I go around the seven day soaking by removing the skin beforehand. After all the skin prevents proper access for the water. So I pour boiling water on the dry beans, let them soak for a few minutes until the skin becomes loose. Then I pop the beans out of the skins and start the soaking. I change the water twice a day on the beans and after three or four days the bitterness is all gone. At that point I cook them in salty water and enjoy!

I can't figure why anybody would think it's a complicated process. It's water, salt and beans people. Sure, it make take 5-7 days to come to completion, but the actual work involved is simple and probably less than 10 minutes in totality. They're worth the "effort" and time waiting for them to be ready.

They aren't showing the whole link, so here is the recipe for the "Better Than Potato Salad":

Ingredients
4 cups large lupine beans, cooked (see note)
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 tbsp chopped parsley
5 sweet gherkin pickles, minced
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 hard cooked eggs, chopped
1/2 cup silken tofu
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions
Mix cooked lupini beans with the celery, parsley, minced pickles, red onion and eggs. Mix the silken tofu with the vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour this over bean mixture and toss.

Note: Make sure you buy lupini beans cooked in a brine solution. Do not buy them dried. Rinse well before using and cook for about 30 minutes so they become soft. You can use any large, white bean. Soak dry beans in a large pot of water overnight. Add more water the next day so the beans are covered by 2 inches of water. Add 1 tsp kosher salt to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until beans are soft but still retain their shape.

Dr. Oz has a recipe for Potato Salad that uses the Lupini bean instead of potatoes. They say you cannot tell the difference in taste and that a half cup of this salad is only 81 calories and 1.4 grams of fat compared to regular potato salad that has 179 calories and 10 grams of fat. So it's better for you too. They say the Lupine beans taste just like mini potatoes. If you make it, let us know how it turns out!

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/culinary-institute-americas-better-potato-salad

Okay, 2 weeks later, the beans are no longer bitter. I 've been searching something specific about the next step--the marinating--and finally found this. I'm going to sterilize jars and do this tomorrow. Onward! http://blogs.poughkeepsiejournal.com/dishnthat/2009/03/01/kick-off-festa-italiana-with-lupini-beans/

mrslarkin, thanks for checking with your mom. I love the idea of the running stream. There is one in the woods behind my house. It's a half mile walk, but hey, maybe next time.

I'm a week into the process--although I have refrigerated the beans, and brined them, contrary to your mom's advice. The bitterness has diminished a lot. I may be about ready to declare them done and move on to the marinating stage.

More to come...

Nora, Mom says soak the beans overnight. Boil for 45 minutes. Rinse and drain. Place in vessel of choice and fill with cold water, no salt. Don't refrigerate. For 3 or 4 days, drain and replace with cold water, no salt, until the water/beans are no longer bitter, or bitter to your liking. Then, store in cold slightly-salted water in the fridge.

Mom said back in the day, they would put the beans in a sack and soak them in a running stream.

I have memories of all my relatives sitting around the table popping lupini beans. I hated them! (the beans). And that's probably why I had to ask Mom for the recipe!

So this is mad science for sure.

Here's a glimpse of the beans in brine, Day 2. Please notice the small containers of homemade jam and marmalade, just so you know that not all of my projects are so fraught.

Ew. happened upon this...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupin_poisoning

it is wikipedia, but?!

Mslarkin, I love that photo. Can you get any tips for me? I now have a jarful brining in the refrigerator. It'll be time to change the water soon. I'll see this through, and then look for them already prepared per innoabrd's information.

I have never done it, but I know it's quite a project! In our Italian dialect, they are called fusaia (pronounced fooz-eye-ya.) My Zio Marino in Italy makes tons of them for the whole town where he lives. Here's a photo of him and the fusaia cauldron. Apologizing in advance if it's huge. I can't preview it:

They are yummy. I've had them served as a bar snack in both Portugal and Egypt, where they are called 'termis'. However, you can buy them in jars or plastic packets all ready to serve and, frankly, sounds to me like one of those things, like curing olives, that's only worth doing yourself if you have far too much time on your hands...I think there's a reason these sorts of products are often produced by cloistered religious orders...

There's a saying that you make lupini beans so that the next generation can eat them, referring to how long it takes to make them edible.

SweetTea, I appreciate your perspective. Even if I persist, they're going to have to be something special to justify repeating the experiment. May I assume they transported your friends back to home and hearth, though? Thanks.

Yeah, I would compost. Some friends from Northern Africa have prepared these before the whole process went like this: soak them overnight, drain & rinse, cover with water and simmer for an hour, drain, rinse & cover with more water add salt (about 1 tablespoon per quart/litre), refrigerate. Repeat this process for FIVE days -- or until the brine is no longer bitter tasting. Then they just served them drizzled with olive oil and some fresh cracked pepper and a dash of paprika. Personally, I can't be bothered, but good luck to you!