Faith, Folklore, and Friends

Just outside of Lancaster, Bird In Hand has a huge Farmer's Market.  I have never been in one so large and with so many various items for sale.  Items ranged from farm fresh meats, grains, baked items, spices, to all kinds of art and clothing. There was so many goodies there, it was hard to decide what to buy.  We were a long way from home with very little room left in the car. We settled on a huge peach fritter for $2.39 from a little Amish lady.  I'm sorry I didn't remember to take a photo of it. We devoured it in the car on the way to the Pennsylvania Turnpike and declared it was the best thing we had ever eaten.  It had pieces of fresh peaches throughout, and between bites, I studied it intensely, wondering how they were able to make something so awesome. I knew I had to try to make some when I got home.  So. . . . 

I have read about Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for years.  Authors from Beverly Lewis to James Mitchner have written about the Amish way of life there, making it sound so beautiful that we had to see it for ourselves.  Lancaster did not disappoint. I want to return here when I have more time to explore.  I loved everything about it! Anyone want to go with me?

In St. Johnsbury, Vermont, this farm boils sap from maple trees into pure maple syrup. It takes up to fifty gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. We visited the maple museum there, with dividing tables and a video showing the steps that sap goes through before it becomes syrup. A guide there told me that last winter, her husband worked in waist-deep snow tapping trees.  Apparently, one day of sunshine is all it takes to get the sap running.  It runs best when there are cold, sunny days and freezing temperatures at night.  Once it is warm enough for the trees to start budding, the sap stops running. After visiting the museum, I understand better why maple syrup is so expensive at the store.  If you live in the South, having real syrup is a treat reserved for special occasions.  I may have brought a little bit home with me.

We spent several days at this resort in Lincoln, New Hampshire, on our recent road trip. It was comfortable and beautiful.  I'm guessing it will look a lot different in a few months when the ski resort behind it is full of snow and people. On a cool August morning, the White Mountains looked a lot like the Smokies. We highly recommend this resort if you are traveling in the Northeast. Don't forget to guess how many miles we traveled.

The summer of 1993, when I was doing some research in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, I became addicted to bagels.  After I returned to Alabama, I searched everywhere, and there was not a real bagel to be found.  Sure, there were frozen things available in the supermarkets here, but I'm talking about bagels fresh from the oven, with a big slab of cream cheese in the middle. In Franconia, New Hampshire, I found some real bagels at this little coffee shop. They even had a big chicken outside to welcome me. They were just as good as I remembered.  Hub got an everything bagel and I had the cinnamon/raisin. We each ate half, then swapped.  We do this all the time when we are having different things to eat. It is hard to say which one was the best.  They were both amazingly good. Maybe more so because I knew it might be years before I have another one. Back in '93, after looking and looking for fresh bagels, I tried to make some.  I went ...