American Legion Post 312, St. Charles, MO

LR - Larry Reighard - Interviewer

LB - Leaetta Boschert - Interviewee

The following is an interview with Leaetta Boschert, wife of Doug Boschert, member of American Legion Post 312 Auxilliary, for about 60 years. I was talking to her about some of the "Schnipple Bean" dinners and suppers they used to have down at the old Legion home on N. 3rd.

LR: We were talking about Schnipple Beans, and how they were made/cooked.

LB: We would buy bushels and bushels of green beans, from a farmer across the river, I forget what his name was. (I think she was referring to the old Prouhet Farms that used to be on Missouri Bottom Road in Bridgeton, Mo.) Anyway, then they would chop off all the ends and wash them good, and then run them through a "Schnippler", and then put them in a crock with salt and then mix that through real good. Then we would pack them in quart jars as tight as they could get them, get as many in there as they possibly could. And then, when they had that all done, then if there wasn't enough juice, then they would make some hot salt water to fill them, so that the beans were always covered. Then we would put the lids on real loosely, and set them in the closet which was lined with newspapers, every shelf was lined with newspapers. And, then, they would ferment, and then after they were done fermenting, we'd take them out and wash all the jars off.

LR: How long did that take, to ferment them?

LB: Well, we did this in September, usually, and, oh, I would say, in a month probably, and then take them upstairs, the third floor of the Legion, and leave them up there, till, I think it was the third Saturday in January. And, then they'd bring them down. They would cook them with Navy Beans and Potatoes in big pots, and then we would make Pork Loin Roasts in the oven. We baked the pork in the oven, and then we served all that with great big bowls of Beans, and platters of meat and French Bread and homemade pie. And, then, we always made Apple Butter, too. We made the Apple Butter down at the Legion, too. On Saturdays, Oh Man, the men would be down there at 4:00 O'Clock in the morning getting the fire started.

LR: I'm an old German boy from Pennsylvania, and when Doug was telling me about the Schnipple Beans, I had to learn about them?

LB: Well, I used to cook them up, but now we have to watch our salt.