  As stated before the Amish always have large gardens for their own personal food source.
Right now many of the Amish have planted their cold weather crops such as cabbage, lettuce, beats, turnips, etc… They are also working with in their greenhouses/hoop house to get their starter plants ready to put into the garden. They plant a wide variety of starter plants such as tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, melons, etc… I have not seen too many of the Amish raise exotic vegetables for themselves. Many of the Amish will put signs out in front of the home near the road letting everyone know what items they have for sale. This is their personal business card and advertising. Us English will drive up place to place an order and leave with some of the best vegetables. There are also weeding the strawberry beds to make sure their crop for shows up during June when the berries become ready. Many of the strawberries right now I have white blossoms that will turn into the strawberries themselves. As you can see in the picture Fannie is working on pulling all the weeds that are growing within the strawberry bed. I asked if they use ever bearing strawberry’s which they said no. Hope to see you soon at an event near you, Kyle – Missouri Amish Company  So what are the Amish up to during the Spring Time? This is one of the busiest times of the year for an Amish family. Most of the families average 10 people in their household. This includes Father, Mother, Children, and a couple of Grandparents or an Uncle & Aunt. Their garden most feed a lot of people. As you can see in the picture, that it takes a team of draft horses to pull the plow or disc that they are using. In this picture, the farmer has six horses hooked up. Because some gardens are well over an acre large, they have a lot large equipment to turn the soil. I witnessed a team of 10 horses one time, yes I forgot to take a picture. Another reason that their gardens are so large is that they need to have extra food in case of spoilage. They store their food in canning jars, root cellars, and cold storage units (insulated sheds with block ice from the winter). If you ever had your freeze get unplugged or had the power out for a long period of time, you really understand the importance of have extra food.  Birthdays are celebrated at home and school in quiet, pleasant ways, with cakes and gifts. Parents often share a special snack of cookies or ice cream with school friends to honor a child's birthday. This continues normally up to the 16 birthday. As a rule only a small gifts are given to the adults on their birthday. I have not witnessed an Amish person worrying about get old. I have actually not have heard of any celebration for an adult birthday.
Let us know when your Birthday will be? Just send us a comment with your Email address so that we can send you a gift. #AllAboutAmish by #MissouriAmish  Have you ever cooked on a campfire? Hard to do isn’t? Well it is for most of us. You have to keep an eye on everything. You need to know how to judge when the pan is hot enough, when the items are fully cooked, & keeping the ashes out of your food. I am an Eagle Scout so I have eaten my fair share of ash.
While visiting my Amish friends, I have witnessed Amish actually cooking on these stoves. I remember one time while picking up an order of belts from Eli. He stated that his mom was cooking apple pies. Yum Yum! If you are like me, I love food. Eli had some work still to do so I had to wait. Unfortunately, I stepped outside to fall in to a smell of scrumptious apple pie. My stomach started to talk to me. Later she came down to the shop with a pan wrapped in a dish towel. I had a smile on my face anticipating the apple goodness. She came through the door saying she had a treat. The pan was unwrapped to show bread and butter. It was all homemade but my stomach was disappointed. She explained that the fire went out during the cooking process. It became a doughy, gooey mess. Oops. After getting my order, I was off to drive home. I could not get the Amish apple pie out of my mind. Following a brief stop, I was on my way. Ok, I got one of those delicious apple pie pockets at a famous fast food place. Let’s just say it was not an Amish apple pie & my stomach was still disappointed. #AllAboutAmish by #MissouriAmish  Amish heat their homes in a variety of ways. Most Amish use both heaters which run on propane or natural gas, as well as heating stoves which burn wood, coal, or oil. In Missouri, the majority of the Amish using stoves are more common among more conservative Amish. Stoves are typically located in the basement or first floor. Vents in flooring and ducts may help circulate heat through the house in some Amish homes. Amish who use firewood will cut their own or trade for it. In many conservative communities, a cooking stove may also serve as a source of heat. In addition, the gas lighting used by many Amish generates a considerable amount of heat as well.
Safety is a big concern that Amish must attend to whatever their heat source. They do not have smoke alarms. It takes the entire family to make sure everyone is safe. One of my friends, Levi, was refilling a kerosene lamp that went empty. While doing this, an amber was still on the wick, which ignited the fuel which burnt the arm that was holding the lamp while he pulled the fuel can away. He held onto it so that he could take it out of the building. After getting everything outside, he sat the lamp down and attended to his flaming arm. He was very lucky that he only received first and second degree burns. This happened in the spring of 2014 and Levi got the all clear from the English doctor in the fall of 2014. I have prayed a lot for his recovery. #AllAboutAmish by #MissouriAmish  I see some problems with the Amish ways of courtship, but also some great strengths. The practicalities in having young people not focus their attention on the stimulating sexual dimensions of a boy/girl relationship is a clear strength. Attention is thereby directed to the long range matters of character, competence, & ability to work together and care for each other, which in the long run are better predictors of marital success than the romantic passions on which American society tends to focus.
The biggest disadvantage of the Amish system is in its seeming avoidance of affectionate physical contact among family members in general. The lack of showing affection between married couples & among other family members may cause problems within young couples’s marriages. However, deep affection & respect in families & between married couples are great within most of the Amish Communities. In summary, the majority of the married Amish couples have a deep respect for each other & I have even seen affection between the married couples. One time while at an auction, I saw an older couple who were explaining their product to a possible bidder. The husband had a few too many cups of coffee that was being sold at the event. The wife stated to him that maybe he should not have another cup. His response was like many of the English husbands, ‘I know when I have had enough!” She took his hand & gently stroked it a few times without saying a word. He looked at her eyes & he asked her if she want to go sit down. That touched my heart. #AllAboutAmish by #MissouriAmish  If you are waiting for juicy details, I will have to break the news that we keep our Blog PG-13.
Courting is done at the women families’ house. The couple is not allowed to be alone at anytime. They must be in view and within ear shout. Many times a grandmother or aunt may actually sit with couple to chaperone. Yes, most of the time sitting right between them. The families are trying to make it impossible for couple to have any physical contact. When courting, couples are not allow to do any kissing or necking as Amish feel that is a sure way to launch one down a slippery slope of sensual lust which leads inexorably to guilt, shame and remorse. It is even thought by some that two or three hours together of talking every second week during the courting period is sufficient time together. #AllAboutAmish by #MissouriAmish  You have finally found a match, then what? Like the song say “Getting to know you, getting to know all about you.” Is that not what happens with single Amish people? Ideally, the courting process should be one in which the couple gets to know each other and how well their personalities will mesh. The two get to know each other as persons.
This is not done the way that us English court. Amish believe the purity is the ideal, complete purity of motive and behavior. It is thought that indulgence in any physical contact is objectionable by all of adults of the Amish community. Physical contact would encourage sensual desires, distract from the primarily rational and purposeful exploration of a person's capacity to be a productive and helpful member of a family economic team. The purpose of courting is to find out whether the intended partner will be a good worker, parent, partner, and church member. Qualities such as character, patience, ability to cooperate, thrift and frugality, competence, and humility are assessed. The man will seek permission from the father of the woman to seek a courtship. If the father does not agree & give his blessing, then everything is off. Well maybe. Sometimes, mothers, aunts, grandmothers and great grandmothers get involved in assisting the father to make the correct decision. After a short while many of the fathers see God’s bigger plan and change their minds. #AllAboutAmish by #MissouriAmish  Many people think that Amish arrange their children’s marriage which is false but a little true.
Ok, let’s pretend you are Amish and single. How do you look for a mate? In the beginning you check out people from your local community. One problem is many of the other singles in your community are related to you. Now that relation goes multiple generations. Most of the Elders want at least 4-5 generations of distance. Let’s say that you cannot find a mate in your community, so what do you do? There is no Match.com or Taverns to go to for your search. Many of your relatives have moved away to other communities as this is done to keep communities diverse in nature & assist in the gene pool. So singles enlist the help of their other distant family members in other communities to find that soul mate. You ask that age old question “Do you know anyone that I would like that is single in your community?” Many of the Elders do get involved with this chain of events. Yes, there is a lot of match making going on behalf of the singles. There are many settings & occasions when young people between the ages of sixteen & twenty-four can mix & meet. Weddings, community meetings, & parties are carefully structured social events that provide opportunities to meet potential partners. However, the primary meeting time for singles is on Sunday evenings after church. During these events going to and from the homes the young people pair off for further time together. Usually the male will ask to go to the girl's home afterwards where they will have some limited privacy to talk further while the rest of the family is asleep. Not surprisingly more than conversation frequently occurs, perhaps even kissing, necking and petting. The religious restrictions against physical contact give way to more lenient patterns of behavior which actually have a well-established tradition of acceptability as long as sexual intimacy is avoided. The couple tries to be discreet, even secretive, about time together to avoid heckling and pranks from some of their unattached peers or siblings #AllAboutAmish by #MissouriAmish We hope you had a great Valentine’s Day. Have you ever wondered how Amish Courtship works? Part 12/15/2015
 Amish courting practices are based on the belief that there is only one right mate for each person. Marriages are made in heaven so divorce in not a possibility. Can you imagine taking your wedding vows and having said those life changing words “Till death do us part” its permanent and nothing can ever change it? Thus, one had better choose well and with the sincere prayer to know God's will.
Now, I am not going to debate the issue or the sanctity of marriage. However, I believe that marriage is a commitment and covenant between a man, a woman and God. Neither of the couple should believe that marriage is just a piece of paper or a contract. Unfortunately, many of us English feel that way. The Amish find us odd with divorce. I am a divorcee that has found my bookend and remarried for a second it. I have stated that to my Amish friends when we have talked about family. Many of them have noticed that my children look like me and not my wife. So, I explain to clear up the confusion. It doesn’t bother me to answer them. We will continue “The Courting Process” on the next Blog. #AllAboutAmish by #MissouriAmish |
AuthorKyle G. Smith Archives
May 2015
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