The Homemade Baked Beans Saga

It looks good, right?

Ha! This is why I asked what dry bean you use to make baked beans.

Oh boy, let me tell you, it was not.  I tried a new homemade baked bean recipe the other day.

I followed it to a "t".  I soaked navy beans over night.  I boiled them and simmered them for an hour.  Baked them for 2 with the lid on, and baked 40 minutes after that with the lids off.

The beans were still crunchy.  Seriously.  We baked them for another hour.  Still the same.

What in the heck am I doing wrong?! Do you use dry beans or canned beans?

I want to use pinto beans and try the same recipe, but my husband had another opinion.

I grew up with canned baked beans that were doctored up.  I just want to accomplish a homemade baked bean dish that is fantastic. 

Any suggestions?  I am going to try this recipe with new dry pinto beans.  I told my husband they were probably just older than I thought.  Everything I researched said they are either old or a storage issue.  I guess, unless I get suggestions, I'll try new dried beans.

I have cooked dry pinto beans a ba-zillion times and they have always cooked, but for some reason dry navy beans do not cook for me.

More Blooms ~ Dehydrating Sage ~ From Pile to File

 

More garden blooms.  I had a hard time getting the photos, as the lens steamed up from the humidity and heat.

I dehydrated my first small batch of sage, using my smaller dehydrator.  I learned that if you cut back your sage too much (close to fall), it will die over winter.  I dehydrate in small batches over the summer to avoid killing my sage plant.

We had another very hot and humid day.  Garden work was done early.  I needed to check the radishes and tie up more tomato plants.

I got another new recipe off the pile.  It's a healthier breakfast bake using sweet potatoes vs. white potatoes.  I added some finely diced jalapenos to it.  I also used sage sausage vs. the sausage the recipe called for (no water, just cooked it first), and of course organic ingredients.

It was very good, but the sweet potatoes released some liquid, so I would cook the onion and sweet potatoes before hand, and shorten the cook time.  Oh, and you can make this the day before and refrigerate and then bake the next.

Question - what is your favorite dry bean to use to make homemade bake beans?