Is that a store or business?

Clear Jel, from Altrista?? No, Altrista doesn't offer Clear Jel. Do you mean Fruit Fresh?

Ken - obviously I've never bought the Clear-Jel from Altrista, but I understood that they did supply.

The Amish have stores in their houses. Usually one or two in a settlement is designated as the store, and they set up shop in a large back porch or outbuilding. They buy in huge bulk and supply the neighborhood. Very few advertise and fewer still even have a sign out front. You just have to ask. So yes, it's kind of both a store and a business.

Love that old tradition. Now all we need to see is a few more 'General Stores' open up again and do the same thing. On TV, they show Amish making wooden mantels for electric heaters. I kind of wonder how they get to have Amish pose on TV, or is all that rubbish. Amish hate to have photos taken too, and live a very simple and very sheltered life compared to all the rest of the techno world.

There is Amish and then there's Old Order Amish, and then there's Mennonite... and even among the traditional Amish things can vary from one community to another, it depends on what their Bishop will/won't allow. Generally speaking, if you are seeing them on TV they are more than likely Mennonite. They are more "of the world", owning cars and having electricity, etc.

I also would love to see more of the old-time community General Stores making a comeback. There's just something kind of, well, almost soulless, about those huge mega-stores.

Yes, big stores don't like getting product requests from customers. They are out here to make money and don't really care about that they sell or what people will buy or not buy. A good sized 'general store' is the one in Vermont, the country store at the lnk below. But they do tend to be expensive though.

Here is a link that might be useful: VT Country Store

I'm betting that the folks you see on those ads are actors instead of either Mennonite or Amish. I visited Amish Acres recently in northern Indiana, and, while I didn't expect the real thing, I thought it might be closer than it was. There were three employees who were Amish, a few more Mennonite, but the real shock came when I visited the gift shop. Located in the heart of Amishland, nearly all of the quilts had tags "made in China".

Made in China and there is a big computer in the back room thats making and taking orders..

Hmm, Came across this place in a search. Not a lot of variety, but the things do look more like local goods..

Here is a link that might be useful: Berry Patch

Just came across another Amish site. This one uses eBay as its selling interface. They do have a very big selection of things including the Clear Jel and many dried fruits, grains, etc.

Here is a link that might be useful: Amish Alley

One of these days I am just going to ask the local Mennonites and Amish what the deal is with Tv ads and selling over the Internet or Lancaster for that matter.
Around here, the Mennonites have 2 country stores,each one, although similar products the prices vary and some of the products. I like more one than the other, it has more supplies, plus their own eggs and a 55 gallon drum of molasses you dip from.
Neither one sells over the internet and the only advertising they do is the sign out front. The biggest seller for them is the cold cuts, I don't eat cold cuts but when I go for their own grown produce, baking needs, spices or canning supplies the people are lined up for the meat case.
Once I looked at the board and saw an ad for Old Order Amish, free range chickens and turkeys to order for the holidays..you had to write them as they have no phone.
I just found out last month that the dented can/surplus outlet is owned by Mennonites. When I went there I then noticed, like the other 2 only women are seen to the public working in the stores, although they were lay people, no prayer caps.

As I was returning from the mall the day after Christmas I passed 3 or 4 buggies, all had the, now, mandatory caution lamps on the rear and front, but one had a rope type lighting that blinked on the top of the buggy canopy, that I never saw before.

Personally, I have never seen any of these people or their areas. I live in an area where these things are not common. I suppose that things can migrate out of Amish hands and go elsewhere. Today, with the internet, even they they Amish may not directly get involved, they do have some people who are helping them make a living and representing their abilities.

When Spring rolls around I can take some pics of the farms/fields and the horsedrawn equipment with metal wheels.
I don't know if I can take pics during the Amish Auction at the school. That is the neat, they turn the school into the bakery and cafeteria, all can bring in stuff for sale, including consigment of local people. They also have booths of the goods the younger girls wooden or woven items they make over the winter months. This auction is so large they have 7 or so roaming auctioneers and 3 or 4 around the school with plants, trees, nursery items,large furniture,wrought iron, quilts not made in China. It always seems to be the muddiest day of April also. So popular now, word gets out that the "auction" is on such and such a date.

Not sure how much "help" they need other than rides to work, let me tell you, after you wait the long line, sometimes a year or more to have Amish builders build or remodel you better have a healthy wallet, they are not the lowest bidder.
As foreign to you as seeing the mennonite teen girls in plain clothes and prayer caps in Walmart getting new sneakers, or Old Order Amish women at the feedstore in full black bonnet, cape and long skirt all pinned together what was foreign to me in NYC was the absence of the leave a penny/take a penney cups filled with pennies/nickels and dimes every cash register has around here.

Lets hope that unique culture withstands time and progress. It does need money to survive just like any other economy. People who live near these communities are very lucky indeed.

busylizzy, I've been seeing the Amish buggies tied to the lampposts at local stores for years. The Super Walmart in a neighboring town even installed special hitches, and thus avoided complaints about other customers stepping in what the horses left, LOL.

Here we have an actual Amish store, run by the Yoders. Some of the Amish farms have signs in front saying that they have brown eggs or maple syrup or vegetables or baked good. Some sell rugs and furniture.

Most of the Amish here are very good neighbors and willing to help out if they can. Mr. Brenneman broke Dad's buggy horse for him and "advertised" within the Amish community when we had the farm auction after Dad's death, because he knew Dad had a lot of hand tools.

We also have a smaller Mennonite community, but they don't have the horses or do the farming that the Amish do here.

Annie

Sometimes we take our excess eggs to a local Amish produce auction. It's amazing how much stuff they bring in on those wagons. They sell large lots to some of the grocery stores in the area. But then the stores turn around and bring in some of their overripe/practically unsellable stuff like grapes and bananas that the Amish buy. Lots of buggies and wagons; some have lights, some don't, but they all do have the required orange triangle. What really gets me are all the kids that run around that gravel lot and in and out of the horses - with no shoes on. EEK. They must have feet like shoe leather!

We as kids used to be bearfoot walking and running down the dirt roads to the lake. You couldn't wear shoes down there, without getting sand in them all the time. Yes, by summers end your feet bottoms are very tough! Heck, I even stood on a big pile of chicken manure. It was getting really hot under there!!

I can't get to the produce auctions there are during the week when I work. Anyone can take there too, my neighor takes over rabbits or hens who aren't good layers anymore.

Fresh eggs! I had Auracanas, the blue egg layers, gave them to the neighbor when they wanted to keep following me into the house, friendly they are. Ordering purple guineas this year, I like Guineas

Yup 2B stone sure hurts more than I remember as a kid! I hate wearing shoes, flippies or barefeet for me in the summer.

Yoder is a big name here too Annie, although no hitches at WallyWorld, my closest is in the college town near the Interstate.
Good idea about the hand tools! I have some I can't use anymore because of tendonitis, they can have em or trade me for something.. alot of bartering around here

I feel for those of you who don't have an Amish or Mennonite community nearby. Even a reminder of their faith and discipline is good for me. Ken, there should be many in Pennsylvania, and surely you're close enough that they've "migrated" there.

Anything on-line that is termed "amish" is surely not. I can't imagine any - even the progressive - orders allowing internet participation. I liked hearing about the molasses barrels. The best product that I've found has been the baked goods and cheese. It's much cheaper than the grocery stores and is far far better.

Penn is about 7 hours drive from Mass. The only local things here are Indian gambling casinos, and even they are not in our eastern area of MA. Used to be lots of small farms just a few miles north of here, but many have either sold the land to developers or are just not planting anything anymore. My brothers inlaws owned a big chunk of land in Salem NH, and it was mostly sold to a developer when they passed away. I remember licking acres of pumpkins and squash some years back.

We used to have a lot around here, but there was some disagreement with the new bishop or leader or something and about half sold there farms and moved to PA. Another farm took over the store and I haven't been there yet, But I hear it's a great place to buy spices. Usually theres a bake goods stand set up every Sat. on the highway. A lot of people around here have them do work for them, I had them install a metal roof on my house about 4 yrs ago, and while they are not cheap, there workmanship is excellent.

Gran,
I am interested in a price list on things.
Ball sealing tops
Anything they ahve for spices/herbs etc
I am trying to learn sausage making so if they sell casings etc.
My email is kimmid@comcast.net if you can send it there or if you need a home address let me know at the email address. Thanks!!!

There are mail order supply places I have listed here that sell natural sausage casings of hog and sheep based. Also the edible collogen casings and ones that have fiber which are non edible and used for larger items like salami and pepperoni.

edie, I have horses and I still run barefoot all summer, in the garden, even in the barn, LOL.

I've had a toe stepped on once or twice, but I've learned to keep my feet away from hooves. Gravel doesn't make any difference to my feet but stepping on a honey bee sure does!

Annie

Annie, I have a draft horse, and even with shoes on getting stepped on means broken toes (voice of experience), so, yeah, I do watch where my feet are in relation to hers! I don't go barefoot anywhere, though. My old feet have gotten very tender and one trip across the gravel in our driveway leaves me "ouchy" for several hours.

There is an ad in the local paper for bulk spices, etc that I want to go check out as soon as the weather gets more conducive to driving. (Our roads are still a mess. Sigh.) When I make it over there I will find out if they do any shipping and try to get a price list if they do. Stay tuned :^)