To Bent and Dent and Back Sept 25 2009

I had to travel to Pennsylvania to co-sign my son Adam's lease. Getting to the Outback of Pennsylvania is no simple affair. You can't just jump on the subway. Round trip train costs anywhere from $80 to $120. Then you are left with round trip cab fares. The bus is cheap but is a grueling experience. It made sense to just rent a car in Manhattan. This way I could also look up some old friends and some people in the Old Order Amish and Mennonite communities that I had gotten to know so well. There are a number of people I just did not have time to look up. That will have to wait until next time.

The Old Order Mennonite Nolt's are an interesting case. Mark Nolt came from Canada but his ancestors came from North Germany and he grew up speaking Plattdeutsch. He married Maryanne in Pennsylvania and had to learn a new language, Pennsylvania Dutch. This language is actually Schwaebisch (Swabian to you). Mark and Maryanne produce the highest quality meats and dairy products. The cows are grass fed and the chickens are free range. The difference in taste is immediately noticeable. They are very enterprising farmers and no longer sell milk to the milk truck. All the milk that is not sold from their farm is used to produce cheeses on the farm. The milk, I should add, is not pasteurized or homogenized. It is always a delight to see the Nolts. When I stopped off to see them a few months back, Mark forgot himself and began to speak to me in Pennsylvania Dutch. I guess in his mind, I am not one of the English, as the Plain People refer to those who are not a part of their community.

Click on the thumbnail below to see the pictures.

To Bent and Dent and Back Sept 25 2009