How To Preserve Locust Beans (Iru)

Locust beans popularly called “iru” is a food ingredient locally and internationally recognized.

In Africa, locust beans is not just seen as a food ingredient but also as a source of income. 

Sometime in 1995, two researchers named Adewunmi and Olalusi reported that Africa women produce locust beans locally by shelling matured pods, boiling, dehulling, separating the hull from the beans and fermenting it into various forms of condiment.

This report established that Africa women generated income from the production of locust beans.

People often complain about how locust beans get spoilt after a day or 2 of buying, this also made most people not buy in large quantities for future use.

However, locust beans can be preserved.

There are 3 ways you can use in preserving your locust beans and they are:

1. Freezing

2. Salting

3. Sun drying

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How To Preserve Locust Beans By Freezing

To preserve your locust beans by freezing, simply rinse your locust beans to take out sand and dirt, pour them in a plastic bowl or an airtight container, then keep the container in your fridge.

This method can help preserve locust beans for as long as 1 year.

When you want to cook with it, all you have to do is bring it out of the fridge and use a spoon to take the quantity you need, then seal it back and return it to the fridge.

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How To Preserve Locust Beans By Salting

This method is mainly for those that don’t have too much access to electricity to go for the freezing method.

You can also preserve your locust beans by spreading them in a tray and adding a large quantity of salt to them. You can also sundry it.

With this salting method, you have to rinse your locust beans very well to get rid of the excess salt and dirt that it might have carried while it was exposed.

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How To Preserve Locust Beans By Sun Drying

This method is widely accepted and used in rural areas. for this, you only have to pour your locust beans into a wide tray, spread it around the tray and put in the sun to dry. You can also add salt to it.

Note that you have to sundry until it is free from any form of moisture, you can also add salt to it.

You also have to rinse it properly to remove dirt it must have carried while being exposed to the atmosphere.

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Originally posted on June 26, 2021 @ 2:50 pm