There is an Old Order Amish community about 50 miles from us in Ethridge, Tennessee. We just visited and purchased produce. When my boys were teenagers, I traveled there once a week to buy fresh milk, eggs and vegetables. It was hard to cook enough food to satisfy their ravenous appetites.
There were some subtle changes in the community. Fewer families are raising crops.
Some have switched to milling wood.
Nashville is one of the fastest growing cities in the US and it is experiencing a massive housing boom. New apartments and houses are being built at record speed. The urban sprawl has sadly, reached us. Every single time we drive somewhere in any direction to go anywhere, we notice another new construction site. Hundreds of new houses are being built everywhere. We are about 50 miles south of Nashville and Ethridge is about 70 miles to the southwest. It puts them in a unique position to profit from the growth
It also means with less crops more people are vying to purchase what is available. We experienced sticker shock at the family operated roadside produce stalls. The prices were often higher than Kroger's. Even though the Amish produce is fresher and better quality, I have to drive 50 miles and then go house to house seeking what I need. The long trip to the Amish isn't always worth the effort.
There is an auction that sells produce in bulk three times a week. The houses in that area still raise large crops.
I attended the auction looking for bulk vegetables to can. (Picture taking was not allowed and if you tried to snap one, they would call you out over the loud speaker. Don't ask me how I know.) It was packed with commercial retail buyers in semi-trucks purchasing large pallets for restaurants and grocery stores. Money was no object - they had a quota to fill and the higher costs would be passed on to their customers. It was a blessing for the Amish sellers but difficult for the few families like me who were looking for deals. Last year a ten pound box of tomatoes sold for about $10, this year they were $25. A highly prized box of Cherokee Purple tomatoes could easily reach $50.
I'm so happy! This makes up for all the failures due to squash vine borers destroying my plants. Never have I ever had more that 4 quarts of squash in my freezer at the end of the season!
It was a labor of love working from sunrise to sunset blanching, freezing and canning. We have been eating it everyday and still haven't tired of it. It was worth all the work.
I'm so happy you got your squash! That's a wonderful turn of events. It's good all that drive time, and hours spent there, were worth your efforts.
ReplyDeleteLaurie, I only know two recipes for yellow squash so I have been searching cookbooks trying new ways to fix it. I have never had enough before to try experiments. It is so much fun trying something new.
DeleteThe drive is highways and backroads so it takes a while to get there. It makes for a very long, exhausting day. Hopefully, it is enough yellow squash to last for two years. I'm not sure though. The frozen will be used first and the canned later. I seem to always underestimate how much food we eat.
Wow, the produce looks delicious, and the scenes are lovely, too! We also have some Amish communities not too far from Madison, and we're also experiencing population growth, increasing sprawl, and construction. So, I understand. Sigh. It's hard to see natural or semi-natural areas converted to heavier population. On a brighter note, it sounds like you are busy with canning and preparing for the seasons ahead. :)
ReplyDeleteI wish the people would move back to their cities and stop causing traffic jams everywhere. The first thing they do is put up a street light in their front yard then they play loud music every time they are outside. Lights and noise all the time now and never calm and quiet. I miss hearing the cows moo.
DeleteOn the brighter note, I am getting food put away for winter. It feels good to see the freezer filling up. It makes me feel secure.
Your shelves of canned produce is really a work of art! Amazing, I would've loved to see a picture lol but you described it well.
ReplyDeleteThe Amish do not like having their pictures made at all. My husband took his phone out to check a text message and about four young men surrounded him to watch what he was doing. After a while, they went back to work.
DeleteI do think home canned vegetables are beautiful and it is a shame they must be hidden away in the dark. In my opinion, the prettiest are jelly jars sitting in front of a window with the sun pouring through, alas, it would ruin them.