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Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:08:46 -0600
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<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Here are the comments I received on the dried beans post.  And my  
original post:

The other day I discovered several pieces of barley in my Bob's Red  
Mill dried red lentils.  I have used red lentils weekly and never  
noticed this before.  Has anyone else seen this?

And being that I am 99% vegetarian, I really rely on beans....does  
anyone have any suggestions for where and what brand to buy for dried  
beans?

Thanks,

Anne

anne steib
gluten-free musings
www.glutenfreemusings.com


First, no, they are not marked gluten-free, and i knew that, but I had  
never seen barely in them before.  I called Bob's Red Mill and their  
response is here (with a photo of what I found):  http://tinyurl.com/myredlentils

Responses:

- I have great luck with" Swad" red lentils available at your Asian/ 
Indian grocer.

- You likely are right...I wash my stuff pretty thoroughly and then  
pressure cook and have had no problem.  I live in NYC and belong to a  
Food Coop...
The thing is, I don't trust these Big Name outfits very much re  
purity, though in some cases, I'm sure it's fine.  For example,  
Wolfe's Kasha (buckwheat) I buy in the box...but I grind my own  
flours...it's cheap and easy.

- BRM has two facilities - one is GF and the other is not. If you  
don't see the GF logo or Gluten Free on the front of the package, it  
was processed and packed in the non-GF facility. I don't think any of  
the beans of BRM are processed in the GF facility.

- Guess you could pick out the gluten grains and then wash the beans  
well before cooking. From what I have read it is not unusual to find  
some grains in beans.

- You have confirmed my concern for Bob's red mill products.  seems  
like too many things are contaminated

- Yes.  It is a problem with all beans because of how they are  
processed.  I discovered this a few years ago when  I was calling  
companies about everything.  Also, the seeds of lentils can look like  
grains barley, wheat and oats (or so I was told).

- I pick over all beans carefully and then rinse them a few times and  
have had no ill effect (according to my and my daughter's blood levels).

- I'd noticed grain in my lentils - 1 to 5 grains per cup or so - long  
before my celiac diagnosis, so my suggestion is not which brand to  
buy, but to always look through lentils before cooking, just as I look  
through beans for pebbles, rotten and broken bits, & even grain  
(although I do not find grain in pinto or black beans nearly as often  
as in brown/green lentils).  & I remind others to do the same who  
might be cooking dry beans or lentils for me.

- I think you should consider it a normal possible contaminant, coming  
either from the volunteers sprouting up among the lentils as a  
consequence of crop rotation, or from shared machinery in commercial  
harvesting & processing for retail.

- I have been buying lentils at my local Indian market lately.  The
price is good.  Also, I get rice noodles there along with spices etc.

- Barley is often added to multi-bean soups mixes so it's not unusual  
for barley to be in a place that makes soup mixes  Since beans/lentils  
probably aren't packaged in the g.f. area, it's just something you  
will have to watch out for.

- You do need to sort ALL dried beans when the come out of the bag  
before adding any water!  The are an organic product & minimal  
processing...Srting by size & air blasted to remove leaves & loose  
dirt. They have to be kept dry so they don't sprout or mold.

- While you don't want to get sick on a kernel of barley, breaking a  
tooth on a rock is a real possibility & something no one wants!

- I buy the Safeway brand dried beans.

- It is always good practice to sort through any peas or beans.  You  
will not only avoid the stray grains, but possibly broken teeth from  
small stones and such.  As well, you are looking for broken and  
cracked peas and beans because they can harbor weevils and other  
critters. Once you have sorted through them give them a good rinse  
THEN cook and enjoy.

- Publix, Walmarts, Krogers, Smith's - all those brands are excellent.















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