Haystack Supper - Rural Fire Department Fund Raiser

One of the favorite meals in our Amish community is the "Haystack". I must confess that before I moved to Jamesport, I had never heard of a haystack that you could eat. It wasn't till I was invited to eat at an Amish home that I discovered this interesting style of serving a one plate meal.
This evening Gail and I attended a benefit Haystack Supper to raise funds for the building of a new fire house. Tonight the supper was taco haystacks and home made ice cream.

To make a haystack one grabs a plate and then goes down a line and puts all the ingredients in a pile in the center of the plate. The food line included Frito corn chips, hamburger with kidney beans, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, onions jalapenos, nacho cheese, and bell peppers. The idea is to pile the food on until it resembles a "haystack". Haystack suppers are only limited by the imagination of the folks setting out the ingredients.

The event tonight was well attended by both the Amish and English town folk. The food was provided by the Amish community. The fire department is a rural volunteer group that serves the town as well as the surrounding Amish and English farms. When it comes to supporting the rural fire department, everyone pitches in.

Fire fighter boots were set out at the front of the food line to collect donations. The event was a great success and a welcomed opportunity to visit with friends and neighbors. You can't help but feel a sense of community when attending local events like this. This is one of the things we love about living here.
No Amish event would be complete without home-made ice cream. Tonight the ice cream was made in two ice cream makers driven by a gas powered engine. The Amish men fed ice and salt to keep the process working. During the summer a horse powered ice cream maker is often used in stead of the gas motor version.
We invite our Inn guests at the Arbor House to attend these benefit events. We get a few takers, but most guests feel like they would be intruding. We don't feel it is an intrusion and if you should happen to be here during such an event, please feel free to join us.