When Jamie and I had decided to look in the Bradenton/Sarasota area for housing and work, we spent a day driving through neighborhoods to get a feel for what the area was like. At one point in the journey we passed what seemed to be an Amish-themed shopping area but it was pushed to the backs of our minds as we traversed the city boundaries. That was back in July.
A few weeks ago, with the happy discovery of O’Brien Family Farms ten miles east of home, we bought butter and kettle corn that came from Troyer’s, a business in an Amish community in Ohio according to the label. Then one evening Jamie and I had an Amish collision. I had seen an ad on Craigslist for a baker’s assistant at Yoder’s Fresh Market and Jamie had a recommendation from locals for Troyer’s Restaurant, both of which are Amish-run operations in the little settlement of Pinecraft, an Amish village in Sarasota on Bahia Vista. It was the very area we had discovered eight months ago. We never need an excuse for an adventure but it just so happened our two-year wedding anniversary was that Saturday. Prepared to celebrate, we hit the highway south .
According to an article in The Amish Country News and The History of Pinecraft 1925-1960: A Historical Album of the Amish and Mennonites in Pinecraft, Florida, by Noah Gingerich, what is now Pinecraft began as a the Sarasota National Tourist Camp in the 1920’s. Amish and Mennonite visitors came to camp in tents not only as a respite from northern winters in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana, but also to farm during their southern stay. One particular crop farmed was celery, which is a vegetable that has a place of honor in Amish wedding feasts. Celery makes its way to the table in a traditional stuffing with chicken, as creamed celery and as a table decoration in vases.
Over time, the camp area was developed into small homes and today remains a close community of little lots. Some members of the community live in Florida year-round, owning their homes as well as additional rental properties. A large portion of the Amish and Mennonites arrive from the north via chartered buses. Homes in the settlement are a very sought after commodity with the price per square foot higher than in other neighborhoods of Sarasota.
To be honest, the whole thing has blown my mind a bit.
As we waited at a stoplight a few blocks from the Bahia Vista and Beneva intersection that is the stepping off point for Pinecraft, I could not believe my eyes as three ladies in white kapps and traditional blue and purple dresses, zoomed over the crosswalk on their large three-wheeled bikes at breakneck speed. The baskets on the rear of the bikes were full of grocery bags from SweetBay, a chain supermarket in the mall further up the street. One gal had a large fashionable handbag on her shoulder and was pedaling in flip-flops.
It turns out that bicycles are the primary mode of transport for the citizens of Pinecraft and as it is primarily an older population, the tricycles abound. No room for horses and carriages here. We were dumbstruck and kept trying not to stare as we searched for our destination, Yoder’s Restaurant. When we found it, there was no parking nearby and the line of customers was snaking through the carpark. Yoder’s also offers a green grocers, a gift shop and a bakery/deli in separate buildings. We were determined to have a nose about even if lunch was now postponed so I pulled down a side street in search of a place to leave the car. That in itself was a visit to the twilight zone. The small streets were clogged with tricycles and people visiting their neighbors. Men in hats with long beards, long pants and suspenders stood in groups chatting. Women in dresses, aprons and kapps sat in lawn chairs and on steps. There were good natured waves and smiles as we slowly navigated our way through the melee but the Taurus seemed immense. It was like driving through someone’s living room and we couldn’t get over the feeling we were trespassing and invading many privacies.
We parked at strip mall several blocks away and entered the daily lives of the Amish of Pinecraft. They were everywhere. Outside the health food store, an older lady in a cornflower blue dress was looking at a model of a human spine being shown to her by an instructor from Palmer College of Chiropractic Medicine who was offering free spine checks. A couple in their early 70s waited at the crosswalk with us. Jamie spied the telltale label of a bottle of Pepsi in the plastic bag the gent was carrying. On the sidewalk and in the bike lanes, women on tricycles navigated the cars and pedestrians. I say navigated but it was more that they dictated the flow of traffic. You don’t mess with a lady in a white kapp on a trike! There was good business at Big Olaf’s Creamery for ice cream and a steady stream of traffic to the small post office.
In the market we found jams, jellies and all manner of canned goods, including the fabulous Jake and Amos Pickled Brussel Sprouts that Dave’s Aunt Jean always brought back on her trips to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. There were breads and pies, coffee and ice cream and a deli full of meats, cheeses and salads. Everything looked and tasted fabulous. The green grocer area was much the same. Beautiful produce and great prices. We lined up with teenagers in their short and baggy shorts, ladies from Siesta Key dripping with gold and money, retired farmers from Iowa and Amish and Mennonite folk out doing their daily shop. |
| Peanut Butter Pie |
Given the continued length of the line to get into Yoder’s we decided to head for home with our booty, content in the knowledge we would come back during the week at an off hour for a meal of their famous fried chicken and a piece of peanut butter pie in celebration of my upcoming birthday. Doing anything on the Gulf Coast in winter is an exercise in patience. Doing it on a Saturday prepares you for sainthood…or anger management classes. It never occurred to us that everyone else in Sarasota would be going to Yoder’s for pie.
As we drove the highway back to our little gaff we reflected on the experience of Pinecraft. Despite having the camera, we took only one photo and that was from afar of the gal on the trike. Why had we been so quiet and extra courteous moving among the shoppers and villagers? Why had it felt so wrong to be driving a car through the tiny streets of the village? Why had we found ourselves staring at people and then feeling guilty about staring? Why did it seem somehow naughty to find Pepsi and flip flops there? Why didn’t it seem polite to take pictures? All it took was a conformity of dress, appearance and belief among other people to make us acutely aware of our own actions. That’s really kind of strange and powerful when you think about it.
I stumbled upon this Pinecraft Blog while looking for photos to include. Have a peek. It's quite interesting!
(All photos from Google Images except for the last three and the earlier photo of the lady in blue on the tricycle crossing traffic.)
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