CRANAPPLE BOSTON BAKED BEANS

CRANAPPLE BOSTON BAKED BEANS image

Yield Serves 8 people

Number Of Ingredients 14

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1 Lb. small white dry beans
1/3 C. Grandmother's Molasses.
1/4 C. dark brown sugar.
1/4 Lb. lean salt pork
1/2 C. onion
2/3 C. whole fresh Ocean Spray cranberries, (black cranberries are the best, because they are hand picked and have the best flavor);
or Ocean Spray CRAISENS, (sweetened, dried cranberries).
1 medium apple
2 tsp. dried mustard powder.
1 Tbl. cider vinegar.
1/2 C. brewed coffee. (The early settlers never wasted any coffee).
1 C. Ocean Spray CranApple Juice (Optional, if you don't have a fresh apple or fresh cranberries).
Ground pepper to taste.
Reserved bean water.

Steps:

Sort beans, wash and soak in water overnight in a large pot. Drain beans. Cover by 2" with fresh water. Bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let soak 1 hour or more. Bring beans slowly to a boil and simmer 5 minutes. Drain beans and reserve the bean water. In a small saucepan, add molasses, brown sugar, cranberries, mustard powder, pepper, coffee, and vinegar with 3 cups of reserved bean water. Bring to a boil and stir until the fresh cranberries burst their skins. Fill a bean pot with alternating layers of beans, salt pork, onions, apples and cranberries. Stir to distribute all ingredients. Add the molasses mixture over the beans. Add enough reserved bean water to cover all. Stir once. Leave 1/2" of space at the top of the bean pot. Cover and slowly bake in a 225-degree oven for about 6-8 hrs. Stir the beans after 3 or 4 hours of baking and add more reserved bean water if necessary to cover the beans. Uncover the bean pot the last hour of baking to brown up the top of the beans and salt pork. Continue baking. Alternate suggestions: Add 1 C. cut up fresh carrots to the beans before cooking. Yin & Yang sort of thing. It does taste good.