LINCOLN, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Beans are generally considered old fashioned. However, they are making a comeback. They are protein filled, cholesterol reducing and considered better for the planet than growing beef cows on the same land.
That makes the River Drivers Supper in Lincoln a cutting edge event. Held annually, since 1947, the event welcomes the entire community and is circled on many calendars as a reunion time, which kicks off the annual Loon Festival.
Jacob Olsen explained how bean-hole beans are made. "We cook them 22 hours," he mused.
After a long trench is dug, fires are lit in the holes. The beans are par boiled in iron kettles and then removed.
The fires are reduced to coals. The beans are put back in the holes and covered with gravel and sand. The heat of the coals cooks the beans for the day.
"The recipe is secret," said Charlie Hamel although he acknowledged that it includes molasses, brown sugar and dry mustards. It's fermented for a couple of days in the basement of the church.
It's a recipe that is believed to have come from the river drivers of the 19th century.