Comments on: Thursday Amish links

By: Robert Shane

Robert Shane — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 20:24:39 +0000

While shopping at Cub Foods in Minnesota I noticed a two Amish chicken brest package had been marked at the same price as Tison,Golden Plump and Pilgram Farms. I bought two packages. The Amish product was clearly ten times better, in texture, color,taste and I will be willing to bet more healthy for people. I went back the next day to purchase but the price was changed to over $2.50 per/package more. I now live in New Mexico and would like to purchase my food from them rather then what I have been eating at Wal Mart. Is this possible?

By: Erik Wesner/Amish America

Erik Wesner/Amish America — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:40:05 +0000

Hi Breezy Point, there currently is an Amish community in Florida, at Pinecraft in Sarasota. It is one of the most unusual Amish communities. You can read more here: http://www.amishamerica.com/florida_amish_pinecraft/ Jason, interesting, a lot of these settlements have failed because of poor growing conditions, plain and simple. I haven't heard of any Amish cowboys, but from time to time you do see the occasional Amish person in the saddle--though that is a rare sight.

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:28:39 +0000

I bought a book in New Mexico called “No Life For a Lady”, an autobiography of a woman who grew up there during that time period. She talks about how the government attempted a homesteading program in New Mexico, which failed because the land wasn’t fertile enough for small farms. Only large-scale ranching that allowed cattle to forage over a wide area. It sounds like the Amish settlement fell prey to the same limits.

It does make me wonder what would have happened if they’d adapted to their new surroundings and started Amish ranches. We’d have Amish cowboys.

Of course, it didn’t happen that way, and probably for good reasons. I don’t think the open range lifestyle is compatible with the communitarian aspects of Amish society.

By: Breezy Point Mom

Breezy Point Mom — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:59:34 +0000

Your comment about a farmer’s climate is interesting. Are there / have there ever been any Amish communities in Florida?