Dale, Gary,
According to Natalie and Shirley Nigro, authors of the
Companion Guide to Healthy Cooking:A Practical Guide to Natural Ingredients
http://www.the-nigros.com/notes/cghc/index.html "...dried beans should be stored in airtight containers in a cool dry place. They may be stored 6 to twelve months this way, provided they were fresh when you bought them. Dried beans age over time and the longer they are stored the longer they take to reconstitute through soaking and cooking. If kept too long they may remain tough even after cooking. Beans bought at different times should not be mixed together when stored. They should be labled with the date of purchase so the oldest beans can be used first..."
I would dampen the beans to see if the color might be restored to them, and try cooking a small batch to see how they turn out.
How do you cook your lentils?
Thank you, very much.
Bruce Paine