Hi Kevin, I enjoy reading Amish 365. I love reading Amish books and have visited Lancaster, Pa several times. In June my sister's and I will be going to Berlin, ohio and Shipshewanna, In. We are eating a meal in an Amish home. What would be an appropriate hostess gift to take. - Barbara
Okay, good question.
Honestly, you’d want to just treat them like any other hostess. I don’t think I would bring them a bottle of wine. While wine in enjoyed in some Amish homes, it’s usually a private thing and that might make for an awkward moment. So, no wine. Um, and food as a gift is just generally too iffy.
Okay, this is going to sound terribly self-serving, but you know what I think would make a great gift? A cookbook. And I think my cookbook, Amish Cooks Across America, truly would make a great gift. It gives your Amish hostess a chance to see Amish communities she'd probably never get to go to, or she'll have fun reading about the settlements in the book that she has visited. So I do think that - or someone else's cookbook - would be a "can't-go-wrong" gift.
Otherwise, you can't go wrong with some nice stationary. Amish people write letters frequently. Or some nice cards. Nothing too flashy or ostentatious, just classic cream-colored writing paper. You won't go wrong there.
You could bring a box of chocolates or maybe some gourmet coffee. Most Amish do drink coffee and it might be kind of fun for them to dry a blend that they'd never try on their own.
So I hope that gives you some good direction, Barbara, sounds like a fun trip.
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You know, if you are going there for a meal…a plant needs to be taken care of for a long, long time
Irene Segovia
Just ordeted my book from Amazon..sorry took me a minute but cant wait to receive!
Jodi Ridlon
Kevin; where is the book Amish cooks across America available. would love to find one that is near enough to visit. I am 83 so I don't go to far from home, but I love the Amish and I would appreciate find out about cooks somewhere close to WA. state