# the amish opened a new little store in our town



## ronbre (Apr 26, 2009)

our town is a ghost town from the auto industry failure, however, the amish have been moving in steadily for about 30 years now. An amish family built a small store about a block from my mom's and i went there yesterday..nice.

They are just getting started and only sell either organic, Lehmans or local produce and baked goods..and plants..and i was very happy to see what they did have..eggs for $1.50 less than i was paying for cage free eggs..hallelujah that will save us about $3 a week or more..they also have cheese..baked goods but the bread was all gone when i got there..Ron bought some whoopie pies..of course. Didn't see any milk which i would have bought, esp if it was raw, but they had a lot of dried food, staples and bulk spices and herbs..got me some nutmeg cheapo, and i had just run out.

i will be visiting this store regularly (buy close to home and support your locals is my idea)..even if no more than for eggs, cheese and some snacky fruits.


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## Guest (May 12, 2010)

Watch that stuff!!! They opened one here, about 15 years and 40 pounds ago....


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## candyknitter (Apr 23, 2009)

That sounds lovely - i'm jealous that we don't have those kind of stores over here!


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## ronbre (Apr 26, 2009)

well the only other stores in town are gas station/ convenient, and a crappy dirty little high priced store that you are afraid you'll get food poisoning just walking in..so we generally drive the 25 miles to Cadillac


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## Guest (May 12, 2010)

i love our little mennonite store. its about 15 miles but they have the spices, the bulk foods and the chocolate covered coffee beans... not to mention a little treat they call square meal bars. kind of like a rice krispy treat on steroids. they are soooo good!


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

zong said:


> Watch that stuff!!! They opened one here, about 15 years and 40 pounds ago....


 Well at least here there keep their stores seperate.There is a Bakery if you walk in the door you gain 50 pounds so I stay clear.

big rockpile


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## Patt (May 18, 2003)

You are soooo lucky! We had one not too far from us back in MS and I miss it terribly! They had such good prices on bulk stuff.


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## Forest Breath (Oct 23, 2009)

RE: The raw milk


In many places it is illegal to sell the raw milk for human consumption. The Amish/Mennonites know this and will not put the items in the markets. If you ask one of the families there, I bet there is someone in the community that sells the milk....for animals, oh say...to give to cats or something. I have been getting a gallon or two of milk for my "cat" every week for years now for $2.50 a gallon from one of my Mennonite friends. 

Another bit of advice, do not assume the foods are organic unless stated so. Many families do use fertilizer, some don't. My market states which foods are organic and which are not. 

Glad you have one close by. Mine is a few miles from my home, the entire community if just 5 minutes from me, I have enjoyed being neighbors and enjoyed buying and bartering there.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

ronbre said:


> well the only other stores in town are gas station/ convenient, and a crappy dirty little high priced store that you are afraid you'll get food poisoning just walking in..so we generally drive the 25 miles to Cadillac


Cadillac- I was hopeing you lived closer to me in the Thumb. My Mennonite store only has food. I have heard that there is one near Clare that has alot of goodies.


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## Jerngen (May 22, 2006)

There are some really nice ones close to me (Centreville, MI area) which we visit regularly now. 
Of course I am in Amish country being only 30 miles north of Shipshewana. 

For raw milk, in Michigan you can purchase shares in a dairy cow. You recieve payment for your "share" in the form of raw milk. Check with your nearest co-op or search www.localharvest.org


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## misplaced (Feb 20, 2009)

We have a few different Amish stores in our area but only one that we will frequent regularly. The other ones seem to be a free for all full of junk and junk food that fell off the back of a truck. 
The one we go to is neat and clean and full of real food, spices and bakery items. We don't go that often, but when we do we like to stock up on things like oatmeal, turbinado and olive oil. They sell in bulk, so it is very convenient for us.


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## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

ronbre said:


> our town is a ghost town from the auto industry failure, however, the amish have been moving in steadily for about 30 years now. An amish family built a small store about a block from my mom's and i went there yesterday..nice.
> 
> They are just getting started and only sell either organic, Lehmans or local produce and baked goods..and plants..and i was very happy to see what they did have..eggs for $1.50 less than i was paying for cage free eggs..hallelujah that will save us about $3 a week or more..they also have cheese..baked goods but the bread was all gone when i got there..Ron bought some whoopie pies..of course. Didn't see any milk which i would have bought, esp if it was raw, but they had a lot of dried food, staples and bulk spices and herbs..got me some nutmeg cheapo, and i had just run out.
> 
> i will be visiting this store regularly (buy close to home and support your locals is my idea)..even if no more than for eggs, cheese and some snacky fruits.


If you ask at the store, you will probably find that someone in the community sells raw milk. They probably don't have any refridgeration, so they can't keep it there. You can also probably get info on good meats, and produce too. I really miss living near an amish community. (Well, it was old order mennonite, actually, but most people thought they were amish). Saved me a TON of money on CERTIFIED organics. I could buy it for less than regular grocery store prices on non-organics! I could get organic plant starts there for my garden too. Bulk foods to supplement my canning... building relationships in the amish community is a good thing if you want to eat healthy, and have connections for the parts of being self-reliant that you are still learning or are not yet ready for. I could buy organic, grass fed beef for less than $2.00 per pound. SIGH... those were the days! Ask around. Dress respecfully, to show you are respectful of their culture so that they don't feel afraid of your influence in the community. You will find that they are very nice people willing to help anyone who wants to become more agrarian. 

Cindyc.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

ronbre said:


> well the only other stores in town are gas station/ convenient, and a crappy dirty little high priced store that you are afraid you'll get food poisoning just walking in..so we generally drive the 25 miles to Cadillac


I think you live in my town, only I am not near Cadilac.

Can they sell raw milk in MI? The rest of us can't. I love the Amish stores for the ingredients they can offer - vital wheat gluten, teeny marshmallows for Hot chocolate, the mixes for sour cream and dried cream of XXX soups!


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## Madame (Jan 1, 2003)

7thswan said:


> Cadillac- I was hopeing you lived closer to me in the Thumb. My Mennonite store only has food. I have heard that there is one near Clare that has alot of goodies.


Where? My sis lives near Clare and I'm visiting her this summer. I'd love to shop at that store!

Wisconsin passed a law a few weeks back legalizing the sale of raw milk.


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## Shepherd (Jan 23, 2005)

Glad for you Ronbre. Sure wish there was one close to us.


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## Lada (Jun 7, 2008)

We have a couple of Amish stores within about 1/2 hour of here. Plenty of Amish families closer than that, though, with greenhouses, and veggie stands. We make the trip every couple of weeks to one of the bulk stores though. You can't beat the prices on spices, baking goods, and whole grains. Ours also does have refrigeration in the stores and so they sell cheese, butter, etc. I'm hoping in the not too distant future there are enough to open a store a little closer! I find the Amish to be a great resource. I've found outlets through them to sell raw milk (for pet use, of course), get chickens butchered cheaply, and sell eggs.


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## pheasantplucker (Feb 20, 2007)

If the bakery ever has "grape pies"...snag one. You won't be sorry. I can taste one as I type. YUM!


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## CherieOH (Jun 10, 2005)

Lots of Amish around us but unfortunately none of them operate a store nearby. Have to drive about an hour and a half to find those. Amish here do sell things from their homes though and have signs out by the road welcoming the public. We're slowly learning where the best deals and baked goods can be found. We're hooked on their fry pies and peanut butter sandwich cookies.


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

Ronbre, do you ever get over to the Amish salvage grocery right off M-66 near McBain?! I did nearly all my shopping there when I lived in Lake City ... great bargains!!


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## insocal (May 15, 2005)

Well, we don't have Amish stores here in Lost Angeles. Amish folk are pretty hard to come by in these parts, though there is a small urban Mennonite community.....so for the urban equivalent I can now go to our brand new ginormous flagship Whole Foods market which just opened today, lol.

It's beautiful, and has everything I need. Plus, it has already revitalized an entire section of the main drag in this neighborhood with the huge amount of foot traffic it's generating. Lots of people will be walking to this store, lots of apartments and condos right close.


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## jmtinmi (Feb 25, 2009)

Pine Valley Country Store 8181 S Cornwell Ave, Clare MI 48617 sells bulk foods, animal feed, hay cubes, etc. They will also have in season fresh. 

Surrey Discount Foods 10304 E Surrey Rd, Clare MI More of a surplus food store

Colonville Country Store 7047 E. Colonville Road, Clar MI 989.386.8686 Amish Hardware store. This is where I purchase my sleeves of canning lids, they have canning seals in stock for most common brands (bring your model #)

GOOGLE A ROUTE AND ENJOY!



Madame said:


> Where? My sis lives near Clare and I'm visiting her this summer. I'd love to shop at that store!
> 
> 
> 
> Wisconsin passed a law a few weeks back legalizing the sale of raw milk.


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## ronbre (Apr 26, 2009)

thanks for the info re McBain and Clare, having lived here I never heard of those ones.

their card (i picked up ) says..Fruitful Hill Chemical Free Produce, bulk foods, baked goods and crafts and has their address and phone number on it..signs inside the store said organic on a lot of the shelves..also..yes they had great prices on bulk spices..and those little choc covered dried fruits..etc..

seeing as how i just found out i may be diabetic i am wondering what of their stuff i am allowed to eat ...wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

they will be getting more stuff in..i didn't eat the whoopie pies, hubby did..but i was eating the dried apricots..(don't know if they are OK for diabeties or not)..gotta get more info..

i know i have to lose weight and walking in that store will be a problem, i'm pretty good at determining i won't get something if i know it is really bad for me though..you would think the amish would have healthy stuff too, like whole grains..etc..i just need to learn more..

and yes i did think about asking about the milk for my "cats" and about meat as well


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## Madame (Jan 1, 2003)

jmtinmi said:


> Pine Valley Country Store 8181 S Cornwell Ave, Clare MI 48617 sells bulk foods, animal feed, hay cubes, etc. They will also have in season fresh.
> 
> Surrey Discount Foods 10304 E Surrey Rd, Clare MI More of a surplus food store
> 
> ...


Thank you!!


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## Riverdale (Jan 20, 2008)

jmtinmi said:


> Colonville Country Store 7047 E. Colonville Road, Clar MI 989.386.8686 Amish Hardware store. This is where I purchase my sleeves of canning lids, they have canning seals in stock for most common brands (bring your model #)
> 
> GOOGLE A ROUTE AND ENJOY!


One of my co-workers loves this place!

We gotta get up that way one day 

ronbre, you live north of Cattle-tracks, right? 

Willow Girl, what is the name of the store? We can take either 66 or 127 when we head up north, so we can go right through McBain


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## ronbre (Apr 26, 2009)

yup you got it..north of Cattletracks..if you take the expressway almost to the end..before the river..you just gimme a call as i'm a stones throw..well catapult..away


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

> Pine Valley Country Store 8181 S Cornwell Ave, Clare MI 48617 sells bulk foods, animal feed, hay cubes, etc. They will also have in season fresh.
> 
> Surrey Discount Foods 10304 E Surrey Rd, Clare MI More of a surplus food store
> 
> Colonville Country Store 7047 E. Colonville Road, Clar MI 989.386.8686 Amish Hardware store. This is where I purchase my sleeves of canning lids, they have canning seals in stock for most common brands (bring your model #)


I used to shop at the Pine Valley store when I lived near Clare. (The other 2 didn't exist yet.) Originally, there was an Amish bulk foods store on the Colonville Rd., west of US-27. I believe the owners sold out to the folks who operate the P.V. store. 

If you drive to the end of Colonville Rd. (where it T's at Tobacco Drive) and look right across the field, you can see the house my second husband and I built. 

Riverdale, I can't remember the name of the McBain store -- it's Pine-something; I always got it mixed up with the Pine Valley store by Clare. If you're going north on 66, it will be off to your right -- I believe the name of the road is South Burkett. I think you make a right turn off 66, then a left. (It's kind of a funky intersection.) There used to be an Amish bakery near the intersection. I believe there's a sign with an arrow pointing to the store. It's about a mile off M-66, on the left side of the road. Good bargains to be had!!!


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## Riverdale (Jan 20, 2008)

willow_girl said:


> Riverdale, I can't remember the name of the McBain store -- it's Pine-something; I always got it mixed up with the Pine Valley store by Clare. If you're going north on 66, it will be off to your right -- I believe the name of the road is South Burkett. I think you make a right turn off 66, then a left. (It's kind of a funky intersection.) There used to be an Amish bakery near the intersection. I believe there's a sign with an arrow pointing to the store. It's about a mile off M-66, on the left side of the road. Good bargains to be had!!!


A funky intersection on 66, not possible 

Thanks, we'll stop there next time we go up


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## ronbre (Apr 26, 2009)

great Michigan info thread..thanks


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

I guess this is a good place to post this. Anybody notice on page 44 of the Summer lehmans catalog of the girl standing holding a scythe? Is she really useing it? She seems too far away from the uncut stuff to her right to be able to reach it from where shes standing. I can scythe, I have an american one. I havnt used one in 50 yrs, but its like rideing a bicycle, Although, I havnt rode a bycicle in 50 yrs eather, and I find I cant hardly ride one now LOl. Finally, She must be good, if she can use a scythe without shoes on. Im not that good, and I never want to think that I am.


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## deb (Jul 27, 2002)

Callieslamb said:


> Can they sell raw milk in MI? The rest of us can't.


The Amish don't get any special exemptions from food laws. An earlier post indicated that the only way to get RAW mile in MI is to own a share of the cow it came from.

Deb
in wi


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