Sisters' Day Grocery Shopping - March 2021
It was Sisters’ Day. My friend Sadie, two of her sisters, and a niece were going up to another sister’s home in Ephrata to help her catch up with some sewing for her brood of babies. Sadie called and asked me if I might have the time to ride them up there so that more time could be spent sewing and not in traveling in the carriage.
I’ve always loved and envied the thought of Sisters’ Day in the Amish community. These women truly look at their sisters as their best life-long friends. Whether one of them is in need, as was the case here, or they all just have a need to be together, I’ve found that this is a regular phenomenon in all families, and extends to daughters as the generations move on.
So bright and early that morning, Sadie and I stopped at her sisters’ homes nearby, and the women filled the back of my truck with sewing machines, baskets of notions, and of course a delicious smelling lunch. In total the trip took about an hour, and we were merrily greeted by noisy dogs and children as we pulled into the farm. About 6 hours later I arrived back at the farm to fetch them, and the sounds of the Grateful Dead on my radio were soon drowned out by the same pleasant family din.
The women were clearly weary yet satisfied as they chatted quietly, in Pennsylvania Dutch, of course. Soon after we left the farm, responding to some question from one of her sisters, Sadie asked if I had the time to stop at the grocery store on the way home. “We’d like to stop at Centerville, if we can”. From the back seat came an almost frantic statement “No- not Centerville – I want to stop at Esh’s”. Still one more voice could be heard “Why not Creekside?”…..and so on for several minutes.
It occurred to me that this was definitely a conversation in which I could participate – as long as they kept it in English. Even though we have the advantage of our truck to get us to the big supermarkets in town or to the mecca of Costco, I have always enjoyed, and regularly visit, many of our local Amish groceries. And for certain over the years, I have come to have my favorites, depending on the nature of my shopping on any particular day. So, I thought that I’d share my favorites here in hopes that on your next visit to Lancaster you might find them as appealing as I do. With or without your sister, you will enjoy the experience. Remember that as a rule most of them do not accept credit or debit cards. But you will also find that if you are a little short on cash, they will take your personal check.
Esh’s Discount (3732 E Newport Rd, Gordonville, PA 17529) is my emergency neighborhood store. It is located just about a mile or so from the house on Newport Road, so in the mornings while fixing breakfast, if I find that I’m out of yogurt, milk or eggs, I can always run up in a hurry.
Centerville Bulk (3501 Scenic Rd, Gordonville, PA 17529) is just a few miles away on the other side of the Village of Intercourse. I find that I spend most of my shopping hours here. It is my favorite place for bulk foods for the bed and breakfast. I go here to get all of my flours, sugar, spices, maple syrup and honey as well as fruits and vegetables in season.
Finally – you should also check out Creekside Food Outlet (339 Spring Garden Rd, Kinzers, PA 17535) a few miles away in nearby Kinzers. They have a walk-in refrigerated room with cheeses, dairy and organic foods, as well as a really great deli counter. Whenever this Innkeeper is having a bad day and I want to treat myself to a lunch – I go to Creekside for their Italian sub for about three dollars.
