Susan Nason

Excerpts from NA2218, Marie McCosh Alpert, “Baked Beans and Bean-hole Beans As Experienced in Maine Families.” Paper for ANT 422, Professor Sandy Ives, 1992.

Howland, Maine:

We have bean-hole beans every weekend during the summer. During the winter it is harder because the ground is frozen. Grammie and Grampi Reed have a bean hole at home in Howland, and also one at camp. The holes were built by the family. It is very important that the hole be made correctly. The hole they have is lined, bottom and sides, with slabs of sandstone. The hole itself is tapered. It is about 18 inches in diameter at the bottom, and about two and a half feet at the top. It is about 2.5 to 3 feet deep. After use, the hole is filled with ashes and then covered with a round tin on top, to keep it clean and dry.

Grammie Reed is responsible for making the beans. “No one else encroaches on her territory. The hole is at her house and at her camp.” About 10 am on Saturday Grammie starts telling Grampie that it is time to start on the beans. He ignores her for awhile and she nags about it. It is all part of the ritual.

After awhile the guys usually go fishing. They bring back some wood with them. An old apple tree works really well. Grampie then digs out the hole. No one else is allowed to because they might ruin the hole. The hole and fire are tended entirely by the men, whereas Grammie is the only one allowed to work on the beans themselves. When the men get back, they all work together to build the fire. It is necessary to have a roaring fire in order to get a great bed of coals. They keep adding wood and letting it burn for several hours, usually between 2 or 4 Saturday afternoon. If it is rainy it takes longer to get a good bed of coals. Grampie has a special shovel that he uses only for digging out the hole. He made it to be the right shape.

When the hole is ready Grampie digs out the coals into a pile. Grammie than brings the beans out. Grampie lowers them in to the hole with a special hook that he made, then he shovels the coals back into the hole. An aluminum tin that looks like a barbeque grill is put over the top. No dirt is added to the hole . The beans are usually started between 4 and 5 p.m.. If they are not in the ground by 6 p.m. Grammie gets upset– “They won’t be done in time for breakfast.”

After the hole is filled in, the hole is just left alone. The men and younger women may sit around the hole and chit-chat by the fire. The warmth from the fire feels good. The older women go in and fix supper. I’m still young enough that I can sit by the fire (in her twenties).

“Feeding people is a big thing. Parents feed kids. Grandparents feed parents and kids.”

Grammie does the beans. She starts soaking them on Friday night. They soak all night. Then she puts them on the wood stove with the morning fire and brings them to a boil. “So she tells me– I’ve never seen them.” Her recipe is 2 pounds of yellow-eye beans, fresh water, chunk of salt pork, salt and pepper and mustard powder. No onions or sweeteners are added. “I think she puts molasses in but she says she doesn’t.”

Strange, but when Grammie tells me how she makes beans, she never gives any amounts. Also, she will not allow anyone else in the kitchen with her when she does beans. If she says she is going to fix beans and someone goes in to visit her, she just won’t do the beans. She’s really possessive of the recipe.

The bean pot is a cast iron Dutch oven with a cover that holds 6 quarts.

Camp etiquette is very rigid. Camp consists of several individual camps that, although they are separate buildings, are very close together. Camp etiquette requires that no one uses the outhouse until Grammie and Grampie have gone up. If you get up early and need to use it, you just have to use the chamber pot. Lots of times we will get up and sit by the window and have coffee, while we wait for Grammie and Grampie, but we don’t go outside.

Sunday morning Grammie and Grampie go to the bean hole. He digs it up. She supervises. She is very concerned that he will do something wrong and “ruin [my] beans– don’t hurt my beans!” He lifts them up with a hook. Grammie uses newspapers to carry the pot to her camp. She doesn’t use potholders because they would get dirty. They used to dig the beans up between 8 and 9 a.m., but now she doesn’t usually have them until about 10 a.m. [due to younger generation sleeping later].

Grammie goes outside and calls out “I’ve got beans for everyone!” Then someone from each camp goes over to Grammy’s camp with a container. It is essential that you bring your own container. If you don’t have one, then Grammie won’t give you any beans. Grammie doesn’t believe in allowing anyone to borrow from her. You never eat at her house, except sometimes if she has a pie and invites you. Otherwise, you take your beans and eat them at home.

You always tell Grammie that the beans are good, unless she says something negative first. Occasionally they don’t turn out very good. Then, if she comments on that fact first, it is all right to say that they aren’t as good as usual. The men tend to say something negative before the women would. Although her son would probably be the first to criticize the beans, Grampie would never say anything against them.

Leftovers go home with each family in their own containers. In the winter Grammie uses the same recipe but the beans are cooked in the oven. She does the boiling on the wood stove, then puts them in the gas oven to bake. She doesn’t care how much the fuel costs to cook them,–it’s worth it to her.

She said the way of distributing the beans helps keep peace at camp, and exercises a certain amount of control over everyone.