By Kevin Williams
Temperatures were in the sunny 50s and the signs of spring were all around: greening grass, blooming daffodils, and a sun angle that screamed equinox.
This meant it was a perfect time to take my girls to the Chrisholm Historic Amish Farmstead about 30 miles north of Cincinnati, a restored home and grounds that preserves a piece of the area's Plain past. A wonderful "natural play" area is on the grounds and on Sunday afternoons they have a "Show and Tell on the Farm" program with a different theme each week to engage and inform kids. This past week's topic was about plowing.
Aster (Bea's still a bit too young) got to run a plow, plant some seeds, and a learn a lot. And then it was on to Chrisholm's natural play area with slides and sandboxes, and rocks to climb. An amazing day to celebrate the soon to arrive season of spring!
This plaque explains the history of these grounds. Daughter Aster had to jump into the photo!
The historic Chrisholm home is hope to the public on Sunday afternoons. One gets a sense of the deep history by visiting. What's left of the Amish community here is the nearby Trenton Mennonite Church.
The irony of having a Duke Electric plant within view of a former Amish home...
Children got to try out a carrying pole (or sometimes called a milkmaid's yoke)...Aster balanced her buckets pretty well...
Farm animals like this little chick are there for children to see...Aster and Bea take a look at it...
Amish cooks are generally legendary for their homemade pie crusts. Traditionally, lard-infused flaky pie crust have carried the day. But there are also popular pat-a-pan pie crusts and “never fail” pie crusts. I saw this pie crust recipe on the table when I gave a talk at the Chrisholm Historic Farmstead in Ohio. It is a very simple recipe, so if pie crusts have given you difficulty over the years try this one! My guess is that a crust very similar to this was probably made in a Chrisholm kitchen a century and a half or so ago...
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