Sort the dry beans, removing stones, debris, and damaged beans. Rinse thoroughly in cool filtered water.

Place the beans in a large glass or glazed ceramic vessel. Cover generously with warm filtered water and add 1 small pinch pure bicarbonate of soda. Soak for 12 to 24 hours. Each time the water cools, drain it and replace it with just-simmered filtered water plus another pinch bicarbonate, keeping the expanding beans well covered.

Drain the soaked beans and rinse them thoroughly. Return them to a clean glass or glazed ceramic vessel. Add the scaled 2 quarts filtered water and scaled 1 cup homemade whey or kefir. If the beans are not fully submerged, add water and starter together at the same 1/2 cup starter per quart ratio.

Cover loosely and ferment in a warm place out of direct sunlight for 4 to 6 days, keeping every bean below the liquid. Check daily. Light cloudiness, tiny bubbles, thin clean froth, and a mild sour aroma are expected; discard a batch with fuzzy growth, colored spots, or a rotten smell.

Pour the fermented beans into a stainless-steel colander. Discard the fermentation liquid and rinse the beans thoroughly with cool water.

Transfer the rinsed beans to the stockpot. Add plenty of fresh filtered water and the scaled sea salt. Bring to a boil, lower to a gentle simmer, and skim away foam that rises.

Simmer for 2 to 6 hours, checking the water level and adding hot filtered water whenever the beans are no longer well covered. Continue until the centers are completely creamy and a bean crushes without resistance or a chalky middle.

Drain the completely soft beans. Reserve a little clean cooking liquid for any portions you plan to freeze. Cool promptly in shallow glass containers, then refrigerate or freeze in measured recipe-size portions.