Hats and Bonnets
It is now officially summertime, although in many parts of the country the weather has been hot, sultry and stormy for some weeks now. The hot summer sun beating down is a cooker and there is no better way to protect delicate faces and heads than with a sturdy hat.
The Amish are well known for their head coverings. Amish men and boys wear straw or black felt flat-topped hats trimmed with a black band. Even baby boys wear little peaked caps until around the age of two. The hat brim width is strictly adhered to; two and three-quarters to three and half inch for men. Hat brim width of four inches is allowed for older men or church officials. Of course, it depends on the Amish orders standards which dictate hat brim width. The straw hats are worn in summer while the heavier felt hats are for Sundays or winter wear.
Females, from infants on up to the most elderly, also must cover their heads. A white prayer cap is worn at all times. Old order Amish also must wear a black bonnet over the prayer cap. The black bonnet is very warm though so some women will just wear the white prayer cap in warmer weather or will wear a brightly colored head scarf over the white prayer cap.
While the Amish wear head coverings as a matter of religious convictions, all told, the Amish habit of wearing hats and bonnets is probably a good habit for anyone to adopt when the sun is at it’s peak. Sunburn and heat fatigue is nothing to take lightly. For summertime eating here are some recipes that are light and refreshing after a long day in the sun.
Amish Carrot Salad
1 lb carrots
½ c mayonnaise
½ lb raisins
½ c sugar
1 ½ tbsp cider vinegar
Peel carrots. Thinly slice the carrots into a bowl. Add raisins and mix. In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar. Mix well. Add to the carrot/raisin mix and stir until well blended. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or with the container’s cover. Chill for four hours or overnight before serving.
Amish Lemon Dessert
2 ½ c cake flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 c. shortening
1/3 c water
2 tbsp butter
1 c sugar
3 medium eggs
¼ tsp salt
1 lemon
1 ½ c milk
Preheat oven to 400 ° F. Combine cake flour and 1 tsp salt and sift into large bowl. Cut shortening into flour, then sprinkle with water. Mix lightly with fork and press into a ball. Roll out dough as for pie crust (should have enough for two shells, can freeze half to use later or double the amount of filling). Separate the eggs. Cream the butter, then add sugar and egg yolks beating until light. Heat the milk (but do not scald) and stir in salt, 1 tbsp juice from lemon and zest from rind. Slowly add the hot milk and stir. In a separate bowl beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into the filling. Add filling to pie crust and bake for 40 minutes or until set.
Another summertime favorite to have waiting in the fridge on a hot day is lemonade. Here’s a great Amish recipe for lemonade that makes over a gallon of this refresing beverage.
Amish Summertime Lemonade
6 lemons
1 1/3 c sugar
1 gallon cold water
Pinch of nutmeg
Cut four lemons and squeeze the juice into a bowl. Slice the two reserved lemons into thin slices. Place 1/3 cup of sugar into the beverage container and add the lemon slices. Use a heavy spoon to press the slices into the sugar and fully coat the slices with the sugar. Let the sugar coated slices stand in the sugar for 30 minutes. Add the water, squeezed juice, a pinch of nutmeg and the rest of the sugar, stirring well until all the sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate and let sit for two hours, or until well chilled.
