That’s according to the latest Top 10 list just released by USA Today, which pegs several Amish Country/PA Dutch-style buffets as the best in the country. The top three, in fact, are all in that category. In order, they are: Shady Maple Smorgasbord (Lancaster County, Pennsylvania) Der Dutchman (Sarasota, Florida) Miller’s Smorgasbord (Lancaster County, Pennsylvania) And not only that, but a fourth Amish Country buffet…
An Amish-owned dairy in Maryland is recalling all of its cheese products over possible listeria contamination, with distribution having reached five states and Washington, D.C. To date, nine people in multiple states have been identified as infected with this listeria outbreak strain. That includes one person who died in Maryland in 2023. Clover Hill Dairy, based in Mechanicsville, Maryland, first issued a voluntary recall of…
Here’s a fun little pre-Thanksgiving story that I just now came across, from Florida’s “Amish Country”, also known as the Sarasota-area Pinecraft community. If you’ve been to that community, you probably are aware of the Amish-style eateries in the area. One of the best-known is Yoder’s, who get a lot of praise for their delicious pies (here’s a slice of peanut butter chocolate pie from…
Folks this is late news, but there was a recall issued for Goot Essa cheese. It was originally released back in September and affects 60+ pounds of one product – “Der Mutterschaf” sold in retail outlets and restaurants, for potential listeria contamination. It affects cheese sold in New Jersey, Virginia, Connecticut, and Montana via seven outlets. No illnesses have been reported from what I can…
Back in August, we learned that over 5,000 lbs of cheese produced by Middlefield Original – a Geauga County, Ohio co-op comprised almost entirely of Amish farmers – were potentially contaminated with listeria. That announcement covered a total of five cheese products which were produced in June and July, and distributed in Ohio in July and August. Now comes news that the recall has been…
An Amish cheese co-op in Geauga County, Ohio has recalled over 5,000 pounds of cheese, over concerns it may have been contaminated with listeria. Middlefield Original Cheese Co-Op announced the recall yesterday, following the discovery of contamination while running its own tests. As noted on this business page for the co-op, it is made up of 90 farmers, 98% of whom are Amish. Middlefield is…
We’re doing a cheese basket giveaway for Goot Essa. You can enter to win simply by leaving a comment on this post. I’ll post the winner here Friday. The assortment that owner John Esh and co. are giving away is called “Amish Tastes” (see below): From the description: This medium-bodied cheese trio features a palate-pleasing array of flavors. From our buttery Old German Weissa Kase…
This one was fun. Here are some photos from my trip to Amish cheese maker Goot Essa last year. Together with my friend Ben Riehl, we made the 2.5-hour drive up from Lancaster County last December. I’ve been saving these photos for a post. To get there, we traveled through several central PA valleys which have Amish populations. This is a shot taken on the…
In our latest conversation, I spoke with Marlene Lehman about her favorite Amish-style dishes. She named several that I’d never heard of before, including: 1. Salad Dressing Cake Salad Dressing Cake uses Miracle Whip. And that’s how it gets its odd name. I admit when I heard “salad dressing cake” I first thought of Ranch or Vinagrette or Thousand Island dressing…not exactly my idea of…
While in Pennsylvania last week, my friend Ben and I managed to return to the Mennonite bakery I loved last year. This is a bakery run by “Piker” Mennonites (basically the plainest horse-and-buggy Mennonite group), right off the main highway in Snyder County. I saw a lot of the same favorites from last year, like fruitcake and pecan pie squares (I’ll do another post with…