Mother's Baked Beans
From Wilma

One of my favorite memories as a child growing up was our family picnics.  Our picnic meals were quite traditional, seldom varied, and was started a couple of days before the picnic by putting beans to soak overnight so that they could be baked the next day in mother's old brown bean pot. We usually baked a chocolate cake or an apple pie the day before the picnic.  On the morning of the outing, chicken was fried and potato salad made.  A watermelon was cooling in preparation as well.

We would go to a lake or a park for our picnic.  There we would spread out blankets to sit on and to use as a table on which to spread our meal.  Once, at upper Golden Gardens, we walked down the steps beside a brook to the beach below.  On our way back we discovered bits of melon all along the brook.  We felt sorry for the people who had lost their melon.  Even sorrier when we discovered it was ours as a family member had put in the brook to keep cool!

Our picnics were always relaxing.  We often just sat and visited, sometimes played ball and always swam if we were at a lake.  The men frequently would nap.  The main activity, however, was eating and we never tired of Mother's baked beans.

Mother's Baked Beans

2 cups dry navy beans
1 teaspoon mustard
1/2 lb salt pork
4 tablespoons molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 onion, chopped

Soak beans overnight. Drain and cover with fresh water. Cook for 1/2 to 3/4 hour.
Wash salt pork. Place 1/2 of the salt pork in the bottom of the bean pot.  Add beans.  Mix remaining ingredients in a little water and pour over beans. Add enough hot water to cover. Place remaining salt pork on top and cover. Bake in oven for 6 to 7 hours. Add hot water from time to time. The last hour uncover to brown.

 
Read Wilma's Essay on Whipping Cream
 

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