Mealtime....
Most Amish families are large, and our Amish family was no exception. Rachel and Melvin have been married 22 years and have 8 children, 3 girls and 5 boys. Their firstborn daughter, Eva is 21, and still lives at home only on the weekends. The next two children are boys, ages 20 and 19. They both have jobs away from the farm, so their time at home is limited. They have paid their dues at this working farm, and now are busy starting their lives out from under Mom and Dad.
We became close to the younger 5 children. Their ages were 15, 13, 11, 9 and 6. Rachel called them her second family, because of the 4 year gap between her 3rd and 4th child.
All 8 children were born at home, with a midwife present for 5, the other 3 were delivered by their father. The youngest weighed 11 pounds. I told her she was "the woman!".
As a mother of 4, I could only imagine what meal time must be like for this large family. I was quite interested in seeing how this all worked for them.
Upon entering Rachel's beautiful, newly remodeled kitchen, (of course, Amish custom built) it was quite evident this room was the hub of the house. I didn't know how primitive the kitchen would be, however to my pleasant surprise, there was running hot and cold water, a propane powered refrigerator, and a gas range. A large modern island sat 3 feet away from the kitchen sink. The cabinets were beautiful oak, and enough counter space to have 3 working stations.
It didn't take me very long to realize the kitchen was the place where Mom heard about the day at school, looked at school papers, served a snack, or placed a bandage on a sore foot or toe. (Remember Amish children generally don't wear shoes. They only wear them in the winter and to church on Sunday. Bandages are a regular part of the daily routine.)
Upon entering Rachel's beautiful, newly remodeled kitchen, (of course, Amish custom built) it was quite evident this room was the hub of the house. I didn't know how primitive the kitchen would be, however to my pleasant surprise, there was running hot and cold water, a propane powered refrigerator, and a gas range. A large modern island sat 3 feet away from the kitchen sink. The cabinets were beautiful oak, and enough counter space to have 3 working stations.
It didn't take me very long to realize the kitchen was the place where Mom heard about the day at school, looked at school papers, served a snack, or placed a bandage on a sore foot or toe. (Remember Amish children generally don't wear shoes. They only wear them in the winter and to church on Sunday. Bandages are a regular part of the daily routine.)
On the other side of the island was a very long dining room table that could easily sit 16 people. With the three additional leaves it would seat 24. It was covered with a blue and white gingham tablecloth. This would be where we would spend some of the most valuable family time.
Each child had a chore to help Mom get breakfast on the table. Setting the table with dishes, and silverware, cups (placed upside down), a pitcher of cold water, and fresh, organic, whole milk was always on the table first. Food was placed, and everyone took their seat, Dad at the head of the table, Mom to his right, boys to the left side of the table, and girls on the right next to Mom. No one started dipping food early, it was very important that each family member wait for our Scripture and devotion time. Everyone in the house at that time was present. Keith and I followed suit.
Before every meal we had devotions. Except at lunch time....then it was silent prayers. We were asked by Melvin to kneel on the floor next to our chairs or bench to hear the reading of scriptures in High German. We ended our scripture time with the Lord's Prayer in English. This was in favor for their English guests. The language spoken in their home is Pennsylvania Dutch, which is a combination of German and Dutch. Every child and adult spoke English fluently. Sometimes they would confuse a German word for an English word, and family members would giggle. But, the minute Keith started his visit, English was spoken instead of the German/Dutch language, out of respect for their guest.
After kneeling for devotions, everyone took their seats, and we had another moment of silence, asking for Blessings for our meal. Not a word was spoken. No "Amen" was uttered. But, we all knew when the prayer time was over. Movement began.
Breakfast was quieter than dinner or lunch time. Five o' clock am is pretty early, and sleepy eyes were still heavy.
Breakfast was quieter than dinner or lunch time. Five o' clock am is pretty early, and sleepy eyes were still heavy.
Each morning we had homemade granola, fresh whole unpasteurized milk, Keith's cinnamon rolls, and coffee. Everyone from 6 years to 55 years would drink the steaming cups of coffee, with real cream and sugar.
Dad and Mom would talk about the upcoming day. What work had to be done, and what time lunch would be due to the schedule. The children would add their comments. At the end of the meal, we lowered our heads for a silent prayer, giving thanks for the meal, and asked blessings for the day.
The children grabbed their headlights. Jacob, the 15 year old, grabbed his boots, and headed for the barn. His 13 year old sister Roseanne would follow, only in barefeet. Their jobs were to milk the cows that were patiently waiting. Udders full, the Mamma cows would follow the routine and file into the milking room. The job would take around 1 hour. This happened two times a day....5:00am, and 5:00 pm.
On school days 4 of the 5 children would hurry up to their rooms after their chores were done in the early morning. They would clean up and put their school clothes on. The 6 year old didn't have chore time yet. His age would graduate him to his own chores the coming year. He is Rachel and Melvin's last child at home for another year. His day consists of hanging with Dad, and under Mom's foot. The farm is his playground, and he knows every crook and cranny.
On school days 4 of the 5 children would hurry up to their rooms after their chores were done in the early morning. They would clean up and put their school clothes on. The 6 year old didn't have chore time yet. His age would graduate him to his own chores the coming year. He is Rachel and Melvin's last child at home for another year. His day consists of hanging with Dad, and under Mom's foot. The farm is his playground, and he knows every crook and cranny.
Dinnertime was about the same......kneeling, devotions, scripture reading, silent prayer, and then eating. However, the noise level was much different. This was time to talk about the day, and the activities. Nothing was off limits, and each child contributed in the conversation.
Each evening I was there we stayed at the table an extra long time to just talk. The kids never fussed to leave the table, they all participated in the conversation. Laughter, joking, and teasing were a big part of this time. Keith told his "hippo" story one of the nights before I got there. They all laughed and teased about it. Rachel was afraid she would have the younger two boys up in the middle of the night with nightmares.
On Friday evening we had a "campfire" behind the barn at their summer cabin. It was a room that had been taken off the back of the house for the remodeling to be done. Melvin and the boys had been working to make it a place for the kids to go and "camp" out. It could also serve as a summer kitchen.
Rachel built a fire in their homemade fire pit, and we all settled around the warmth of the fire, eating hamburgers, chips, and s'mores. Melvin told his stories that night. The children would cheer him on, remembering stories that Dad had told in the past. They wanted us to hear them as well. It was a glimpse into a warm and loving family. I almost felt like I was invading in this personal time with all of them. But, that soon left with the laughter.
The first night I joined them around the dinner table,the meal consisted of Amish Swiss Cheese, Homemade Deer Summer Sausage, Crackers, Fruit Slushie (home grown peaches in sugar and cinnamon, frozen),and home grown jalapeno peppers, stuffed with a cream cheese mixture, rolled in cracker crumbs and baked.
Another evening we had left overs from two big lunches. Fried potato patties, fried chicken, green beans, fresh corn, and homemade bread. By the way....we never had chicken on the day of the "chicken kill". But, that is another post......
This family was special. They all loved each other very much. They worked and laughed together. Their meal time felt like a sitcom around the 1950's. Sort of made me sad that most families don't make that special time anymore.
I have always loved family around the dinner table. When our kids were younger we made sure that was an important part of our day. No Television, No radio, and limited phone calls. I grew up in a household the same way. Those are some of my fondest memories with my brothers and my parents.
Each evening I was there we stayed at the table an extra long time to just talk. The kids never fussed to leave the table, they all participated in the conversation. Laughter, joking, and teasing were a big part of this time. Keith told his "hippo" story one of the nights before I got there. They all laughed and teased about it. Rachel was afraid she would have the younger two boys up in the middle of the night with nightmares.
On Friday evening we had a "campfire" behind the barn at their summer cabin. It was a room that had been taken off the back of the house for the remodeling to be done. Melvin and the boys had been working to make it a place for the kids to go and "camp" out. It could also serve as a summer kitchen.
Rachel built a fire in their homemade fire pit, and we all settled around the warmth of the fire, eating hamburgers, chips, and s'mores. Melvin told his stories that night. The children would cheer him on, remembering stories that Dad had told in the past. They wanted us to hear them as well. It was a glimpse into a warm and loving family. I almost felt like I was invading in this personal time with all of them. But, that soon left with the laughter.
The first night I joined them around the dinner table,the meal consisted of Amish Swiss Cheese, Homemade Deer Summer Sausage, Crackers, Fruit Slushie (home grown peaches in sugar and cinnamon, frozen),and home grown jalapeno peppers, stuffed with a cream cheese mixture, rolled in cracker crumbs and baked.
Another evening we had left overs from two big lunches. Fried potato patties, fried chicken, green beans, fresh corn, and homemade bread. By the way....we never had chicken on the day of the "chicken kill". But, that is another post......
This family was special. They all loved each other very much. They worked and laughed together. Their meal time felt like a sitcom around the 1950's. Sort of made me sad that most families don't make that special time anymore.
I have always loved family around the dinner table. When our kids were younger we made sure that was an important part of our day. No Television, No radio, and limited phone calls. I grew up in a household the same way. Those are some of my fondest memories with my brothers and my parents.
It was an honor to be a part of this special time with this family. They made us feel so welcome.
It felt a little bit like home, their mealtimes were much more than just eating......
It felt a little bit like home, their mealtimes were much more than just eating......
Delaine
Love this Delaine! You really took us there.
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