By Kevin Williams

This is on of our occasional peeks into the vast marketplace that is Amazon to see what Plain pleasures they offer. By the way, I'm always seeking ways to underwrite this site, keep it solvent, etc, here's an easy way: shop on Amazon. As an Amazon affiliate, anytime you shop on Amazon if you just use this link and Amish365 will get a commission, whether you are buying toothpaste or diapers or your favorite book.  If everyone reading this just did their normal Amazon shopping using this link it would greatly underwrite this site, win-win for everyone! Okay, that little bit of housekeeping out of the way, let's get to the interesting stuff!  Many of these items I cannot vouch for their Amish authenticity. I'll assume Amazon has a vetting process but, as always, buyer beware and use your own judgment and common sense when purchasing.

AMISH MILK THISTLE RAW HONEY:  Wow, this sounds....interesting...milk thistle honey?  I love trying different types of honey and appreciating the subtleties in their flavors, so I'd be all for this one. Check it out here.

AMISH SORGHUM MOLASSES:   Yum....Nothing like thick, rich sorghum molasses and you can get some of the real stuff right from Amazon. Click here.

AMISH BUGGY FUDGE OF THE MONTH CLUB:  Amish Buggy is an online store (they are based in southern Illinois) that churns out all sorts of small batch products made by Amish artisans and bakers.  To join the Amish Fudge of the Month club, click here.  The club is described as: The first of each month a new flavor of creamy fudge will be shipped to the recipient. The flavors that will be sent are: Chocolate pecan, Chocolate amaretto, Irish creme, chocolate turtle, chocolate/peanut butter, reeses peanut butter cup, maple english walnut, chocolate, vanilla praline, caramel apple, pumpkin, and chocolate mint. A welcoming letter and listing of fudges to be sent will be added in the first shipment.  Man, that all sounds awesome. I don't know if I'd ever have $180.00 to blow on such a thing, but if I did.....wow.

VINTAGE AMISH COOKBOOKS

As a cultural anthropologist, I love cookbooks.  They provide a real-time snapshot of life in a particular time period and geographical region, crucial components of Amish culture.

BIG VALLEY AMISH COOKBOOK:  This is a cookbook with recipes culled from the "Big Valley" of Central PA, a heavily Amish area.  Very local cookbooks like this are a treasure trove of old recipes handed down through generations.  There are some reasonably priced used copies available here.

AMISH KITCHEN COOKING - DER DUTCHMAN:  This is very authentic, very local collection of recipes that has its roots in the early days of the Der Dutchman restaurant chain based in Walnut Creek, Ohio.  The book is entitled "Our Book of Recipes (With Pennsylvania Dutch Jingles) from the Workers and Friends of Der Dutchman in Walnut Creek, Ohio. There are a few used copies of this available, click here for this treasure.