Landcaster County

When we were in Indiana, the Amish bakeries had plenty of good apple fritters and we ate dozens of them. When I told my friend, Denise, that we were headed to Pennsylvania, she told me that the Amish bakery item in this area is the whoopie pie. She said they were the best, her family ate their fair share while they were visiting here. I'm happy she told us about this delicious Pennsylvania Dutch treat, I would have hated to miss out on them. Today our mission was to go to the Landcaster area to find Amish whoopie pies. 

Bought a couple at each bakery we visited, talked to a few bakers and learned lots. We were told the whoopie pies originated in Lancaster County and are one of the country's most loved comfort foods. They were created by Lancaster’s Amish and Pennsylvania German communities and the recipes have been handed down for years in home kitchens and small bakeries. They say that whoopie pies were first made from leftover cake batter, when kids saw a stack of whoopie pies they would yell 'Whoopie!' hence the name. We tried many flavors; our favorites are red velvet, pumpkin, and the classic chocolate. Good stuff.

We shopped at Kitchen Kettle Village - over 40 cute shops, restaurants and an inn centered around a jam and relish kitchen where we watched them prepare the jellies and jams. The village has a wonderful art gallery with a knowledgeable staff.

We ate lunch at Good n Plenty in Smoketown. We wanted the traditional Amish meal with all the trimmings but were not too sure about the 'family style' where they seat you at a table of strangers. We gave it a try and the two strangers we sat with were the best part of the experience, they were lovely. A smart young lady, Rachael, who was working on her Ph.D. in opera and an intrepid young man, David, finishing his bachelors in opera, he planned to move to Europe to preform. We enjoyed listening to their stories about summer jobs of working in the arts.  The meal provided an awesome backdrop to a wonderful discussion. We all sat at the long family table and were served cottage cheese, chow chow (pickled veggie salad - I like it), applesauce, delicious chicken salad, coleslaw and a few other dishes. Then the main courses came. Fried chicken, roast beef, ham and cabbage, mashed potatoes, corn, peas, and Amish brown buttered noodles (first time having the noodles - yummy). the meal ended with cheesecakes, shoe fly pie, apple pie, pudding, and ice cream. We said good-bye to our lunch-mates and as we walked out I was thinking how much my father would enjoy a place like this; it is a lot like a buffet but they bring everything to you.

We love seeing the Amish horse and buggies and we had the pleasure of seeing many.          

By the end of the day, it was nice to kick-back and visit with Marie and Jerry. It was a beautiful day!