After last week’s look at the Belleville auction and Amish farming, Jerry returns to take us on a little drive through Big Valley: The Big Valley is alive and well with Amish settlements. When you drive out into the country you see schools everywhere. It almost appears that you can find one every four miles. Most look fairly new, simple, modest one room structures with…
After Tuesday’s visit to the Belleville auction and market, Jerry continues with a look at two aspects of farming among Amish in Big Valley. Below you’ll find more on one old-fashioned technology still in use in this community, and on an environmental challenge involving Amish farmers. Thanks to Jerry’s report, I learned more than I thought there was to know about the cans some Amish use to…
The Amish settlement located at Kishacoquillas Valley in Pennsylvania is one of America’s oldest and arguably its most colorful, at least in a literal sense. While it’s rather off the beaten path, found in central Pennsylvania about two hours from Lancaster County, this community is pretty well-known for its three main Amish affiliations, each of which uses a different-colored buggy top. The Nebraska Amish can…
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…
What happens at an Amish wedding? Amish researcher Karen Johnson-Weiner discusses Amish wedding customs in a recent article for Lancaster Online. The piece focuses on the Lancaster community, though it also mentions more conservative settlements. Karen shares that typical wedding customs have been changing – and not just in the more progressive communities. If you’ve ever wondered how the food works, how many guests attend, or what else…
The Ortman Chiropractic Clinic can be found in the small town of Canistota in southeastern South Dakota. As described in this piece in Mennonite World Review (“For Amish, long trip to chiropractor can be fun”), the clinic is noteworthy for the many Amish and other Anabaptist people it draws: The Ortman Clinic, which celebrated its centennial in 2015, has been attracting Amish patients for 70 years. Today Amish, plus…
Amish in the St. Ignatius community in western Montana recently chipped in to support their local ambulance service, holding an auction to raise badly-needed funds. Local Amish have not really used the service, but realize the importance of supporting it. From valleyjournal.net: One might think that because the Amish don’t drive cars that they wanted to help the ambulance service to make sure they can get…
As mentioned last week, reader Ed has a batch of photos from the latest Bart Township Fire Company Mud Sale. This first one might surprise you. Ed gives a little background: This was one of the stands set up at the sale; they were selling answering machines, cordless and cell phones. I was approached by an older Amishman (probably around my age) who with a…
In January we learned the unusual story of Amish convert Matthew Secich and his premium meats and cheeses business, Charcuterie. A former chef working in some of the country’s top restaurants, Secich had found his way to becoming a member of the Amish community at Unity, Maine. This story which achieved a national reach got him a lot of attention. Now he has issues with…
A rare February tornado wreaked havoc Wednesday evening in Lancaster County, destroying an Amish schoolhouse and damaging around 50 area homes. The schoolhouse is expected to be rebuilt within a week. Thankfully, since the storm hit in the evening, no one was in the building. From wgal.com: It happened in Salisbury Township where 30 students spanning from first through eighth grade attend school. The storm…