For the Springfield Telescope Makers, dinner has always been an integral
part of our club meetings. Today, almost every club meeting has a club dinner served before
it. These traditions started right from the founding of the club, perhaps because original
club member Colonel Everett Redfield became the club's well-like and capable chef. There
has always been a fascination with his legendary Bean Hole Beans, and we provide an account
of his Bean preparation during the 1934 convention below, a couple of photos from that era.
For the October 1971 club meeting some members decided to make the historic
Bean Hole Beans that club chef Redfield made for the original members during the depression
years. Al Rohwer was there to help open up the historic bean hole and provide photographic
documentation (see below). Jim Daley took on the task of chief bean cook and impressed all
who were there.
This tradition was repeated for several years going forward. Our club
secretaries have always done superb jobs in writing minutes, and the account written by
secretary Flanders for the 1973 Bean Hole event certainly makes for good reading, so we
have provide this account below also.
In 2010, working on preparing this account, Al Rohwer wrote: "I remember
vividly as they were so much work to do. Jim and I were sure we were reviving some honored
tradition until people, including Jim and myself, confessed the recipe wasn't all that tasty
and definitely not worth ALL that work. So we let the old Beanhole rest."
From the Secretary’s Report of the September 7, 1973
Meeting of the Springfield Telescope Makers. E. V. Flanders, Secretary
The evening of Sept. 7, settled in with an air of expectancy.
A great peace fell over the whole area, and a small group assembled to watch, and
perhaps to assist in the Rite about to be consummated by our renowned and highly
respected Lord High Priest of Bean Hole Beans, James Daley. It was with great
care and reverence, that the cover to the Bean Hole was lifted, to expose the area
where so much would be done for so many in the next 24 hours. Minor changes
were made under the direction of the High Priest, which he felt would lead to the
perfect product.
From the Secretary’s Report of
the September 7, 1973 Meeting of the Springfield Telescope Makers. E.
V. Flanders, Secretary
The evening of Sept. 7, settled in with an air of expectancy.
A great peace fell over the whole area, and a small group assembled to watch,
and perhaps to assist in the Rite about to be consummated by our renowned
and highly respected Lord High Priest of Bean Hole Beans, James Daley.
It was with great care and reverence, that the cover to the Bean Hole was
lifted, to expose the area where so much would be done for so many in the
next 24 hours. Minor changes were made under the direction of the
High Priest, which he felt would lead to the perfect product.
Then came the moment when the match was applied to the carefully
prepared material collected for the fire. The first stage of the Ritual
had begun. Three active Acolytes, names Susan, Mark and Timothy, became
hewers and carriers of wood, and kept the fire going, well into the night.
In the meantime the High Priest selected and prepared the soldier beans
for their long immersion in cold, clear water. At this stage they
would swell proudly in anticipation of their final sacrificial act of burial
in the embers and stones (hot) so carefully prepared by the Acolytes.
Early the next morning, the beans in their iron pots were
lowered into the eager glowing coals. The hole was covered carefully
with a metal cover, and insulated with grass, leaves, and a blanket material.
Just before supper, with suitable ceremony, they were brought into Stellafane,
a delectable feast, eagerly consumed by all. A tribute to the superb
mastery of the art as proved again by our High Priest, Daley.
Everett Redfield's Beans
As prepared by
him at Stellafane for the convention on July 21, 1934.
The Colonel had bought twelve quarts of what he called
Soldier Beans, the week before and had picked them over. Early in the evening
of the night before, we put them to soak in several large pots, and before we went
to bed they had swelled out of the water so we wet them again and tried to keep
their swelling covered. They swelled eventually to about twice their original
size.
JOHN
M. PIERCE, Pres.
ARTHUR D. BAKER, Sec.
Everett Redfield's Beans
As prepared by him at Stellafane for the convention on July 21, 1934.
The Colonel had bought twelve quarts of what he called Soldier
Beans, the week before and had picked them over. Early in the evening
of the night before, we put them to soak in several large pots, and before
we went to bed they had swelled out of the water so we wet them again and
tried to keep their swelling covered. They swelled eventually to about
twice their original size.
The week before, Charlie Longe and Everett were up here and
dug out the bean hole about half way to the observatory and a little to
the right. It was a pit four feet long and about a foot and a half
wide and deep when it was finished. That is to say, it was larger;
and then walled up with rocks to meet the final dementions[sic]. Charlie
says that he used any kinds of rocks that he could get his hands on, but
probably soapstone would hold the heat longer if one could get any.
Early Friday evening we build[sic] a big fire in the bean hole of rock maple,
but apple or hickory would be hotter and would give better coals.
A couple of us slept by it to keep it going so when it finally burned to
coals about six thirty Saturday morning the rocks were hot and I hope they
will remain so all day.
We got up about daylight, three thirty Charlie says, and
commenced operations on the beans. First Everett poured off the water
that they had been soaking in and covered them about a third with water,
adding a few teaspoonfuls of soda and bringing it to a boil. The beans
were allowed to boil until the skins could be easily torn by blowing on
one. This is the Colonel's definition of the beans being ready for
the pots.
We had some good salt pork, "None of that chain store stuff,"
he said, "but some from Lovell's Market that had just come out of the brine,
and which they had made themselves." This he cut into chunks about
four by two by two, and he made several parallel slices on the rind side
of the chunks. He also made a mixture of a half cup of sugar, a teaspoon
full of salt, and a heaping teaspoonful of mustard for every dry quart of
dry beans. When the beans were ready for the pots, he poured off the
water they had been boiling in and washed them with cold water in a colander
to remove the soda. There were four big iron pots that must have held
two gallons each, and the largest one three gallons perhaps. The beans
were poured into the pots, filling them about three quarters full, then
came a generous sprinkling of the mustard mixture, and the top was plugged
with pork. This left two inches still to be filled with the remaining
beans. Boiling water was poured in until it just covered them, a little
more mustard mixture was added, the covers were put on, and the beans were
ready for the hole.
The coals were taken out with a shovel, and the pieces of
iron that had been heated with them. Everett said that if you haven't
any iron, cobble stones would do, especially Freestone, generally known
as soapstone. They are to be put back later to help hold the heat
while the baking is going on. It was the real starting point, we carried
the pots out and lowered them into the hole, put the irons and cobblestones
in beside them, then sealed the hole with a cover of sheet iron. If
the hole will be too hot, you shouldn't seal it tightly; or I suppose you
may cover it with dirt if the heat was lacking. On top of the sheet
iron we put the coals that we had raked out. Now we can forget it
for ten or twelve hours.
They ought to be good, but as the Colonel says,
" The test of the food is in the eating".
HB
Photos from the Stellafane Archives. Left, early 1920's;
Center & Right, during a 1930's convention.