If you’ve ever been to one of the all-you-can-eat buffets that dot the Lancaster County tourist landscape, you know it’s hard to leave hungry. “Smorgasbord” feels like the perfect word here. A recent article at eater.com takes us inside three Lancaster smorgasbords: Bird-In-Hand Family Restaurant, Miller’s, and the big daddy of them all, Shady Maple, which seats up to 1,200 people and boasts over 100,000 square feet…
I had a dandelion salad the other day. It was crisp and tasty, with a slightly bitter undertone which I didn’t mind. It was probably the freshest thing I ate all day. It left me feeling healthy. Most people consider dandelions nuisance plants. But for others, they are a treat to be harvested and used in various dishes, and even made into beverages. And that group includes…
Yesterday, Don Burke left a comment on the “5 Favorite Amish Foods” post that comes close to capturing my own feelings: “you’re looking at a guy that thinks that Amish baked goods should be it’s own food-group — the foundational (and largest) group of the food pyramid.” Well-said, Don, well-said 🙂 Which of course gets me thinking on Monday morning (the logical time to think cookies and cake,…
Now is a great time to get produce from Amish stands. David Arment of Arment Photography has ten photos today featuring various foods in Amish country, and the signs which advertise it. About half of these are produce, and half we can just call “other”. I’m not sure all of them are from Amish businesses, but most are. Which shot do you like best? What…
It’s not exactly the season for making maple syrup, but it’s always the season for eating it, right? David Arment shares photos of syrup being made, along with the finished product, a remarkably dark syrup which I’m sorry I can’t sample over the internet somehow. David explains: We lived on 15 acres of wooded ground. One of the local Amish guys asked if he could…
“The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday – but never jam to-day.” – Lewis Carroll By no means do Amish people take this notion literally. Jam, or one of its cousins, can be had pretty much any day you want it in most Amish homes. You can also find it on store shelves, at least 6 days per week. I picked up the jam above–okay,…
William Woys Weaver is a food historian who has written extensively on Pennsylvania Dutch food and culture. He’s written a new book called As American As Shoofly Pie: The Foodlore and Fakelore of Pennsylvania Dutch Cuisine. From an NPR article on the subject: News flash: Whoopie pies are not indigenous Pennsylvania Dutch food, no matter what the tourist traps say. Nor are the seafood bisque, chili, roast…
Amish youth at Belle Center, Ohio (and elsewhere) may take part in a fun social event called a “Mystery Supper”. Mark Curtis shares how this unusual meal works (thanks to Don Curtis for relaying the details): The youth come in and sit down for supper. At their place is a plate and a list of numbered blanks. The blanks must be completely filled out in…
I had a massive craving for pie the other day, one which struck like lightning. In North Carolina I am over 2 hours from any Amish communities, so I headed posthaste to my local Kroger for the store-baked variety. The black raspberry pie I selected came in an attractive matte box which had encouraging things printed on it, like “Private Selection” and “Fresh Baked In…
How do Amish families eat? I want to thank reader Lattice for sharing her experience eating with Amish friends, in response to Slightly-handled-Order-Man’s question (“how do Amish families serve their food on a day-to-day basis?). I am reposting Lattice’s comments here with a few of my own thoughts: I would be happy to tell you how it goes with my Amish friends. There is a…