The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-01-26
sosroN's SPECIALLY OF BEANS.
Half a Million Bushels a Year Eaten
Great Bakeries That Prepare
Them.


Them.
Five hundred thousand bushels of
beans are received and consumed here
each year, says the Boston Herald.
That is equal to 100000 quarts. But
these figures are for the raw, un-
cooked beans. The actual consump-
tion is really double that, or $4,000 900
quarts of baked beans; for a quart Of
baked beans put into the oven In It's
pot Will swell to such an extent dur
ing the process of baking that one
quart will actually make two quarts
in bulk.
Taking the sale of beans by the
wholesale dealers, the prices paid for
them by the people who bake beans
In their own homes, the money put
out by the bakeries and the big beam
baking establishments that supply
hotels and restaurants, and the price
laid down for plate of them by those
who indulge their appetites in this
frugal fare in patronizing the purvey-
ors of baked beans at eating-houses,
and IL is figured out that the yearly
baked-bean bill of Boston is close to
$10,O00,000. That seems like a pret-
ty large sum, but it is considered a
modest estimate of the amount Of
money that the Hub spends on baked
beans every year.
All the bakeries in the city turn out
baked beans every day as part Of their
regular business, and in addition
there arc three or four establishments
devoted exclusively to the business of
baking beans, and on these very many
hotels, restaurants and quick-lunch
places depend for their supply. One
or two Of these establishments put out
6000 quarts a week.
The dwellers in Little Italy in the
North end and the Jewish population
in the West end take as largely and
as kindly to baked beans as ever did
a native son of New England, and
they are large customers of this sta
pie Boston article of diet. In fact
baked beans possess a charm for all
them and get a taste Of the genuine
product No matter from what coun-
try of the earth a man may hail, when
he plants himself in Boston he soon
becomes a loyal devotee of the bean
pot. That is why the demand for bak-
ed beans is constantly on the increase
here, and instead of 10000, 600, Bos-
ton will be spending $4,000, 900 a year
for beans.
Down in the heart of the North end
Is a bakery that turns out from 800
TO 1000 quarts of beans day, mostly
for Italian consumption. At this bak-
cry, and in fact at almost every large
bakery in the city where beans are
baked, the beans are placed In the
ovens about 7 o'clock in the morning
and remain there until 8 o'clock in
the evening, when they are taken out,
and the rush of people for the bake
shop starts. They carry the beans
away to their homes in one or two
quart pots.
The preparation and baking of the
beans Is an interesting operation. In
those establishments where beans
only are baked It is done on a large
scale. There are great kettles that
hold two or three bushels Of beans.
and into these they are put to soak
and parboil. Then the pots, varying
in size from one quart to two gallons,
are ranged around on tables and fill
ed from the big kettles for the ovens.
The ovens in which the beans are
baked are huge brick affairs glowing
red with heat. The capacity of some
of them Is enormous, being fully POO
quarts each. Filled with the loaded
pots, they present a sight well worth
beholding.
At the regular bake-bean establish
ments the beans are baked over night,
removed from the oven early in ths
morning, and then loaded into wagons
for delivery to hotels, restaurants and
lunch-rooms I'm time for breakfast
Saturday Is the great day for beans
at the bakeshops The demand is the
largest then, the beans being wanted
FOR both Saturday evening supper and
Sunday morning breakfast, although
Wednesday is also q big bean day,
when large quantities are called for.