Super Amish in the News: Amish Apple Mango Salsa, Toffee Apple Pie, Amish in Wyoming, Ben's Pretzels and More!

By Kevin Williams

Here is your weekly dose of Amish in the News, lots of stories to explore, so peruse the roster below and see what interests you:

HIP LANCASTER:  I was glad to see this article.  I have visited the city of Lancaster, PA and it's very different than Lancaster County.  The Amish live in the rural, agrarian parts of the county while Lancaster itself is a thriving city of 60,000 that doesn't seem very Amish.  Personally, I adore the cities of York, Pennsylvania and Lancaster.  Both have a ton of historical charm, are artsy, forward-thinking and they are both livable cities close to all the action of the big cities on the east coast. When I was just starting out and sort of exploring places that I might want to one day live, Lancaster-York topped my list.  Of course, I ended up staying in Ohio.  Click here to read this great story from the New York Post about Lancaster's emerging identity as a hip, young place.

MENNONITES IN MISSOURI:  I've not explored the large Old Order Mennonite community around Versailles, Missouri but I have heard about it.  There was an informative article in a local Missouri paper that gave some great insights into exploring and enjoying the community (and a Plain-owned restaurant there!?! Wow...anyone been to Lehman's?)   Anyway, click here to read about Versailles, Missouri's Mennonites.

MENNONITES IN PENNSYLVANIA:  This is a rather curious article that is worth reading.  I've written before about the overlap between the Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch.  Most Amish can be lumped in as PA Dutch, but not many PA Dutch can be called Amish.  PA Dutch is an umbrella term that encompasses many eastern European groups that arrived in Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th century.  They include Moravians, Lutherans, German Catholics, Mennonites, Amish and stew of others. An article in the Kutztown, Pennsylvania paper shines a spotlight on the Mennonite Plain Dutch, a horse and buggy group that I was not familiar with.  I'd love to visit Kutztown someday. Click here to read the article.

AMISH MENNONITES ESTABLISH A CHURCH IN WYOMING:   This is not a horse and buggy group, but a Beachy Amish Mennonite sect known as the Ambassadors (I wrote about them several years ago) are planting a church in Wyoming, the state's first Plain presence.  Click here to read more.

BEN'S SOFT PRETZELS: I have written plenty in the past about Ben's Soft Pretzels, a chain of Auntie Anne style soft pretzels that was started by an Amish man in northern Indiana (he remains involved with the company).  The company doesn't shy away from its Amish roots offering pretzel nuggets called "buggy bites" and the logo is of an Amish man.  SIGH, I wish southwest Ohio would get a Ben's Pretzels.  One is opening up deep in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. SIGH, everywhere but here....Click here to read about the one coming to SE Kentucky.

AMISH APPLE MANGO SALSA:  Check out this delicious sounding recipe from Amish country cook, Lee Ann Miller.

MILLIE'S APPLE TOFFEE TURNOVER PIE:  Ugh, sorry, but that just doesn't sound good for some reason. I am sure it is.  But apple and toffee in a turnover?  Click here to check in with Amish columnist Millie Otto for a recipe and her column that appears in a small Illinois paper.