of cooler cabinet that has air circulating through and no moisture problem. There are some coolers that would work the way I want, that can run on an auto battery but they are incredibly noisy. This would be my answer to the basement or root cellar of northern locations. Think "pie safe" for vegetables.