A return visit to the Amish of KY

I just heard from my friend and research contact to the Amish of Kentucky, Linda Hitchcock. She just came home from a trip to Simpson and Allen Counties. Not only did she discover a wide variety of produce, but some downright great bargains such as hand-woven straw hats for 6.00, and pickles, jams, jellies and relishes at $2.75 each. And the vendors were the friendliest she’d ever met. Besides watermelon rind pickles and chow-chow, they had “moonshine” jelly, brightly-colored pepper jellies, and jams with eye-catching names like TOE Jam, TRAFFIC Jam and FROG Jam. TOE has tangerine, orange and elderberry; traffic a mixed variety and FROG includes figs, raspberries, orange and ginger. While shopping, Linda was told that “Amish vendors must do something different to stand out these days.” The jam Linda purchased came from Spring Valley Farms, owned by the Habegger Family. Their label says: “Old Fashioned, All-Natural Home-Style Canning”. There’s a little circle which says “Preserving the Past” and a picture of two draft horse heads on the labels. The Habegger started making sorghum molasses in the mid-1960’s and has farms in both Holland, KY and Caneyville, KY. Linda also learned that you can no longer purchase eggs from produce stands in KY unless they have refrigeration. I enjoyed meeting Linda while researching the Old Order Mennonites and Amish of KY in preparation to write A Little Bit of Charm. Thanks, Linda, for a look back at a beautiful part of the US of A.Little Bit of Charm, A

Last 5 posts by Mary

12 Responses to “A return visit to the Amish of KY”

  1. I just read 3 books by Tricia Goyer who admits she is relatively new to Amish life. I enjoyed the stories although I found “her” Amish (indiana & Montant) quite different from “my” Amish (NE & Central Ohio). I don’t know if you are looking to add additional authors to this website, however if you haven’t read her books yet, some of her friends offered some nice recipes you may want to investigate.
    Blessings.

    [Reply]

  2. How can I get a list of products sold. I bought some Spring Valley Farms apple butter at a craft show here in Lexington and would like to order some more,but can’t find the website or product listing. Can anyone give me some information as to how to get in touch with the Habegger Family ?

    [Reply]

    Amber Stokes Reply:

    Hi, Dave! I started managing AmishReader.com a few months ago, so I’m not familiar with the details of this post. However, I searched for Spring Valley Farms online, and it appears that this site (Good Food Buyers Club) might be related: http://goodfoodforgoodpeople.csaware.com/supplier.jsp?id=308

    It says that Spring Valley Farms (Jonathan Habbeggar) is one of their suppliers. They have a contact form on their website, so that might be one way to reach out for further information. Let me know if that doesn’t help, and I’ll see if I can learn anything more from the author of this post. Good luck!

    [Reply]

  3. Carmel & Pecan Apple Butter is the greatest,

    [Reply]

  4. Do you have purple cherokee tomatoes for sale and if so how much per pound and how much longer will theybe available?

    [Reply]

  5. Where can I purchase your apple butter in Kingsport, Tn?

    [Reply]

    Amber | AmishReader.com Reply:

    Hi, Debbie! This article was posted back in 2013 by one of our Amish fiction authors, so I don’t have a direct connection to the sellers. However, I found a few links that might be helpful to you!

    It appears that someone is selling apple butter from Spring Valley Farms on eBay (as of today, December 18, 2015): http://tinyurl.com/zy3tytk

    I also came across a “Naturally Kentucky” basket containing the Spring Valley Farms pepper relish (but not apple butter, unfortunately, and the other items are not from Spring Valley Farms): http://www.piecesofthere.com/products/naturally-kentucky

    There’s also an article that mentions Spring Valley Farms here: http://www.localtable.net/articles/featured110906-2.php#.VnQ8LbYrLcs (Although I’m not sure on the date of the article and how current the information is.)

    And then there’s this ad with contact information: http://www.manta.com/c/mmg5md1/spring-valley-farms (But again, I’m not sure how current the information is.)

    I don’t know if there’s a place near you that sells their apple butter, but I hope you’re able to find what you’re looking for. Thank you for stopping by AmishReader.com!

    [Reply]

    Nancy Reply:

    I just purchased Spring Valley Farms clover and wildflower raw honey from the Priceless food store on 11W Kingsport. or maybe it’s just outside Kingsport.

    [Reply]

    Amber | AmishReader.com Reply:

    Thank you so much for sharing, Nancy!

    [Reply]

  6. I was given a gift of Spring Valley Farms Blackberry Jelly.
    I was excited to try it as I like the flavor of blackberries.
    I was disappointed in this jelly. There is practically no fruit flavor and it’s like eating sugar.

    I hope the family gets another recipe for future batches.

    [Reply]

  7. Hi Dave, I just bought some Spring Valley Farms Apple Butter at Critchfield’s in the Zandale Shopping Center in Lexington.

    [Reply]

  8. Looking for a location to purchase the Cajun beets, near Memphis, Tn

    [Reply]

Leave a Reply