# Have you spoken or learnt from the Amish?



## Constantine (Aug 24, 2012)

*Have you spoken to, or learnt from the Amish?*

Now, let's get one thing straight: the Amish are awesome. 

Have you spoken to the Amish about how they do things, such as canning, or preserving foods, or making their own blankets or foods or anything? If not, are you considering it? If you have, what have you learnt from them?

As a Brit, I'd love to be able to meet people with these kind of skills. Not to say there aren't people who can't do it here, but I don't know anybody who does.


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## tqu9047 (Aug 22, 2012)

I used to work for an auction where we would make deliveries of flour and sugar in the middle of the night.
Once you get used to seeing the lantern being carried and no porch light coming on, it was pretty cool.
I can honestly say, I am one of the few "Outsiders" to be allowed inside their home.
Very cool!

Tim


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## Constantine (Aug 24, 2012)

Nice! Did you learn anything from them?
How self-sufficient were they? What did they lack?


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

Constantine said:


> Nice! Did you learn anything from them?
> How self-sufficient were they? What did they lack?


Electric , fluoride in the water, and style in their clothing.

I'll be heading to the local Amish (or is it Mennonite?) store Friday for some ground flax seed.


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## Constantine (Aug 24, 2012)

AquaHull said:


> Electric , fluoride in the water, and style in their clothing.


That's not too bad. 
Except the fluoride, though. How could a group compensate for that?


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## readygirl (Sep 8, 2012)

AquaHull said:


> Electric , fluoride in the water, and style in their clothing.
> 
> I'll be heading to the local Amish (or is it Mennonite?) store Friday for some ground flax seed.


 That must be why they are so happy, gotta drink the hard stuff, no way to keep beer cold.....LOL


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## Watercanlady (Jul 23, 2012)

I have many very good friends that are Amish. We have been friends for over 20 years. What exactly are you getting at. They can, bake bread, the same as any one else does. Some areas canning and such are more prominent than other parts of the country. Where I live almost every one home cans and grows their own garden to do so. I have been to their wedding and many funerals. They are very humble people and yes I have been in their houses many of them I have even spent the night at several of their homes when visiting out of state. I can probably answer just about any questions You may have within reason I will not answer anything to disrespect them.....


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## readygirl (Sep 8, 2012)

Watercanlady said:


> I have many very good friends that are Amish. We have been friends for over 20 years. What exactly are you getting at. They can, bake bread, the same as any one else does. Some areas canning and such are more prominent than other parts of the country. Where I live almost every one home cans and grows their own garden to do so. I have been to their wedding and many funerals. They are very humble people and yes I have been in their houses many of them I have even spent the night at several of their homes when visiting out of state. I can probably answer just about any questions You may have within reason I will not answer anything to disrespect them.....


 There are some GBs (German-Baptist) that own/run a small butcher shop near where i live. I shop there every week, and am starting to get to know some of them very well. I raise New Zealand White / Dutch Belted meat rabbits, and have been selling quite a few to them. Do you know what the main differences are between the GBs, and the Amish ? I have always been curious, but dont know if they would be offended if i asked.


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## Watercanlady (Jul 23, 2012)

I am not sure what a German Baptist is. How do they dress? The old order Amish dress in plain fabrics mostly darker colors. No prints. They wear a prayer cap which is white all the time. When they go out in public to a store they wear a black bonnet. I will ask and see what I can find out. Mostly they would not be offended. They would rather you ask such things as to assume.


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## tqu9047 (Aug 22, 2012)

While we were making one delivery, our truck got stuck in a snow bank. Within 10 minutes, there was at least 10 gentlemen and their
horses there to get us out. It worked. To this day I don't know where they all came from as I didn't see many houses around.
What they lack (flouride, electricity etc) has no bearing on their lives.
What they have, class, respect etc more than makes up for what they lack. When you hear the saying, "It takes a village",
I think they were talking about the Amish.
This was over 30 years ago and I still remember most of the visit.

Tim


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## Constantine (Aug 24, 2012)

Watercanlady said:


> I can probably answer just about any questions You may have


How do they preserve their food? I want to get as much knowledge to be independent from electricity as possible, in case it never comes back; I don't want to be hunting for fuel for a generator if I don't need it to survive, so things like canning, brining, sun-drying, etc interest me.


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

tqu9047 said:


> While we were making one delivery, our truck got stuck in a snow bank. Within 10 minutes, there was at least 10 gentlemen and their
> horses there to get us out. It worked. To this day I don't know where they all came from as I didn't see many houses around.
> What they lack (flouride, electricity etc) has no bearing on their lives.
> What they have, class, respect etc more than makes up for what they lack. When you hear the saying, "It takes a village",
> ...


I didn't mean my post about fluoride lacking to be sarcastic. I don't have it in my well either, fluoride treatments at the Dentist cover that.

Besides that, all they're missing is the Electric, at home that is. Which means no TV, with it's vile content either.They're also covered when the power goes out, no worries, life as normal.


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## Watercanlady (Jul 23, 2012)

Constantine said:


> How do they preserve their food? I want to get as much knowledge to be independent from electricity as possible, in case it never comes back; I don't want to be hunting for fuel for a generator if I don't need it to survive, so things like canning, brining, sun-drying, etc interest me.


They can almost everything. They make their own sausage, and such and then can it. They can hamburger, fish and whatever. When they butcher a hog or beef they eat some fresh and can the rest. They make something called trail bologna that is sort of like a salami also. Now many of them near me have an ice house. So they can keep a small amount of items frozen or near frozen. 
For lights they use white gas and have it in a tank such as your BBQ grill then the pipe is about 5 ft high with a mantle head on the top. The tank sets on a wooden platform on wheels and can be rolled from room to room. It pretty well lights the entire main floor on the home as they have open floor plans.


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## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

I don't know about the Amish lacking fluoride, but here in Britain it naturally occurs in all water in varying tiny amounts depending on region, so we all get it over here whether we want it or not.
It's supposed to be good for teeth, but there can be unpleasant side effects-

_"Fluoride is a highly toxic substance. Consider, for example, the poison warning that the FDA now requires on all fluoride toothpastes sold in the U.S. or the tens of millions of people throughout China and India who now suffer serious crippling bone diseases from drinking water with elevated levels of fluoride"_
Fluoride Action Network | Health Effects

Some years ago I had a borderline underactive thyroid and felt cold and sluggish half the time, so when I heard fluoride might aggravate our thyroids i switched to fluoride-free toothpaste and have felt much better ever since..


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## shotlady (Aug 30, 2012)

mennonites allow electricity and cars, amish is the good ole living. learned that from a tv show about them. id love that. too bad they turn their backs on their kids whenthey decide tohave a different existance. i couldnt imagine turning my back on my kids. id love to stay a month or two with the amish. 
they should open adventure camps for people to pay to go have the experience and work along side them experience their culture. id be worth it.


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## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

Good luck to the Amish, but for real survival skills, indigenous peoples would take some beating.
For example, early English colonists in America were often at the point of starvation and could only stay alive by begging or trading for food from local indian tribes who'd been happily living off the land for thousands of years.
Same with Eskimos/Innuits. Polar explorers starved while all around them were tribes surviving as they'd always done.
And trans-Australia expeditions starved too, but the aborigines had been surviving for countless centuries..
There's something beautiful and spiritual about living in perfect harmony with nature-


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## Watercanlady (Jul 23, 2012)

They also taught me to quilt.... I have helped them out at quilting bees and they have come here and helped me too. I since have made 20 queen sized quilts. And 1- twin size. I have not been over to ask the difference of them is yet. I know they hunt, fish, trap and then preserve or can their catch for the winter.


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## shotlady (Aug 30, 2012)

oooooooooooooo really now?????? i have been shopping for a nice quilt. man! i want one so bad!!!


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## amishsurvivalguy (Feb 6, 2013)

I live in an Amish community and we've actually started a site for Amish preppers and those who want to learn from the Amish, www.amishsurvivalsecrets.com
We'll be glad to get your thoughts and questions on what we're doing. Just got started about 4 months ago.


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## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

I wish there were some in Texas close by...Id like to rub shoulders with them and learn as much as I can from them. Bet they are a gold mine of knowledge to soak up!!!


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## Watercanlady (Jul 23, 2012)

shotlady said:


> oooooooooooooo really now?????? i have been shopping for a nice quilt. man! i want one so bad!!!


You need to make a visit up to Michigan... We go to the Amish quilt auction twice a year. We camp in the Amish guys hay field for the weekend. They auction off quilt tops, complete quilts, rugs, table runners, etc. they auction off about 200+ quilts over the 2 days.


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## TLock762x51 (Nov 14, 2012)

Y'know...this whole thread kinda makes me laugh. Not because I have anything against the Amish. My parents were friends with an Amish family when I was a kid. I ran around and played with their son when I was 8-12, he was about the same age. They were quite friendly, and great people.

What I find humorous, and a bit disconcerting, is that most Americans weren't living life that much differently just a short time ago. My Father and Mother could (and did) do everything that the Amish do.

My Dad milked cows, used horses to till the ground (and knew how to use every piece of horse-drawn farming equipment), baked bread from scratch, knew how to raise chickens, goats, and cattle, and how to butcher them. They raised a huge garden every year, until they were too old and unable to physically do so any longer. They canned everything they grew.

My Mom canned, baked great pies (and *THE BEST* apple dumplings) and such, quilted all of her life (I have 8 of her handmade (and hand-sewn) quilts in my closet right now. (She even mentioned that the Amish, by and large, no longer sew their quilts by hand...because "Amish-made" quilts have become so desirable in the eastern states...most have gone to machine-stitching to speed up their production. My Mother insisted on sewing all of her quilts by hand...every single stitch.) She knew how to churn butter, and I believe she knew how to make cheese.

My point is that most of our parents (or grandparents, for some of you) knew how to live as the Amish do currently, and we heap praise on the Amish for being geniuses. Again, nothing against the Amish...they are nice folks. But...the rest of us are the product of modern civilization. We've modernized ourselves to the point where we can barely do anything for ourselves. And if we think _we're_ bad...what will this next generation be like? They've been raised on I-pads, cell phones, and Facebook. Many of them can't tell time on an analog clock, don't know how to use a compass, and certainly can't figure out how to use a firearm. If it requires more than the push of a button...they can't do it.

The human race is modernizing itself out of existence. The "reset" button is about to be pushed.

Tim


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## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

TLock762x51 said:


> ..the rest of us are the product of modern civilization. We've modernized ourselves to the point where we can barely do anything for ourselves...


Right, we've lost touch with the planet, not like the self-sufficient peoples who survived easily enough for thousands of years (Aussie aborigines, Eskimos, jungle tribes etc)-

_"Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing and humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people. The sap which courses through the trees carries the memories of the red man. We are part of the earth and it is part of us. 
The perfumed flowers are our sisters; the deer, the horse, the great eagle, these are our brothers. 
The rocky crests, the juices in the meadows, the body heat of the pony, and man, all belong to the same family. The rivers are our brothers, they quench our thirst. The rivers carry our canoes.
*The sight of your cities pains the eyes of the red man*. 
There is no quiet place in the white man's cities. No place to hear the unfurling of leaves in spring or the rustle of the insect's wings. The clatter only seems to insult the ears."- Chief Seattle of the Suquamis_

American Indian Quotes










The writing's on the wall for us poor "civilised" shmucks-
_*"The time has come for judging the dead.. and for destroying those who destroy the earth"* (Revelation 11:18 )_


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## Watercanlady (Jul 23, 2012)

I don't think any one really is praising the Amish just admiring there simple lifestyle compared to ours who have modernized. It isn't easy to live in the community where your neighbors all have cell phones, Internet, tv, all the modern conveniences and you stick with the ole horse and buggy to get to town. I am very good friends with many if them and they are just people. We laugh, tell jokes, and such just like my other friends but at the end of the day I go watch tv they go spend quality time with their family, read books, talk about their day. Amish is a religion just as some of us be Catholic, Methodist, Mormon, etc. they are people just as you and I but chose to stick with the simple lifestyle.

Yes I watched my parents, and grandparents, grow a garden, harvest food, can everything available. I am very grateful fr them for teaching me these skills as I can anything I get ahold of. I have learned a lot from my Amish friends also, quilting,and going to learn soap making. Our grandparents struggled through tough times such as the depression and we live now in a very spoiled world. I sure some people wake up and realize we are headed back to those hard times. I will be grateful for our Amish friends and neighbors during those times. We can help each other.....


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