Karen Johnson-Weiner shares a photo of homemade Amish soap, the work of a Swartzentruber Amish woman. It’s interesting to see the range of home amenities used by Amish. When it comes to cleaning products, you get families who buy fine hand lotions from places like Wal-Mart to those who still make their own soaps. Here’s a close-up. Â If I didn’t know otherwise, I might have…
What is this? Â I bought it at an Amish variety store in Adams County, Indiana, earlier this summer, for $3. To make things more fun, the first one to guess correctly wins a back issue of the Connection magazine. I have no idea if you’ll find this easy or difficult, but I’ll be checking back in on this post to see if anyone’s hit it–and…
Sarah writes: Â I know pregnancy is a taboo subject in the Amish culture… what are the does and don’t when discussing? I have very close Amish friends. The woman is about 8 months pregnant by my estimate and today is the first day her husband has even acknowledged her pregnancy to me, and quite honestly, he only acknowledged it because she needs to go see…
Do Amish take Labor Day off? Some do, others don’t.  If you’re Amish and work for someone, it would depend on your employer.  Amish schedules typically differ from English ones, taking into account more religious holidays. From What holidays do Amish celebrate?: Amish appreciate working for Amish employers, who follow the same holiday schedule and may grant employees time off for weddings.  In Amish Enterprise, Kraybill…
The horse-drawn buggy is essential to Amish society. Amish buggies are both practical transport, and symbolic of the people. Though most Amish allow riding in motor vehicles such as cars and buses, no Amish permit ownership of the automobile. Amish feel the horse-drawn carriage promotes a slower pace of life and greater reliance on community. Amish buggies are not all alike. Different designs designate specific…
I’m working on a huge Amish buggy post for Friday. Â Many photos, including some lesser-known buggy styles and designs. Â One example: Extra credit to anyone who knows where this photo was taken.
If you’re near Hicksville, Ohio, tomorrow, you might want to drop in on the Defiance County fair for one of America’s rarest sporting events: I picked this flyer up at the Topeka auction house here in Indiana. Â I found the terms of the race pretty interesting–“a limit of five horses per race”; Â “all drivers must wear a helmet”; Â “any type of cart or buggy may…
SMV triangle, streamlined top, mini-door.  What is this thing? A road-ready chicken coop? I took this photo yesterday in the Allen County (Grabill) Indiana Amish settlement. Today I’m off to Michigan. Will have more on this photo tomorrow, but til then, what do you think? Update: Mystery shack explained? We got a lot of interesting guesses on the Allen County mystery shack.  Everything from a portable…
A little while back I gave an interview for a newspaper column on Amish frugality. One example which I think captures the mindset (and which I wish I’d shared) was what happens at Amish schools in the summer time. Â What happens? Â Well, this: All that green stuff you see, that’s normally the schoolyard 8-9 months of the year. Â But rather than let the land lie…
Continuing our “Signs of an Amish Home” series, let’s have a look at milk cans. Â Milk cans seem to be another one of those quintessential symbols of the Amish–who else uses them nowadays? A few other Plain groups perhaps, but not many others. Â If you see them stacked up by the road or by the barn, that’s a sign of a likely Amish place, and…