Wash and pick over beans to remove small stones. In a large saucepan, place the beans with the onion halves and pour in enough water to cover them by 2-inches. Bring to a boil; boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour.

Drain and discard the onion. Fill the pan with an equal amount of fresh hot water and bring to a boil. Simmer the beans for approximately 20-30 minutes, or until partially done. Drain, but reserve cooking water.

In the meantime preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Stick the cloves in the whole onion and place it in a bean pot. Place the beans on top.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, maple syrup, mustard, salt, and pepper, and stir in 1/2 cup of bean cooking water. Pour this mixture over the beans, cover the pot, and place in the middle of the oven.
Bake for about 2 1/2 hours. Uncover the pot and bake another half hour to brown the top. Check that the beans do not cook dry. Taste the beans, add a little more syrup and/or mustard if necessary.

Yield: 6 servings