question about beans and soaking them

[Guest guest]

I'm a newbie to this and therefore am not well-versed on the issue of

*beans*.

 

Last night, I decided to soak some black beans. I put them in a glass

bowl and covered them with about twice the amount of water. Within

several hours I noticed small whitish circles on top, almost looking

like mold, but also looking like froth. It wasn't clear what they were.

 

What was this, is it normal, and should I throw the beans away? How

long do beans last? I think I've had these for almost a year. Maybe I

should throw out all the old beans I've accumulated and start over.

 

Thanks!

 

Janet