Family

Family

Monday, April 25, 2011

Visiting With the Amish

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Saturday we decided to visit the local Amish community with some friends.  It is always intriguing to see how they live and now that we know one of the Amish women (our milk connection) we can visit together.  The men and children were visiting the shops of the husband and father-in-law.  There they make leather goods and weave baskets.  I hope to be able to purchase a few baskets in the future.  They are beautifully made and seem to be very sturdy.

While we were visiting on the porch I noticed a large, round stove and asked about it.  It was huge!  Our friend quickly explained that it was a water bath canner.  The bottom part is where a wood fire is built.  The top is a huge vat that can hold 33 quart jars with pint jars sitting on top.  There is a small drain to empty the water when the canning is done.  Our Amish friend said she was able to do 100 jars of applesauce in one day last fall!  Now, that's productive!

I also noticed some a very heavy duty gutter system on the outbuildings which all ran into a HUGE tank.  I'm talking huge as in maybe 1000 gallons or more!  Huge!!  And there were several smaller ones as well.  I'm sure they use that water for the animals, garden, washing and more.  I wonder if they use it for drinking and cooking and if so, do they have a way to filter it?  Do they have a British Berkfield sitting on the kitchen counter?  Hmmm...

She also showed us her butter churn that her grandfather made for her.  It is a frame that holds a gallon jar of cream.  There is a special lid for the jar that has small paddles extending off a post that fits into the jar.  The jar is locked into place and then is rotated end-over-end when the crank is turned.  I'm sure it takes a lot longer to make butter that way than in my Bosch, but it was still very handy.

After making our purchases, we headed down the road to another home where the man of the house makes outdoor furniture.  Adirondack chairs, porch swings, gliders, picnic tables of all shapes and sizes, children's furniture and more were added to our wish list.  Jeff said next time we will bring the trailer and load up!!  An 8 foot picnic table was just $115.  It was extremely sturdy and very heavy!!  The Adirondack chairs were only $50 and again, very heavy.

I have to tell you that my friend, Becky, goes out to buy from the Amish 4 times a week from one particular woman. This Amish mother has 7 children 13 and under and recently had a miscarriage.  We were able to send some baked goods for them and Becky sent a lot of food.  Later the Amish friend sent us all a loaf of her homemade bread.   She told Becky that she didn't realize that when she started coming out there that she would soon be her friend!  You can definitely reach across the cultural barrier to share God's love with others.  We have learned so much from this connection and feel blessed to see a little bit into how the Amish live.



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9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would love to make this connection with our local Amish. I know of one that sells eggs and have plans to purchase from her as well as begin purchasing from the local Amish greenhouse. They have so much to offer to our world and I love their simplicity. I really want to be more simple.

Jacqueline said...

our family business works a lot with amish and some of my favorite summer memories are trips to stay with them. their way of life is so simple yet inspiring. it's great to hear that others appreciate their deliberate and conscious way of living.

caroline Cleaver said...

Hello! I spoke to you before, we live in Exeter. Where are these farms? In Lancaster? I'd love to hear more! We are always interested in finding small local farms to get our food and goods from! Thanks!

Anita said...

Sarah, we saw several greenhouses at this community. I will have to stop next time to see what they have!

Anita said...

Caroline, so glad to hear from you again!! We live in the state of MS where we have lots of small farms and homesteads. The Amish have establish a small community in our county. When we go into the next town it is not unusual to see the Amish at WalMart or some of the smaller stores.

A Heritage From The Lord said...

I would love to get in touch with the Amish community. I have heard they are such a blessing to be around. I wish I knew some that lived near me just to watch and learn from them, they do live such a simple life!

My Serenity Craft Shack said...

I love going out to the local Amish Bulk food store. They are so nice and always want to talk about gardening and baking. I love visiting with the ladies and my children enjoy it too.So much to ;earn from them :)

6Jellybeans said...

Wonderful post! I love learning about different cultures and styles of living. I find that there is always something I can gleam to enrich my family and life. Have a great day!
~ 6jellybeans@blogspot.com

Amie said...

I wish we had an Amish Community here. What a great learning experience for your family.

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