Amish Amazon: Bag Balm, Amish Feta?, Kauffman Orchard, Maple Butter, and More!

By Kevin Williams

Okay, time for our weekly whirl through the blogosphere in search of anything and everything Amish or Plain!

First stop isn't Amish, but I thought I ought to give this product a plug.

BAG BALM:  Actually, if this product was originally designed for cow udders, I am sure it is something that is found in plenty of Amish homes. I had just never heard of it.  Put some of this stuff on my cracked, dry feet last night and, wow, just overnight they are better.  It's more than just a cosmetic issue, they are painful.  The painful part disappeared over night.  Really looking forward to seeing results after a week or so.  One tip for anyone who orders it, don't apply it with your hands.  You'll spend triple the time washing the residue off your hands than you do applying it.  I just didn't want to hold my kids with bag balm residue on my hands, so I had to scrub and scrub and scrub to get it off my hands.  Tonight I think I'll just apply it with a paper towel.    So, if you want to try some of this great stuff, click here.  It's around $10, but, sheesh, I would think that container will last me a long, long, long time.  If you are putting it on a cow's udder, yeah, you'll use a lot.  But anything else, that size should be fine.

AMISH FETA: I had trouble processing this one mentally. Amish feta cheese?  The European Union has put a pretty strict criteria on how the word feta can be applied to this historically Greek cheese.  How Amish and feta cheese came to combine, I'm at a loss, but take a look.  If anyone tries it, let us know what it was like!

AMISH COFFEE:  Okay, this is another one I had difficult processing. Amish coffee?  Um, take a look.

AMISH MAPLE BUTTER: Okay, finally, something I can get excited about this week.  Maple butter from The Amish Buggy, good stuff. I've had it, spread well on homemade bread.  Definitely something you want to try this time of year!

TOMATO JAM:  This is another one I can get excited about.  Authentic Amish-made tomato jam is a staple in Amish settlements during the summer. It's really good stuff.  If you haven't tried it before, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Click here.

KAUFFMAN ORCHARD:  I didn't know this book existed and was excited to find it. Kauffman's Fruit Farm has been an institution in Lancaster County for over 100 years, still run by the Kauffman family. They are Amish-Mennonites who still live and dress traditionally and run a superb business.  Now you can capture their business in this book which is full of recipes from their orchards, anecdotes, stories, and faith! Click here for more.