Marty and I are once again on a family adventure....this time in Tennessee near the Smoky Mountains. Here's our view for a few days.
You can't beat that for relaxation! I will admit, however, that we awoke to stormy skies, rain and fog this morning, so the view was a bit different, but still pretty spectacular nonetheless.
Since it was raining, and an outdoor adventure was obviously out of the question, we decided to drive west to the Bush's Beans Visitor Center, which we had passed on our way here.
Actually, we passed the same visitor center a little over a year ago, when we traveled from Asheville North Carolina to Sevierville to visit my cousin's family, but it had been closed, and Marty had decided then and there that if we were ever close, he wanted to stop in when it was open.
Well, I'd say that this was the perfect opportunity! So, we headed out early, and were actually quite surprised to find the parking lot relatively full at 10:30 AM on a Monday morning in early May.
Before we entered the building, I spotted the owner of this dog commanding him to sit and stay, in the rain, while he snapped some photos. It dawned on me that the canine was the same breed as the mascot for Bush's beans, so I suppose that was the purpose behind the photography.
I was pretty impressed that the dog was willing to sit and stay, in the rain, while his owner had his fun. I certainly hope a treat was waiting for him when he got to the car!
Upon entering the center, we were greeted by an extremely friendly attendant who spent quite a bit of time giving us the background of this company that is well known for making baked beans.
The story begins in 1908, with A.J. Bush starting a cannery in Chestnut Hill, Tennessee, near the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. He had been employed as a schoolteacher in the area, while also operating a small country store in order to make ends meet. He realized that he needed to establish some sort of financial security for his children, if they were going to stay in this area, and that was the driving force behind his establishment of a cannery.
You might not know that the original product for this company was tomatoes.
They were blanched, cored and peeled, cut and placed in tin cans which were then soldered with silver, leaving a tiny hole at the top for steam to escape.
The tomatoes were then brought to a high temperature, and then sealed with a final drop of silver to guarantee preservation of the product. His efforts resulted in a product similar to those canned by women in their kitchens, but on a much larger scale, using tin cans rather glass mason jars.
During World War I, 90% of Bush's canned tomatoes were purchased by the federal government as part of the war effort.
Afterwards the company continued to prosper, becoming incorporated in 1922, expanding five years later.
They went on to purchase the Blytheville Canning Company in 1944, and the cannery became more diversified.
Over time, the company became famous for their varieties of baked beans, which lays claim to the "secret" recipe, which is bound in a book held behind glass.
The visitor center is set up more like a history center, using visual images to explain the progression of this company from its origins to present day.
I particularly enjoyed the vintage kitchen
set up complete with a copy of Guide to Better Cooking by Bush Bros and Company.
There was a theater room, complete with comfy seating, that showed a movie featuring the manufacturing methods from start to finish. One felt as if one was walking through the plant, step by step, from the time the beans were poured into the cans, until the label was placed on the finished product.
Here's what we learned:
The cans are made locally, of steel, and ribbed along the sides to add strength. They are then coated with enamel to help preserve the contents.
The most famous flavor involves first dropping a piece of bacon into the can, adding the beans, then the special sauce before sealing the can.
It is then cooked at high pressure after which each can is coded and labeled. No extra preservatives are added. And, I was surprised to learn that the company makes their own brown sugar using molasses as a base! No high fructose corn syrup in these beans!
Unlike most manufacturing plants, the Bush's beans plant has large floor to ceiling windows in most of the production area. This helps to promote a pleasant environment for the employees, who can look out at the beauty of their surrounds while they work.
The company produces 1000 cans of beans every minute, working five 24 hour days per week. That's a LOT of beans!
Moving out from the theater, we could measure our weight in beans. Mine was around 130,000, give or take a few thousand.
The center had some very entertaining visuals
and a map that showed where they imported the various beans used in their products.
Who knew learning about beans could be so much fun?
By mid afternoon, the weather had cleared, and Marty was able to build a fire in the special fire pit, where we cooked "hobo" dinners in foil with s'mores for dessert.
And in case you might be concerned that he's drinking a can of beans, you can be assured that he is enjoying an "adult" beverage masked in a Bush's Baker Beans sleeve to keep it cold.
Now, how clever is that?
Until next time.....
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