By Kevin Williams
The Amish enclave in Sarasota, Florida is beginning to awaken from its summer slumber. Amish snowbirds are slowly returning to spend some time under the west Florida sun. Shuffleboard courts are filling up and Amish pedaling three-wheeled bicycle (Florida buggies) are increasingly common as November turns to December. Yoder's Restaurant, a mainstay there (and a personal favorite) is all-hands on deck today. Â This is what Yoder's reports for their on-hand ingredients to deal with the Thanksgiving onslaught.
"Refrigerator truck to store 4600 Lbs of homemade puddings! (for cream pies) ~ Made with 500 gallons of milk and 1000 quarts of half and half. (thus the need the extra storage ! ) We use 3000 LBs of sugar, 900 dozen eggs, 1470 LBs of pecans and 1470 LBs of apples (peeled) for Thanksgiving pies alone."
Incredible.
Our man on the ground in Pinecraft, Florida, Ernest Bontrager, arrives in the quaint Amish enclave for the winter and explores what is new there. Â We'll be checking in with him throughout the winter and I do encourage you to watch this first video to get a flavor for Pinecraft. Ernie's videos remind me of my grandfather's, and I mean that in a good way. Â He's thorough, measured and just lets his camera do most of the "talking." Â Click here to watch Ernie settle in to Pinecraft for the winter.
For fans of Der Dutchman's restaurants and Carlisle Inn properties in Ohio's Amish country, a four-story 100-room Amish country inn is being planned for Pinecraft. Â I have mixed emotions. Â The lodging is probably needed, but the new houses and hotel, etc, Â it's not quite the quaint, quiet Pinecraft it used to be. Â Still a magical place, but one always worries about overdevelopment. Â Click here to read about the planned complex.
Martha
I was wondering if you would guesstimate what the expenses would be for an Englisher to rent a house and and visit Pinecraft during time when the snowbirds travel to Pinecraft and during time period when Amish return back to their homes after winter?
Are there a lot of homes to rent? How far away is the ocean from Pinecraft!
Thank you for your assistance?
Kevin
Martha - I wish I could help out more on the rental question....I think you'd have a tough time finding a place to rent in Pinecraft short-term in the winter, but just do some online research, make some calls, etc...I can tell you that when I am there in winter, I always stay about 5 miles a way on Siesta Key in a place called Siesta Key Suites (I stay there because, I really like it, but they are also one of the few places that don't require you to rent for a full week during winter)... The ocean is, by the way, about 5 miles from Pinecraft...there is a popular bus line that goes straight to the beach from Pinecraft - Kevin