By: Marcia Abramson
They make up the Lancaster community of about 25,000 Plain people or the Amish. This population shuns Edison's inventions and tries to lead the simple life of their ancestors who came to this region in the 1700s. Their attire is hardly that of a Jennifer Lopez or Brad Pitt and is recognized for its modesty and somberness of color. The mode of travel is by horse and buggy. Teams of horses and mules are used by the Amish to cultivate the land and use their crops as the main source of their income. Above all the Amish are known to be pious and humble. They shun modern conveniences and technology. The children still can be seen playing with home made wooden "marble rollers" and not watching television comics because no Amish home has television sets or radios, let alone DVDs. I was so intrigued by the "marble roller" that I attempted to buy one at a craft store. I was turned away and told that they do not sell "marble rolling pins." Need it be said that the Amish look upon these new-fangled inventions as the ideas of the "English." The church is the main focus in their lives with a strong sense of family and tradition to guide them.Tours of replicas of Amish homes and farms can be arranged through the Convention and Visitors Bureau or your travel professional who can book a tour for non-drivers with anyone of these local tour operators: Collette, Bliss, Parker, Gerber, Great Escapes and Hampton Jitney. You can see windmills above the barns generating power the old-fashioned way. Not to be missed is Lancaster's Central Market, the oldest continuously operating farmers market in the United States where you can enjoy a hand rolled and tied pretzel.In addition to the Amish way of life, I learned that Lancaster was also the capital of the United States for one day in our early history. A walk in downtown Lancaster on cobblestone streets was another visit to the past as was going through the estate of President James Buchanan and seeing how a former president lived in Pennsylvania Dutch country. Then, there is Gettysburg battlefield, considered the turning point of the Civil War, and the Landis Valley Museum, which was built in recognition of the Pennsylvania German settlers in the 19th century. I did get to see some open hearth cooking and realized again how wonderful a microwave was for today's fast cooking. It was pure bliss to sit back and chug along the "road to Paradise" aboard the Strasburg Rail Road, the oldest short-line railroad in the country, after a day of touring. And how comfortable and luxurious it was to ride in an old parlor car rather than roughing it down at track level on a pump car. This was indeed the old fashioned way of railroading.But a visit to Pennsylvania Dutch Country cannot end without eating at Miller's Bakery and learning how Shoofly Pie got its name. You can just about smell the sugary content of Shoofly Pie from the recipe. Flies swarmed around this delicious pie and in utter frustration, the baker cried out, "Shoofly" and hoped the flies would heed his warning before the swatter took over.
Shoofly Pie Recipe
Ingredients (Wet Bottom) 1 cup dark corn syrup 1 cup brown sugar2 cups water 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda Ingredients (Crumb Topping)2 1/2 cups all purpose flour1 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup shortening1 tsp. CinnamonDash of salt 2 - 9-inch pie shells (unbaked)Heat all ingredients for "wet bottom until sugars dissolve completely. Combine all ingredients for crumb topping in a large bowl using a pastry blender or two knives criss-crossing through the mixture (or use a food processor). Pour 1 1/2 cups of wet bottom syrup into each pie shell. Top with crumb mixture until level with edge of pie shell. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 1 1/2 hours. Best when served warm with ice cream or whipped cream.Copyright by Marcia AbramsonE-mail: mascribe@aol.com
