Starting today, some items on Amish365.com will require a subscription to access. Creating content has its costs. As an acknowledgement to this economic reality, more and more websites are putting up some sort of paywall. Sites doing this range from giants like the New York Times or obscure niche sports sites.
Most of Amish365.com will continue to remain free. The Amish Cook, Plain Kansas, Amish in the News, Weekly Blogroll, and an assortment of other stuff will stay free. But for more in-depth reporting and recipe sourcing, those will be part of Amish365 Plus. We are trying with some success to get more advertising on the site to offset costs,but that takes time. Last week I ventured to Knox County, Ohio’s Amish country and came away with an amazing array of recipes, stories, and photos. These are recipes that you just can’t get out of a cookbook or online. These are tried and true time-tested recipes passed down through Amish generations. But in gas and time it easily cost $200 for the day. If I just post that type of content for free, it seems that I’m perpetuating my own economic pain. Your subscription of 99 cents for the first month, $3.99 a month after helps offset some of that cost while allowing for the delivery of wonderful, quality content. In exchange for that cost, you'll get amazing and rare access to Amish kitchens, culture, and recipes. I also have to pay columnists who understandably don’t write for free. One columnist who will be part of the subscription is Mrs. Yoder’s Journal, a monthly column written by an Iowa Amish farmwife. She and her husband are at the forefront of the organic food movement and you’ll get fascinating insights into their life along with several organic, farmhouse recipes each month. That alone would be worth the price of admission. But wait, there’s more!:)
Each month not only will you get Mrs. Yoder’s Journal, you’ll also get access to other special recipes, features, and stories that explore Amish and Plain kitchens across the USA.
Amish365 Plus is a work-in-progress. If only 10 people sign up, the content will be different than if 200 people sign up. That’s just the reality of the economic model. So I’m making the first month 99 cents and asking you to take a 99-cent leap of faith.
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