It’s amazing how much ground you can cover in a short time once you have your sites focused and travel solo.
The solo suggestion is by no means to cast disparaging remarks at friends, but there is little question that going it alone has many benefits. All the decisions are yours. There is no one to ask what time you want to leave, which route do you prefer, what should we wear, how much will it cost, where will we eat?
Just throw an overnight bag in the car and head out like I did recently heading toward Wayne and Holmes counties in Ohio Amish country.
I had been telling friends since early spring that I was overdue for Ohio Amish therapy. Occasionally, they would say they would also like to go, but everyone’s plans got in the way until I finally said, “This is my plan and I am going.”
I petted the cats goodbye and headed east on the Ohio Turnpike for the Norwalk exit, and from there it’s U.S. 250 straight into the land of the horses and buggies and the friendly people who dress differently.
Twenty eight hours later, I was back home with a belly full of wonderful Amish food and a head full of reasons to return ASAP.
Ordinarily, there is no need to stop in Norwalk before getting on 250, but this time there were two reasons. A disappointing lunch at the well-known Berry’s Restaurant was a waste of time and money, but the second stop downtown made up for it.
The Norwalk Fabric Outlet has no Amish connection but everything to do with finding a bargain. All fabrics are $7 a yard. Upholstery, drapery, quilting ... you name it. All kinds of fabric are stacked high and wide in several rooms. It’s like the brochure says, “thousands of yards, hundreds of designs and colors.” Owner Bev Boguszewski’s shop is open Wednesday through Saturday, by chance or by appointment Monday and Tuesday, but never on Sunday.
The third stop that afternoon was the beginning of the Amish renewal. How can you go through Apple Creek and not stop at Troyer’s Bakery, which is smack dab on the main road?
Do you have custard pie today? Yes, they did, and it was chilled perfectly and with creamy custard baked on a thin flaky crust. One piece of pie eaten at the checkered-cloth topped table was not enough, but it had to suffice because Amish dinners are, to say the least, filling. Most Troyer’s customers take home whole pies, but I turned to the shelves of angel food cakes this time and chose chocolate over raspberry, strawberry, or just plain white.
Whether it’s the back roads, the side roads, or the main route, the drive through Wayne and Holmes counties should be leisurely paced to best enjoy Ohio’s landscape still untouched save for farms, crops, and livestock. Maintaining a slow speed on the narrow roads is also a safety precaution for the horse-drawn buggies and their passengers. I cringe when autos pass the buggies at high speed.
The verdant green rolling hills are marked by farms that reflect a bygone era when farmers were more dependent on horses than on gas-driven machinery. In addition to acres of crops, most Amish homesteads also feature large vegetable gardens that no doubt supply the family larder in winter. On the self-guided leisure drive on back roads during this season, visitors can also be sure to see an abundance of flowers that border walkways and porches and that, like most everything Amish, are well-maintained.
As they say, time goes fast when you are having fun, and so it was at 5 o’clock, and I did not have a place to stay. There are many more overnight opportunities than there were a few years ago, but the places I called, or stopped at, were full. Just as I was making the decision to make the long drive back home that night, a small sign on Route 39 near Walnut Creek read Marbeyo Bed and Breakfast, with an arrow pointing to Holmes County Road 44.
One quick turn off the highway, and it was a short drive to a location with all the amenities we hope to find in Amish farm country. My motel room, which for the record was $60, was one of three units built by Mark and Betty Yoder on their farm in 1990.
As the luck continued, it is one mile at the bottom of the hill from Der Dutchman, one of my favorite restaurants. I have been known to get off the main highway coming or going to Florida to enjoy dinner there and stock up at the adjoining bakery.
To say the least I was a happy camper, ready for a big dinner and a good night’s rest. The immaculately clean room was decorated with wallpaper border that read “Always Kiss Me Goodnight,” and a patchwork quilt gave homespun appeal. Reading choices included religious material.
There well may be Amish lodging sans electricity in the area, but my room was well-lit and included a full bath. I was too tired and perhaps thankful to miss TV.
Betty delivered a hot ham, egg, and cheese-topped muffin, a fruit cup, and homemade cinnamon roll to the breakfast room the next morning. I made coffee as she had suggested. The room, centered by a round communal table, was homey and, like the motel, overlooked the beautiful countryside.
The Der Dutchman menu is diverse to please all appetites including soups, sandwiches, and salads, but I go there strictly for the Country Sampler. Generous servings of tender roast beef and baked chicken were crowded on the dinner plate with bread dressing and mashed potatoes and gravy. Creamed fresh corn was the side. The price for all of that delicious farm fresh food was $13.79. Adding turkey or ham, as a third meat, it would have been $14.29.
Dessert? Certainly. The fresh peach slices on my slice of pie were piled so high it was hard to find the crust. Do not ask for a second fork. Eat it all.
Is it any wonder that Der Dutchman attendance is staggering: 1,000 on week days and 2,500 on Friday and Saturday. Sunday? Need you ask?
Mary Alice Powell is a retired Blade food editor. Contact her at: poseypowell@aol.com.
First Published August 20, 2017, 4:00 a.m.