Beans Preparation:

1 lb. navy or pea beans
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. molasses
2 chunks of bacon
pepper

Soak beans overnight, then bring to boil and cook until skins burst when spooned. Pour off liquid and save. Drop a chunk of salt pork into Dutch oven, pour in beans. Add salt, molasses and some fresh ground pepper to bean water. Pour over beans to cover and add another chunk of pork on top. Put on lid and set in fire pit, using hole in ground method.

Hole in Ground Fire Preparation: Build a fire in the hole and let it burn briskly an hour or so, or until there is nothing left but hot coals. Remove some of these. Place Dutch oven in pit with the coals and rake the rest of the coals back over oven. Cover the whole ball of wax with fresh dirt in a blanket about 4 inches thick. Most dishes require from 4 to 8 hours cooking in this way. The cooking can be hurried along by building another fire on top of the dirt.