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Thursday, January 5, 2012

Baked Beans

I wasn't looking for it specifically...it was on a dusty shelf over a workbench in the garage at my father's house. But there it was, the beanpot I wrote about last spring.
So, I had to make beans.



I followed the recipe in Marjorie Standish's cookbook, but I remember my grandmother putting an onion in the pot. I scored an "X" in the bottom like she did. And I studded it with cloves, because it was New Year's Day and because I was topping my beans with leftover ham instead of bacon or salt pork.


I also used Yelloweye beans instead of navy pea beans like Grammie did, because those have gotten hard to find.

I read once that beans were dinner for many a working family in Olde Boston. Cooking fuel was precious, and you could get your beans ready in the morning and take them to a public oven on your way to work, then pick them up, ready-to-eat on your way home. It's also one of the many old New England recipes to take advantage of the readily-available molasses.

I like cooking them at home, as it cozies up a cold day. It also provides a great warm stovetop for bread-baking days. Maybe I'll try making brown bread next.

5 comments:

Diane Simmler said...

The onion with the clove! Love it, but don't remember it. :) I am so happy that you found the bean pot. So happy.

acorn hollow said...

Never a sat went by but we didn't have beans and homemade bread oh now I want beans and homemade bread. Your recipe is diffrent but still sounds good.
Cathy

Lorrie said...

The cloves in the onion sound like a very good idea.

You asked about the bush and the vine in my photo. I'm sorry to say that I don't know the name of either one, although I'm suspecting that the fluffy flowers on the vine are a type of clematis.

Have a great day!

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

I love baked beans....what a great idea studding the onion with cloves.

Caroline said...

I'm embarrassed to admit to loving Bush Beans now after reading your delicious-sounding recipe. Nothing could taste as good as beans made in a wonderful pot like that either, I'll bet.