I try and have very few processed foods… wholefoods, as nature intended, is the way I try and steer myself and 95% of the time I do. However there comes a time, even in a 1940s life, when you just want “Heinz Baked Beans”. Tonight was one of those times..
Heinz baked beans have been around since 1886 in the UK when a selection of Heinz goods were purchased by Fortnum and Mason to sell in their food store. Initially, they were quite luxury items because of the cost of importing from the USA however when a Heinz factory was opened in the UK in the 1930s, Heinz Baked Beans became a staple with the British people. Canned baked beans were available during wartime although the average family would have probably only occasionally had a can.
To make my beans stretch further, I fried some leek and onion, added some mixed veg then finally the beans and sprinkled pepper on..
I have to say I was a little disappointed. it had been several months since I last had a can and I think my palate has changed with my healthier eating. The beans tasted so sweet and were obviously very salty as I drank quite a few glasses of water afterwards.
And because there isn’t much for a peculiar woman to do, who lives out in the woods in a freezing cold house (it’s -15C with the windchill- outside not in my house!), away from civilization, I soaked my feet in epsom salts, massaged them with my favourite peppermint foot cream and painted my toes with lime green glittery polish then huddled up under my blankets to write my blog.
Other people spend Saturday night drinking wine and having dinner parties… I chase off racoons, avoid coyotes and make sure the coast is clear of bears before I take my Beagle out to pee.
And all without a gun..
C xxxxxx
It looks very tasty! Sorry it didn’t taste as good as it looked. You should try and bake your own beans. Then you can control the salt and sugar content. I always wonder how much original recipes have changed over time. How much extra salt and sugar they put in foods now, as opposed to back in the day…
I have to say Caroline that I am very envious of your beautifull feet. They even look good with lime green polish painted on toes! I am a Pilates teacher now but in a previous life I was a therapist and trained in reflexology and came across many sizes and shapes of feet. Most were misshappen had bunions, were flat or had hammer toes…very few looked like yours. You might ask the question of what MY feet are like…well… as a child of the sixties and teenager of the seventies and a wannabe sofisticate of the eighties my feet have gone through wedges, points , platforms and stilleto and my feet have bunions, hammer toes and I keep them out of the public eye as much as possible!!! I enjoy your blog very much and I am most impressed by your weightloss. Luv Rosemary x
Oh thank you!!! Yes the lime green polish is not very good- I bought some on sale for 99 cents yesterday and had to try it out.. I’ll probably change the colour fairly soon again to maybe a pink, purple, or yellow! Tee hee..
I tend to go around barefoot most of the time or wear gym shoes IF I have to wear shoes so maybe I’ve avoided some of the bits and pieces associated with footwear?? I don’t know- I do know that they weren’t in good shape when I was a young nurse- on my feet all the time!!
Thanks so much for reading the blog and leaving such a nice comment! xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi Carolyn, Maybe you should get some low sugar, low salt beans. I think Heinze make them. I’m sure thaey would be more like the original. Or maybe you can’t get them in Canada.
Marina- yes I’m going to do that for sure! Beans are such a good source of fibre and protein!!!
Jan- I really think the Heinz Baked Beans made for the Canadian market are much sweeter. Even their bread is much sweeter here…. I think I’m going to have to make my own to control the amount of sugar and salt.
I remember British Heinz Baked Beans tasting much different
C xxxx
Carolyn,
I don’t know if Canadian baked beans are sweeter than British, but I do know that I find them (the British ones) too sweet now. Even the low sugar/salt ones. Which I take as a good sign as I am a former sugar junkie. I suspect that even the normal ones have had their sugar reduced as many foods did during the 90’s/00’s. Slowly, so we wouldn’t notice. Still too sweet though.
On a slightly different, but still related, note I read somewhere that tins of baked beans used to have a small piece of pork in. That practise stopped during WWII due to food shortages and never restarted. (Unless you count the mini-sausages in baked beans, which I don’t!)
Great toe nails!
Lorna
I THINK I have to remove the green sparkly nail polish as everytime I see my feet they look corpse like- I think its a nice shade of pink next time!! LOL!
Thats funny you should mention about the pork but chunks or pork, or molasses or maple syrup in baked beans are more popular than just plain baked beans here- people seem to like their beans sweet! I just find them way too sweet so I think I’ll find a 1940s recipe for baked beans and make my own…
Interesting though how processed food stuffs (and even vegetables- look at our sweet peppers, extra sweet tomatoes etc) reflect our changing palates… sweetness is popular
C xxxxx
Hi Carolyn,
I work for a production company doing a doc on Heinz Beans. I was wondering where you got your war time Heinz Beans paper clipping from?
Thanks very much
Amy