Traverse City Record-Eagle

Lovina Eicher: The Amish Cook

March 22, 2010

Amish Cook: Put-aside chores being done

BY LOVINA EICHER

On Friday, it was six years since we made the move from Indiana to Michigan. These six years sure went by fast.

I remember our horse Ginger being born just six days after our move. Then daughter Lovina was born two months after we moved but three weeks earlier than her due date. I was not very prepared for her arrival. I still remember I didn't have all of our boxes unpacked, including the baby clothes.

We don't regret moving, as our family has adjusted well and enjoyed our time here.

Another Monday has rolled around and we want to do laundry again. It is dreary outside so I don't think we'll hang all the clothes outside to dry. These last few weeks of having all these nice drying days sure spoiled us. Temperatures are now around 40 degrees and our snow has all disappeared.

The horseradish is coming up and I am hoping we can make some homemade horseradish before Easter. We like the horseradish with the hardboiled eggs that the children color. The strawberry plants are looking very good. I keep looking for signs of dandelion greens but haven't seen any yet. They are a family favorite in salads.

Meanwhile we are enjoying the fresh meat from the beef and pork we butchered last month. There is such a variety of food we can make such as sausage gravy, grilled hamburgers, steak, soups and casseroles. It sure is handy and cheaper not to buy it weekly out of the store.

Since husband Joe is on four-day work weeks he is starting the project of tearing out a wall in our pole barn. He put in a different door that wasn't new but was better than the one we had. He also wants us to put in some windows we had saved from our old house. This should make it brighter in there because it doesn't have any windows except in the overhead doors.

Joe seems to be getting a lot of his work caught up that seemed to get pushed back during the winter. He had our neighbor repair a part on our manure spreader. Now it is ready to haul manure this spring. Soon it will be time to start with the yard work and the garden. It will sure help to have all this other work caught up.

It also looks like we will have church services at our house sometime this spring. Preparing for church services will come right in with the spring cleaning.

Tomorrow sister Emma plans to leave her 2-year-old Steven and baby Marilyn here while she runs errands and goes to a doctor appointment. Daughter Elizabeth, 15, and I will enjoy having them here. Kevin, 4, is very excited to have his cousin Steven come play with him.

Through a goal in class Lovina, 5, has had to memorize her address and learn to tie her shoes. She has really been practicing. I am surprised how well she has adjusted to school.

Elizabeth has started with the laundry and I need to go help her.

With the strawberry and rhubarb season just around the corner try this strawberry-rhubarb pie.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

4 c. rhubarb, diced

3 c. strawberries, sliced

2 c. sugar

3 eggs

4 T. flour

1/4 t. lemon extract

Pinch of salt

Mix rhubarb and strawberries. Put into an unbaked 9-inch pie crust. Beat eggs, sugar, flour and lemon extract until blended. Add pinch of salt and pour over fruit. Optional: add a favorite crumb topping mixture. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.

Lovina Eicher is Old Order Amish. She hand-writes this column from her home in southern Michigan. Anyone with cultural or cooking questions can send them to: Lovina Eicher, The Amish Cook, P.O. Box 2144, Middletown, OH 45042. Read all of her columns online at www.record-eagle.com/amishcook.

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  • Thursday, November 24, 2011
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    Nov 24, 2011 6:14 am
  • Thursday, November 17, 2011
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    Nov 17, 2011 7:22 am 1 Photo
  • Thursday, November 10, 2011
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  • Thursday, November 3, 2011
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    Nov 3, 2011 7:42 am 1 Photo
  • Thursday, October 27, 2011
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    Oct 27, 2011 7:43 am
  • Thursday, October 20, 2011
  • Amish Cook: Coal is in; bring on winter
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    Oct 20, 2011 7:32 am 1 Photo
  • Thursday, October 13, 2011
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  • Thursday, October 6, 2011
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    Oct 6, 2011 7:51 am
  • Thursday, September 29, 2011
  • The Amish Cook: Lots of work for church
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    Sep 29, 2011 7:33 am 1 Photo
  • Thursday, September 22, 2011
  • The Amish Cook: Busy day turns frantic
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    This is a diary of this past Saturday.
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  • Thursday, September 15, 2011
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    I still have red beets that I need to pull and make into pickled beets. We still have tomatoes, peppers and popcorn but otherwise my garden is pretty much history for 2011. This is the first year we have tried growing popcorn, so we'll be interested to see how it turns out. My jalapeno and serrano peppers are still doing well so I want to make homemade hot pepper butter soon. I won't add as many hot peppers as the recipe calls for so that it is not too hot for the children.

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    Sep 15, 2011 7:39 am 1 Photo
  • Thursday, September 8, 2011
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    Verena will be in seventh grade, Benjamin in sixth and Loretta will enter middle school in grade 5. In the elementary building Joseph will be in third grade, Lovina in first, and Kevin in kindergarten. The house will seem empty when all six leave for school at 7 a.m. tomorrow morning. We are hoping and praying that Verena will have a better year this term. Elizabeth, 17, is sewing Joseph some new pants hoping to have them in time for him to wear to school tomorrow. She has cut out quite a few pairs of pants for the boys, I think a total of 10. It seems like we will be able to have more time to sew after the children are in school.

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  • Thursday, September 1, 2011
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    Son Kevin is down to counting "five times to sleep" before his sixth birthday on Sept. 2. Kevin is our youngest and he will be starting kindergarten. The years go way too fast for me. Daughter Lovina, 7, will still let me hold her on my lap a lot more than Kevin does. He tells me, "Mom I am not a baby anymore." At the recent family gathering, Kevin told my husband Joe that he doesn't need help carrying his plate anymore. He said, "At school I carry my own plate." You can just really see them grow up. Daughter Susan, 15, is training another pony for a family in our church. I have more tomatoes to can that the boys picked for me. Our potatoes didn't do so well so it looks like we will end up buying storage potatoes for the winter.

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    Sep 1, 2011 7:32 am 1 Photo
  • Thursday, August 25, 2011
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    Aug 25, 2011 7:47 am 1 Photo
  • Thursday, August 18, 2011
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    Aug 18, 2011 8:23 am 1 Photo