Amish Clothing
During these cold, snowy and blustery days it is easy to image that the typical Amish family will bunker down in their homes patiently waiting for warm weather, sunny skies and bare ground to return. But life continues its demands even for these “simple” people; their simple lives made almost more complicated due to the lack of modern conveniences in their homes.
The children still attend classes, the livestock still need to be fed, this year’s crops and gardens need to be planned, meals still need to be cooked and clothes still need to be mended. A likely winter pursuit for the Amish housewife will be to prepare needed clothing, sewing by hand her family’s wardrobe with the able assistance from aunts, sisters, daughters and mothers.
A little bit of brightness is brought out in the men’s and boy’s shirts and in splashes on the women’s and girl’s dresses. Some Amish orders allow brilliant colors such as bright blues and violets, rosy pinks, rich wine-red and pale green. These colors call up the promises of spring and summer giving hope during the dark winter nights.
Aside from their brightly hued shirts the men and boys wear black. Their coats will not have lapels or outside pockets. Their pants do not have buttons or zippers in the front like typical male pants. These pants are held up by a waist drawstring or by suspenders. Their hats are made of black felt. Heavy black overcoats are worn during the winter.
The women and girls wear dresses which have a tight colorful bodice, long sleeves and a long, full skirt. Their aprons, bonnets and winter shawls are black colored. As to be expected no jewelry is worn aside from a shawl pin to keep the shawl closely wrapped around the neck to keep winter’s chill at bay.
The children dress much like the adults although the girl’s dresses and boy’s pants might be a little shorter. All ages wear black stockings and black high lace up shoes in the winter. Girls may have a brightly colored bonnet to wear instead of a white head covering worn by the women.
To prepare for a busy day of sewing the Amish housewife might prepare chili or stew to simmer on the stove to make dinner a simple matter of dishing up bowls of thick warming food. Here’s a recipe for a hearty, yet simple to prepare, Amish chili:
1 pound hamburger
1 diced onion
½ c. diced carrots
½ c. diced celery
1 can pork and beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can lima beans
1 can tomato soup
½ c. ketchup
Fry hamburger and onion in a large pan. Set aside. Boil carrots and celery in small saucepan until they are tender drain and add to hamburger. Add canned foods and ketchup to meat mixture and stir well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set mixture on stove to simmer or transfer to crock pot set on low. If the mixture becomes too thick add ¼ c. of tomato juice.
If you have more time to let your dinner cook here’s a recipe for a tasty Amish stew:
2 ½ pounds boneless beef cubes
2 tbsp. shortening
1 sliced onion
4 c. boiling water
1 tbsp. each lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, sugar and salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. paprika
6 peeled carrots, chunked
6 large peeled potatoes, chunked
½ c. cold water
¼ c. flour
In a large heavy pot melt the shortening over medium-high heat. Add beef cubes and brown. Add onions, boiling water, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and paprika. Put cover on pot and simmer for 2 hours. Stir occasionally. Add carrots and potatoes making sure there is enough liquid to cover vegetables, adding more water if needed. Replace lid and simmer until vegetables are just tender (about ½ hour). Add cold water to flour and stir to make thin paste. Move meat and vegetables to side of pot and add flour mixture slowly to the liquid, stirring to make gravy. When gravy is thick stir meat and potatoes into it and simmer for another 10 minutes.
