New York's Amish Trail

Mark your 2013 calendar for NATIONAL ALPACA FARM DAYS, Saturday and Sunday, September 28-29, 2013. Alpaca farms along the NY Amish Trail will once again welcome visitors of all ages to meet the alpacas and learn about the alpaca lifestyle. Even if you aren't interested in raising alpacas, National Alpaca Farm Days is a great way to spend the day out in the fresh air with the entire family.  

In planning a road trip around New York state, we found information on the Internet about Cattaraugus County, a short drive south of Niagara Falls and Buffalo.  We were immediately attracted by the opportunity to visit the local Amish merchants - their craftsmanship is well-known to us, even in California.  However, we were really sold when we discovered the New York Amish Geotrail, a set of geocaches located at interesting sites and businesses throughout the county.  With so much to do, we rearranged our schedule slightly so we would be able to spend more time in the area wi

It is strawberry picking time and what better way to celebrate then to make fresh Strawberry Jelly right in your own home.  This recipe is straight out of the "Tasteful Treasures" Cookbook from Conewango Valley, NY.

The Tour D'Amish Event on June 9, 2012 is a chance to get out and visit NY's Amish Trail member businesses.  Collect puzzle pieces from the participating businesses; put the puzzle together and win an Amish Trail T-Shirt as a prize. Some of the businesses will have special deals and offers for that day.

The following buisnesses are participating in the event :

In Randolph Area:

During the first week of January 2012, we hosted a family of four from Sydney, Australia who selected our area for skiing, nearness to Niagara Falls, Amish proximity and accessibility to Native American sites.

Amish Whoopie Pies Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
4 cups flour
1 cup baking cocoa
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 cup sour milk
2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup hot water

Directions:
1. Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs.
2. Sift together flour, cocoa, and salt.
3. Add to creamed mixture alternately with sour milk.
4. Add the vanilla and dissolve soda in hot water and add last. Mix well.

About the Amish

Old Order Amish use no electricity, no running water and dress in plain clothes of grays and blues.
Their cooking stoves are powered by propane, kerosene or wood. They use kerosene lamps.
They never work on Sundays and rotate church meetings at various homes within their districts.
Their children traditionally speak German until they start school at about 6 years of age where they are taught English.
They go only until grade 8 then they go to work with their family.

The Amish – WHY???  Female Response

Here is a little bits and pieces of our Old Order Amish.  We believe in having our own private Churches and our own private schools, etc.  We go through first to eighth grade in school.  Have to pay our own school taxes plus help the English pay their school taxes which I really don’t think is quite fair, but if that is how it shall be we want to be satisfied too.  We have no electricity, have to work hard to make a living but imagine that is healthier for us than to just play around.

There are many questions about the Amish Culture and even more answers.  While the questions are only natural, some of the answers are less than correct and others downright misleading.  Some are well meant, some make the Amish look better than they are and some worse.  Some authors of books have done a fairly thorough research and others have done a good job of whipping up some exciting details.  Having said that, here is my perspective on why there are Amish and why they live as they do.

Tell us about your tour of the Old Order Amish community in Western New York.