Pennsylvania Dutch Foodways in the Midwest, March 15-16

Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance hosts

Learning Tour

PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH FOODS AND
FOODWAYS IN THE MIDWEST
The 55th Annual Illinois Mennonite Relief Sale and
Anabaptist Culinary Traditions

March 15-16, 2013

Illinois Mennonite Heritage Center
Metamora, Illinois

55TH ANNUAL ILLINOIS MENNONITE RELIEF SALE
Interstate Center
Bloomington, Illinois

Pennsylvania Dutch cooking originally developed as an accommodation of rural German traditions to the foods of the American frontier. It is a cuisine that has undergone remarkable changes. Yet over the years it has continued to find favor in the kitchens of Mennonite, Apostolic Christian, Amish and other Anabaptist communities. Our tour visits the Mennonite Heritage Center near Metamora to learn about Pennsylvania Dutch in Illinois and the foodways of the Anabaptists of West Central Illinois. We will continue on to Bloomington where we will enjoy the foods and appreciate the crafts items offered at the 55th Annual Illinois Mennonite Relief Sale, an event that in many ways amounts to a grand celebration of Pennsylvania Dutch for a very worthy cause.

This learning tour will offer Mennonite sweets upon arrival on Friday, lectures and conducted tour for $40 per person.

Reservation made by email at GreaterMidwestFoodways@gmail.com or phone at 847-432-8255, include name, address, phone number and number of reservations. Phone or email registration constitutes paid reservation. Note: Prompt payment will confirm reservation. Mail check to: Greater Midwest Foodways, 280 Laurel Ave, Highland Park, IL 60035

By credit card: Go to http://midwestfoodwaysmarch2013.eventbrite.com (nominal convenience charge).

Transportation and lodging are not provided, though we will help pair people to share rides. We will introduce people offering rides to those who advise they need them. This link offers information on hotels relative to their proximity to Interstate Center.


Itinerary
(Subject to change)


Friday, March 15th

12:00 pm —Arrive at Illinois Mennonite Heritage Center
675 State Route 116, Metamora, IL, 10 miles northeast of Peoria on
Highway 116 midway between Germantown Hills and Metamora.
It is on the south side of the highway, between Hickory Point Road and
Timber Oak Drive

Mennonite Sweets:
Sweet Rolls, Pfeffernesse & Shoo-Fly Pie – with coffee for dunking!

1:00 pm Welcome —Julie Hendricks, Administrative Coordinator

1:15 pm Early Anabaptists in Illinois and the Evolution of Pennsylvania Dutch
—Robert Dirks

2:00 pm Our Daily Bread: Traditional Mennonite Food & Food Customs
—Illinois Mennonite Heritage Center Museum Gallery Staff

2:45 pm — Extending the Table: A History of Mennonite Central Committee and
the Illinois Mennonite Relief Sale—Maurice Yordy

3:30 pm —Departure for Bloomington Hotels

Directions to Bloomington - scroll down

4:30 pm Register and Settle Into Hotel

5:00 pm Dinner at 55TH ANNUAL ILLINOIS MENNONITE RELIEF SALE
—Interstate Center
1106 Interstate Dr, Bloomington, IL,
just north of intersection of US 150 / W. Market Street

Fried fish and barbeque chicken dinner priced at $7-8, cash only.
Pie is $1.25 a slice, cash only.


6:00 pm —Attend Auction / Browse Relief Sale and Dutch Market
Transactions are not typically credit card, it is cash or check.
****

Saturday, March 16TH

8:00 am Breakfast at 55TH ANNUAL ILLINOIS MENNONITE RELIEF SALE
—Interstate Center

Pancake and sausage breakfast, cost approximately $7. cash only.

9:00 am —Browse Relief Sale and Dutch Market / Attend Action


9:30 am —Tour of Relief Sale and Dutch Market —Julie Hendricks

10:30 am —Eat My Words: “Uncovering” Mennonite Women’s History Through
Their Cookbooks —Julie Hendricks

Presented at the Mennonite Church of Normal, 805 S Cottage Ave Normal, IL 61761


11:30 am —Depart / Post Tour / Optional Lunch

Transactions are not typically credit card, it is cash or check.

***

Directions to Illinois Mennonite Heritage Center, 675 State Route 116, Metamora, IL:

From the North:

I-55 South
Exit 197 for IL-116 toward Pontiac
Turn right onto IL-166 W/1700 N Rd/ W Reynolds St (18.6 miles)
Turn left onto IL-116 W/IL-251 S (1.0 miles)
Turn right onto IL-116 W/Co Rd 1800 N (5.9 miles)
Turn left onto IL-116 W/IL-117 S/Co Rd 2100E (14.4 miles)
Destination will be on the right at 675 Illinois 116, Metamora, IL 61548
(Estimate time from Chicago is 2.5 hours in flowing traffic)


From the South:
I-55 North toward Decatur/Chicago
Slight left onto I-155 N (32.0 miles)
Keep left at the fork, follow signs for Interstate 74 W/Peoria and merge onto I-74 (6.1 miles)
Take exit 95 for North Main Street/US-150W/Illinois 116 W (0.2 miles)
Turn right onto IL-116 E/US-150 W/E Caterpillar Trail/N Main St. Continue to follow IL-116E (14.4 miles)
Destination will be on the left at 675 Illinois 116, Metamora, IL 61548
(Estimated time from Springfield is 90 minutes in flowing traffic.)



Directions to Bloomington, IL from Illinois Mennonite Heritage Center, 675 State Route 116, Metamora, IL:

Head east on IL-116 E/W Mt. Vernon St. toward North Washington Street – Continue to follow IL-116 E (5.1 miles)
Turn Right onto IL-117 S/Co Rd 1400 E – Continue to follow IL-117 S (12.1 miles)
Turn left to merge onto I-74 E (14.5 miles)
Keep right at the fork, follow signs for I-55 S/I-74 E/St. Louis/Indianapolis and merge onto I-55 S/I-74 E (3.6 miles)
Take exit 160 for US-150/IL-9 toward Pekin (0.3 miles)
Turn left onto W Market St (2.0 miles)
Turn left onto N East St (0.1 miles)
(Estimate time to Bloomington is 40 minutes)

I attended the Central Mennonite Relief Sale in Bloomington in 2010 and 2011. It is an interesting sale and well worth attending if you have never been to a relief sale. There is a lot of good food that is well prepared especially the pies. Unlike the August sale in Arthur, IL, there are fewer quilts and little furniture at this sale.

You can get some good deals on lodging at the Mennonite Relief Sale using Priceline and Hotwire. I am thinking $45 or so but it has been two years.


=============================

A couple more hints:

Funk's Maple Syrup Farm is about 10 miles away and should be boiling that weekend (assuming that the weather stays cold).
http://funksmaplesirup.com/

World gourmet Foods - They have a great buffet of vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods. It is well worth the $11. The seating area is in the back of the market which has a great variety of international foods and locally produced meats and cheese.
http://www.worldgourmetfoods.com/foods.htm

=================================

Just south of Funk's Groves is a small town of McLean, IL, you will find a large video arcade in a small town. It is like stepping back 30 years.

http://www.classicarcadegaming.com/foru ... 153.0.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKzkSxOf1x8

We have just registered. Warning: hotel rooms are at a premium and hard to find! Does anyone need a ride?

Hi,

I'm glad you are coming.

I have been advised to suggest people look for accommodations in Lincoln, Atlanta and Peoria. My sister lives in the area, so I have a place in the barn.

Regards,

rgl201 wrote:We have just registered. Warning: hotel rooms are at a premium and hard to find! Does anyone need a ride?

Special Olympics Basketball at Illinois State University
State Debate Tournament at Illinois Wesleyan University
Mennonite Relief Sale

Peoria will be the best bet for a room.

Hi,

For those who may attend on Saturday-only, it will be $20 for the tour and lecture.

For Friday-only or Friday-Saturday, it will be $40.

Saturday, March 16TH

8:00 am Breakfast at 55TH ANNUAL ILLINOIS MENNONITE RELIEF SALE
—Interstate Center

Pancake and sausage breakfast, cost approximately $7. cash only.

9:00 am —Browse Relief Sale and Dutch Market / Attend Action


9:30 am —Tour of Relief Sale and Dutch Market —Julie Hendricks

10:30 am —Eat My Words: “Uncovering” Mennonite Women’s History Through
Their Cookbooks —Julie Hendricks

11:30 am —Depart / Post Tour / Optional Lunch

Regards,

jlawrence01 wrote:

rgl201 wrote:We have just registered. Warning: hotel rooms are at a premium and hard to find! Does anyone need a ride?

Special Olympics Basketball at Illinois State University
State Debate Tournament at Illinois Wesleyan University
Mennonite Relief Sale

Peoria will be the best bet for a room.

I just learned there is a stay-at-home Mom's conference, too. So far people have found lodging in Lincoln, Morton (pumpkin capital!) and Bloomington.

Regards,

How the Mennonites make More with Less

It’s ironic. The best-known, even iconic American Anabaptist sect is “Old-Order Amish,” despite – and because – their insular communities shun contact with the outside world and modern conveniences.

But another Anabaptist sect, Mennonites, evolved without strictures against all modernization. They established themselves in central Illinois and throughout North America and continued adhering to Anabaptist precepts of pacifism, simple living, community-centered lives and consenting adult (as opposed to infant, hence the name) baptism. Mennonite culinary traditions, though similar to those of “old-order Amish,” became influential in awakening Americans to the necessity/value of environmentally sustainable, healthy food.
...

Cathy2 wrote:How the Mennonites make More with Less

It’s ironic. The best-known, even iconic American Anabaptist sect is “Old-Order Amish,” despite – and because – their insular communities shun contact with the outside world and modern conveniences.

But another Anabaptist sect, Mennonites, evolved without strictures against all modernization. They established themselves in central Illinois and throughout North America and continued adhering to Anabaptist precepts of pacifism, simple living, community-centered lives and consenting adult (as opposed to infant, hence the name) baptism. Mennonite culinary traditions, though similar to those of “old-order Amish,” became influential in awakening Americans to the necessity/value of environmentally sustainable, healthy food.
...

I strongly recommend Doris Jansen Longacre's books. The original book - published in 1976 - is probably better than a lot of the later editions.

jlawrence01 wrote:I strongly recommend Doris Jansen Longacre's books. The original book - published in 1976 - is probably better than a lot of the later editions.

That's good to know, because several people contacted me about these books from reading this article.

Thanks!

World gourmet foods is closed, I believe. But if anyone needs other recos for food, I'd be happy to help (and maybe even meet up!)

Sharona wrote:World gourmet foods is closed, I believe. But if anyone needs other recos for food, I'd be happy to help (and maybe even meet up!)

Hi,

I will reliably be at the Friday night dinner and Saturday morning breakfast. I hope to hit your double decker food truck for lunch Saturday just after noon. I will PM you my cellphone number.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:

jlawrence01 wrote:I strongly recommend Doris Jansen Longacre's books. The original book - published in 1976 - is probably better than a lot of the later editions.

That's good to know, because several people contacted me about these books from reading this article.

Thanks!

What was unique about the book (at the time) is that it introduced a lot of "world foods" (foods from Asia, South America, and Africa) that were very foreign to the "rank and file" Mennonites in Pennsylvania. It is NOT an cookbook of Amish foods although you will see a lot of them this weekend.

It was NOT the ONLY book of that era on the topic of simple foods. Francis Moore Lappe's Food for a Small Planet fell into that category. However, is was one that linked the food to Gospel values.

The real shame was that Doris Jansen Longacre never really saw the success of her books as she died prematurely of breast cancer in 1977.