Around Amish Country In A Day

      Yesterday we made a trip to visit the Amish. Or rather, buy from people who sell in Amish territory. We like to pretend we think we are buying something from actual Amish people, which certainly did not happen yesterday. We came home with a lot of cheeses, bulk foods, and bloating. All in all, a great trip.

     Our first stop was The Oak Cupboard. It's one of  the shops at The Barn Restaurant in Smithville, Ohio. I go there for one thing. Ginger snaps. They haunt my dreams. I've never had any other ginger snap I liked as much. I need these to be happy. Because you think I'm fancy, I bet you think they are some amazing freshly made delicacy, but no. They are little hard rounds like you can buy at the grocery store. But they are way, way, better. I would send you some, but I can't because I am going to eat them all. Sorry!

     Our second stop was The Country Pantry. They have better prices than some of the other places, so it's always my first stop for bulk foods. They don't have a website, so here's some information: The Country Pantry, 8861 CR 201 Fredericksburg, OH 44627. (330)695-4102. They are open Mon-Sat 8-6.

     We were getting hungry after all that procrastinating, driving, and shopping, so we drove to The Chalet In The Valley for some lunch. This is one of our favorite places. You must partake of the golden nuggets. Just do it. You can thank me later. They just opened for the season on March 15th, and this year they have nice pretzel bread they bring to the table. I had to bring home a half dozen, and I wish I had brought more! Look at this crazy dessert they have called the Matterhorn:

      I just find this mesmerizing. 

      We left the Chalet (with my hot pretzel bread in my coat, because it was freezing outside) and walked across the street to Guggisberg Cheese Factory. It's pretty cool to watch them make the cheese through the big windows in the store. I still had my bread in my coat, and they thought I was stealing cheese. I really need a bread bjorn to carry around my goods. Anyone sell those? We got a nice lady to take our picture.

   Excuse our outfits, it was casual Friday.

     We drove around a while, stopped at a post office, walked through a hardware store, and had a rip-roarin' good time! I love driving around with my husband. We should do it more often. 

     Our next planned stop was the Ashery Country Store. They have a lot more variety and they really know how to pack it all into a small space.

     I realize some of you poor fellas don't live near me, bless your hearts. Go to Discover Bulk Foods to find a place near you. I just used it and found one ten minutes from my house.

     We stopped somewhere else. Sadly, I paid no attention to the name so we'll never find it again. They had homemade ice cream. We ate some and brought some home. We're such dorks. We should have written down the name because the ice cream was phenomenal. 

     We finally got home, around 4:30 pm. We napped. Shopping and eating and driving is very tiring.