My grandmother has volunteered at Canterbury Shaker Village since before I was born. I grew up hearing about the Shakers, and was always fascinated by their way of life. I especially love their simple, yet delicious food. This bean recipe takes time, but is worth it. A bowl of baked beans, topped with a fried egg and a sprinkle of cheese is one of my favorite comfort dishes. The recipe makes a lot of beans, but you can freeze them. I soak, boil, and cook my beans all in the same pot. You just need a large pot with a lid that can go in the oven. There is no need to buy a special bean pot.

Shaker Baked Beans

From The Best of Shaker Cooking

serves 10-12

Ingredients:

• 4 cups navy beans
• 2 1/2 cups hot water
• 1 onion
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• apple cider (optional)

Directions:

1. Rinse the beans, and discard any broken beans or rocks. Soak the beans in water overnight.
2. Drain and cook the beans in fresh water until tender, about 30 minutes. They should be covered by about 1 inch of water. Drain beans and save liquid.
3. Peel onion and place in bottom of bean pot. Pour beans into bean pot.
4. Add molasses, butter, salt, dry mustard, and ketchup to bean liquid and pour over beans.
5. Cover pot and cook in and oven at 250 degrees for about 3 hours. Add more water or apple cider whenever necessary. You don’t want them to be too dried out. I usually check it after an hour, then once every half hour.
6. Remove cover for last half hour and brown well.