Amish in the News: Tragedy in Minnesota, Tragedy in Michigan, Dawdihauses, Squash Muffins, and More!

By Kevin Williams

We have a slate of stories on this week's Amish in the News.

It's not known whether the buggy involved in the crash in Minnesota displayed the orange reflective triangle or just silver strips like this Ohio buggy.

AMISH BUGGY TRAGEDY:  A drunk driver in far northwest Minnesota's Amish community plowed into a horse-drawn buggy, ejecting a young Amish woman who later died from her injuries. Let's keep the family in our thoughts and prayers. Click here to read the full story.

DROWNING:  A 17-year-old Amish boy drowned on a farm pond in Michigan.  This seems to be something that happens several times a summer on an Amish farm and it's just so tragic.  I'm sure each case is different, but not sure if someone  just panics or they are experiencing another medical issue.  A 17-year-old is going to be in prime physical shape, so it's a little puzzling and a lot tragic when something like this happens. Click here to read more.

DAUDIHAUS:  A lecturer gave insight into this staple of Amish culture at a lecture this week.  For the most part the Amish don't send their elderly to nursing homes but instead opt to keep them in a home-like setting for as long as they can.  A daudihaus or dawdy haus is an add-on to a larger house or a separate outbuilding where an elderly Amish person can live with family.   If you drive through a large Amish community like Berne or Grabill, Indiana you'll see houses that sprawl with add-ons and new wings, these are usually build to accommodate older people. It's a quaint, endearing custom.  As the Amish population grows I would not be surprised (there may be some already) to see "Amish nursing homes" pop up, but these would be Plain-run and I'm sure adhere to the same cultural customs.  Anyway, click here to read more about the lecture.

The Amish-owned Rosebud Bakery in the Mohawk Valley of New York has a table set up at a produce auction.

AMISH BAKED GOODS:  As someone who obviously enjoys Amish-made baked goods, I loved this article and if you live in Upstate New York you'll love it even more.   I love discovering new hole-in-the-wall Amish bakeries and this article offers several examples of places to procure whoopie pies, breads, cookies, and rolls in the Mohawk Valley of New York. Check it out here.

MILLIE'S YELLOW SQUASH MUFFINS:  Check out the latest from Illinois Amish writer Millie Otto who serves up a recipe this week for homemade squash muffins. Click here.