Although the recipe calls for Swedish Brown Beans, the . Colorful Jacob’s Cattle, soldier, Marfax, and other beans still used in Maine are remnants of the hundreds of varieties once grown here, descendants of beans introduced to colonists by Native Americans, which, of course, grew more reliably in this climate than the European peas and beans settlers brought over. I grow Marfax and other baking beans like Kenearly, King of the Early and Tiger’s Eye, which are elegant golden beans with a swirl of mahogany that, sadly, disappears when you cook them. Native Americans were baking beans and sweetening them with maple syrup long before we ever arrived, so this recipe has definitely stood the test of time. King's Early. Add the onion and salt pork, making sure the onion is slightly below he level of the beans. New England Baked Beans are simple and complex at the same time, slow baked with molasses, maple syrup, and spices for one of the richest, most versatile bean dishes I’ve ever made. Wash the dry beans and soak overnight. Bake, covered, for 6 or more hours, checking after the first several hours to make sure the liquid is not below the beans. Add enough boiling water to cover the beans by 1/2 inch. dry beans have been very successfully used. State of Maine Red Kidney. Just before serving, add vinegar and molasses. or . Brown Beans. Add more boiling water just to cover. Add salt and cook beans until tender, about 3 or 4 hours. Pour over the beans and mix well.