Amish in the News: Driving Safely in Amish Country, Some Wonderful Amish Pie Recipes, Illinois Oldest Amish Community, and More!

By Kevin Williams

 

We have quite a mix of stories this week so let's get right to it!

AMISH DRIVING SAFETY TIPS:  A pamphlet?  You have to be kidding me.  No one reads pamphlets anymore.   You need a webpage, an App, or something more digital.  But a couple of agencies in Pennsylvania are combining to produce a pamphlet about driving safely in Amish country.  The pamphlet has a worthy mission: raise awareness and reduce accidents in Amish country.  Among the tips:

• Slow down when approaching buggies, passing only when safe and leaving at least 20 feet in front of the horse before returning to the travel lane.
• Leave more space between a car and buggy than you would between cars, enabling more time to react.
• Refrain from blowing horns, which can spook even experienced horses.
• Remain several feet behind a buggy when stopped because they tend to roll back.
• Recognize that buggies may be lighted, but horses usually are not. At night, that can create the potential for too-short passing zones or collisions when turning

Again, this is a totally worthy endeavor, I just think the pamphlet should be paired with some sort of digital campaign.  But anything that can reduce accidents is worthwhile.  You can read all about the pamphlet here.

AMISH BAKERY IN GREENUP, KY:  SIGH, I'm not trying to have a negative attitude today....but I have mixed feelings about things like this.  Now, just before anyone accuses me of hypocrisy, I admit that I am a non-Amish guy running a website about the Amish (that said, I'm quite up-front that this website is based on my own experiences which do span Amish settlements all over the USA and Canada).  And, in their defense, this bakery is not claiming to be run by Amish people.  But it just seems...fraught with peril.  What happens when Amish people one day move to the Greenup area (they will), then there's the issue of competition.   And, I don't know, I guess I open up, say, a Chinese food store and wouldn't have to be Chinese, as long as I'm selling authentic, imported product.  What do you think?  Read about this non-Amish Amish bakery in Kentucky here.

MENNONITES ON THE MOVE IN CANADA   - This is a superb article and even though it isn't recipe-based, I hope many of you read it.  The British newspaper, The Guardian, does superb journalism...rich, nuanced, textured..and they just posted an excellent story about the problems Old Order Mennonites are grappling with when it comes to growth, urban encroachment on their farms.  Click here to read a great article!  (ah, good, I'm not all negative today)

CLASSIC BLUEBERRY PATCH BLUEBERRY PIE RECIPE:  This isn't an Amish recipe per se, but it is a simple, classic blueberry pie recipe from a Midwestern blueberry farm...perfect...click here for the recipe.

VINEGAR PIE:  Wow, I was ecstatic to see this humble, lowly pie featured in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  And, better, yet a Pittsburgh restaurant is featuring it on its menu. Wow, if I were anywhere near Pitt I'd pay a visit to this place just for the pie.  Vinegar pie - despite its horrible sounding name - is actually amazing so to be able to read an indepth article about it and see a restaurant showcase it is awesome.  And, bonus, the article has a recipe for this Amish classic.  Click here for the recipe.