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Amish and Mennonite Bookshelf
Those familiar with Amish and Mennonite culture can often tell a lot about a person or church by their choice in Bible versions or hymnbooks. Amish use the Martin Luther German translation of the Bible, or if English, the Kings James Bible. They use a unique German hymnal—the Ausbund—with hymns that, to non-Amish, sound very slow and often mournful.
Due to the wide range of Mennonites, the range of Bible and hymnbook choices is too long to include here, although the most conservative Mennonites still read the King James Bible exclusively.
Raspberry Juice
• 4 quarts raspberries
• Vinegar
• Sugar
Put the raspberries in a crock and cover with vinegar. Let stand in a cool place for 24 hours. Heat to boiling point and strain. Add 1 cup sugar to each cup of juice. Boil 15 minutes and seal in sterile jars.
Living the Simple Life
Because the Amish have no electric dryers, they hang their laundry outside to dry. When you have the time and the weather is nice, try hanging your laundry outside to dry. You’ll not only be saving energy, but the fresh, clean smell will relax your senses.
Rhubarb Juice
• 10 cups chopped rhubarb
• 10 cups water
• 2 cups sugar
Boil rhubarb in the water until very soft. Strain. Stir sugar into strained juice and bring to a boil. Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal, or cool and freeze. Make punch, if desired, by adding 2 large bottles lemonlime soda or ginger ale and 1 large can (12 ounces) frozen orange juice, thawed.
Tip: To prevent cut fruits from discoloring before preserving, place them in a gallon of water mixed with 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Drain well before canning.
Tomato Juice
• 11 quarts tomatoes
• 1 stalk celery
• 3 onions
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
Cut tomatoes coarsely. Boil with celery and onions for 30 minutes and strain. Bring juice to a boil and add sugar, salt, and vinegar. Boil 5 minutes and seal.
Friendship Tea
• 3 packages Tang
• ⅓ cup instant tea
• 1 package lemonade mix
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (ground)
Mix. To use, put 2–3 teaspoons in a cup and fill with boiling water.
Tip: Freeze leftover tea in ice cube trays, and add the cubes to your next glass of iced tea.
Mint Tea
• 1 tea bag (or more for stronger flavor)
• 6 stems mint, slightly crushed
• Dash cayenne pepper
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup lemon juice
Steep the tea bag and mint in boiling water with cayenne pepper. Strain. Add the sugar and lemon juice. Refrigerate. Dilute with water when ready to serve.
Tip: To keep iced tea from clouding over, keep the tea at room temperature. When it’s time to serve, just pour it over ice cubes.
Swiss Tea
• ½ cup green tea (preferably Tender Leaf tea)
• 2 sticks cinnamon, broken into pieces
• ½ teaspoon (or big pinch) saffron
• 1 ½ cups sugar (more or less to taste)
• 1 quart boiling water
Add tea, cinnamon, and saffron to 1 quart boiling water. Simmer 15–20 minutes. Strain. Add enough hot water to make 1 gallon tea. Stir in the sugar until dissolved.
Tip: You’ll get a tastier cup of tea if you brew it in a clean china or earthenware pot, using fresh, cold water that’s been brought quickly to a boil.
Hot Spiced Apple Cider
• 4 teaspoons whole cloves
• 4 teaspoons whole allspice
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 2 gallons apple cider
• ½–1 cup brown sugar (more or less to taste)
Tie spices together in cheesecloth. Add spice bag to cider and heat to desired temperature (do not boil). Serve hot. Add ½–1 cup brown sugar if cider is too tart.
Photo courtesy of The Gray Boxwood, www.thegrayboxwood.com
Quick Root Beer
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 gallon lukewarm water
• 4 teaspoons root beer extract
• 1 teaspoon dry yeast
Use some hot water to dissolve sugar. Mix all ingredients together. Put in jars. Cover and set in sun for 4 hours. Chill before serving. Ready to serve the next day. No need to bottle.
From Amish Cooking, published by Pathway Publishers Corporation.
Living the Simple Life
Thriftiness is part of Amish culture. With large families, the Amish have learned to be frugal and to make the most out of the household items they have. Whether it’s food, clothing, furniture, or bedding, Amish culture teaches a person not to be wasteful.
Fruit Punch
Serves 35
• 1 ½ quarts pineapple juice
• 1 6-ounce can frozen lemonade
• 1 12-ounce can frozen orange juice
• 1 quart cranberry juice
• 1 ½ quarts cold water
• 1 cup sugar
• Half of a 3-ounce package cherry gelatin dissolved in 1 cup boiling water
• 1 quart ginger ale or lemon-lime soda
• Orange or lemon sherbet (optional)
Mix all together. At serving time, add 1 quart ginger ale or lemon-lime soda. Add orange or lemon sherbet if desired.
Tip: