Charley and Carol Baer have operated Baer’s Best Beans in Maine for over three decades. They specialize in producing heirloom bean varieties that have grown here in the Northeast since colonial days. Maine’s Native Americans prepared beans by cooking them with maple syrup and bits of venison or other meat and early New Englanders followed suit, cooking beans with molasses and salt pork in large pots. Beans baked in cast iron pots buried in a hole filled with hot coals became a lumber camp specialty, providing a hearty, flavorful and practical meal for workers. Slow-cooked baked beans remain a popular dish in Maine to this day, particularly paired with brown bread and served up at public “Bean suppers” or other special events. Nowadays, many people are rediscovering the health benefits and pleasures of incorporating beans as a regular part of their diet.
Charley got his start growing beans in Central Maine in the 1980’s. By this time, dry bean production had already been moving further west and onto ever-larger farms for decades. As with so many things, regional specialties and rare varieties were abandoned in favor of uniform fields.
With a fleet of mid-century farm equipment and a handful of classic New England heirlooms from friends and fellow farmers, Baer’s Best was born. The growing operation has moved from one farm to another over the years and added more equipment, and all the while Charley has continued collecting bean varieties. Now, in its third decade of growing and supplying beans, Baer’s Best is located in South Berwick, Maine, where they grow a rotating cast of over 20 varieties of beans, which includes both heirlooms and some modern standards, as well. Many of Baer’s Best varieties are no longer grown commercially anywhere else.
As a small farm, Baer’s harvests each variety at peak maturity and quality. After the drying process is completed in the barn, the crop is cleaned with conventional screening machines, and is then processed by a state-of-the-art gravity separator. The final and most time-consuming step involves running the beans through a 100-year-old hand grading machine to perform a final quality check. This results in a top quality product, far superior to commercial grades. Baer’s Best crops are always harvested fresh and cook quickly, without the need for presoaking.
In order to meet customer demand, Baer’s has also begun to carry some beans from other likeminded growers in Maine and New York State. They source from trusted suppliers that maintain high quality standards and sustainable farming practices. The Blue Hill Co-op is excited to announce that we are now carrying Baer’s Best Jacob’s Cattle beans in the Bulk Department– try some. Recipe.
with your family and friends and let us know what you think!
To see how the beans are grown and harvested at their farm in Maine, check out this video!
