If you soak dry beans, & the cover shrivels up & falls off, does that mean they're no good?

Question

I'm soaking lima beans, & this is what's happening. Is this normal?

Also, I saw a couple of them that were turning green.

I was planning to cook them today, but if they're no good, I'm going to have to throw them away.

***I got them from a food pantry.

Answer 1

I make Pinto Beans and I don't soak them.  It just takes longer to cook, but the end result is the same.  If a few are turning green, they might not have been ripe enough to pick, but dried beans don't usually go bad.  I have some really old, old, beans that I still use.  They should be fine.  Just toss the ones you don't like the color of.

Answer 2

they're supposed to be green goofball :P

yah, that happens when they get soaked, don't freak

Answer 3

No your beans are just fine.  This happens during the soaking process.  I have seen many lima beans that are green, just depends when you pick them.  Do not throw away your beans.

Answer 4

They have a little outer skin, like peanuts do.  You know how when you shell a peanut and you get that red papery skin inside?  Sometimes it falls off and sometimes it sticks to the peanut really tightly.  The cover you are seeing coming off the lima beans is like that.  You can eat it and it won't hurt you, but if it comes off while you're soaking the beans, that's good too.  Just skim out those covers and toss them.  The beans are fine.

Answer 5

no, that happens when you soak beans. soaking them should help them to cook faster.