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    Home » Everything Amish » Plain Culture

    Visit to an Indiana Amish Melon Patch

    Published: Jul 22, 2016 · Updated: Jul 22, 2016 by Kevin Williams | 7 Comments

    Amish children help harvest melons in the field

    Amish children help harvest melons in the field

    By Kevin Williams

    After stopping at the hidden bulk food store, we went on a search for  legendary "Indiana Melons."  Cantaloupe grown in Indiana during the summer are prized for their plumpness and juicy taste and finding some is worth the effort.   When I asked about melons the lady at the bulk food store told me to stop at her brother's farm down the road.

    This was a melon patch we found a couple of years ago in Wayne County, Indiana...melons that summer were selling for 25 cents a piece!

    This was a melon patch we found a couple of years ago in Wayne County, Indiana...melons that summer were selling for 25 cents a piece!

    "He's the melon person in the family," she quipped.

    So we headed for the next farm over where a horse-drawn cart was, sure enough, in a melon field harvesting.  I pulled up to the farmhouse and an Amish woman came out and  asked if she could help.  I inquired about melons?

    "We don't have any right now," she said. "They're out in the field and they'll sell them at the produce auction."

    Perhaps it was Aster's pleading eyes, but the woman seemed to have a change of heart.

    "You know, they're in the field right now, I could probably get some...would you like watermelon or cantaloupe?"

    I profusely thanked her and said either would be great.  So the woman and her daughter (I'm guessing about six years old) trudged out in the field, returning hauling a couple prized melons.  Yummmm.  She told me the price and I rummaged around in my pocket for a few bucks and came away with my melon.

    Aster, meanwhile, was full of questions:
    "Who is that little girl?" she asked of the young Amish carrying out melons out from the field.

    Inside an Indiana cantaloupe: fresh, juicy melon

    Inside an Indiana cantaloupe: fresh, juicy melon

    I explained that she lived there and that everyone was pitching in to help harvest.  A horse-drawn cart slowly made its way across the melon field and boys would scour the plants for ripe and ready melons and then toss them up to the girls on the cart who would put them in large cardboard boxes.

    Then we saw a buggy parked nearby.

    "That buggy is broken," Aster said. And I explained that it wasn't, it was just parked and the horses were out in the pasture.

    But it was an enjoyable visit to the melon farm....Aster and I feasted on the fresh cantaloupe last night. If you are in the Wayne County, Indiana area, exploring the backroads for melons for sale is worth the effort.

    A buggy parked behind a barn, Aster christened it "broken."

    A buggy parked behind a barn, Aster christened it "broken."

     

    « 5 Amish Corn Recipes
    The Amish Cook: Yoder Sisterhood and Mud Hen Bars »

    About Kevin Williams

    Hi, my name is Kevin Williams and I am owner of Oasis Newsfeatures and editor of The Amish Cook newspaper column.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. (DeLonna) Jane Unruh

      July 22, 2016 at 5:46 pm

      Kevin I don't have a problem with the newsletter today. Guess I didn't notice that much difference! Short & sweet which is fine

      Reply
      • Kevin

        July 25, 2016 at 8:36 am

        Good, thanks for the feedback!

        Reply
    2. Martha

      July 22, 2016 at 7:36 pm

      Enjoy reading about Aster and her daddy! The melon looked yummy.
      My diet has to start all over again. Feel like giving up but you keep at it which motivates me to try again!

      Reply
      • Kevin

        July 25, 2016 at 8:36 am

        Thanks, Martha, good luck with the diet! It is a slow go on my end!

        Reply
    3. Kathy Barnes

      July 23, 2016 at 8:38 pm

      I really enjoyed this article.
      Thank you,
      Kathy

      Reply
    4. Tina

      July 25, 2016 at 8:32 am

      Kevin,

      I like this way better because I can leave a reply, on the email I have sent back message to you but you have never replied to them, so I'm not sure if you were even getting them. I'm hoping you will see this reply. Tina in Big Rapids, Michigan

      Reply
      • Kevin

        July 25, 2016 at 8:35 am

        Yes, I got this, Tina...so much email ends up in my spam folder for some reason and if I forget to check that,yes, messages will get lost!

        Reply

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    Kevin Williams - The Amish Editor Amish Cook Column

    Hi There, I'm Kevin!

    Welcome to Amish365, where I share my knowledge of Amish cooking and culture! I’ve spent almost three decades exploring Amish settlements and kitchens from Maine to Montana and almost everywhere in between. I’ll occasionally throw in stories of my travels, journalism adventures (I’m a Pulitzer prize-nominated journalist), fascination with grocery stores and Kmarts, and much more!

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