Off to Amish Country
pamelamyers | August 25, 2018
When we realized how much Sam enjoyed visiting the farm we wanted to take her to a full blown Amish farm to see what it was like. We figured she’d have fun, but it also wouldn’t kill her to see that food doesn’t come from a supermarket like magic and that people work really hard to supply our food. We visited Old Windmill Farm, which if you have never been, I highly recommend. The family could not have been nicer. Before the tour started, we had the chance to visit some of the goats and to feed them. Sam loves feeding animals!
We were taken on the tour by one of the daughters in the family and a family friend, who was learning how to be a tour guide. One of Sam’s favorite parts was getting to hold a baby piglet! It was so cute. A lot of adults on the tour held the piglet and boy, do they squeal and wiggle like maniacs! They are so loud! But when Sam held the piglet it just sat in her arms quietly. I think the piglets like little people better.
Sam tried everything she could at the farm, including milking a cow, which she said was “easy”.
She fed mules…
…and baby cows! It is too cute. They have giant baby bottles! When they start sucking if you want to pull it away, it’s a workout! They really hold on tight. We all liked feeding the baby cows.
There are also a ton of wild chickens running around and the Amish catch a bunch of the chicks. Sam got to hold one of those too!
The farm used to be a dairy farm, but apparently, it is very hard to be a small dairy farmer today because there are so many large corporate farms that push them out, so the cash crop for the family is soybeans. Sam and I had fun racing through the field and I got to eat some of the freshest edamame I have ever eaten.
After the tour was over, we shopped in a local shop (Sam bought a cute doll and some handmade doll clothes) and then we were off to the Strasburg Railroad for a ride!
Mark bought us tickets for a dining car so we could eat lunch while riding the rails.
After driving all that way, we wanted to make the most of it, so before going home we visited some shops in Kitchen Kettle Village. Sam was excited to decorate a cookie (which I had to eat, of course, because she wouldn’t even taste it).
Sam loved everything about the trip. The farm, the horses and buggies we saw going down the road, the shops, you name it. I hope it’s not our last trip to Lancaster County!