A friend we visited in the area has many Amish neighbors, and we got to know a few during our stay. We were surprised to see an Amish dairy farm that supplies milk to an organic yogurt manufacturer using mechanical milking machines. Likewise, an Amish chicken farmer watches his egg yield so closely that when it dropped a few percentage points he replaced all his chicken feed under the assumption the feed was bad. Happily, his yield returned to normal. Naively, we had assumed the cows would be milked by hand on milking stools and the eggs would be gathered in baskets and not scientifically monitored. We had a chance to invite two Amish women to see the inside of our fifth-wheel trailer. The Amish don’t power their homes with electricity because it would make their society dependent on the larger society around them. However, they still power their homes and lights, and all with propane. So our RV’s propane furnace, hot water heater, and refrigerator were all familiar appliances to them The Seneca Produce Auction is held twice a week during the summer months in the town of Romulus. This gathering gave us a fabulous glimpse of Amish commerce and life. It is held in a huge barn type of building with high ceilings, massive doors, and a concrete floor. Farmers bring their produce in large crates, which are lined up on pallets. Amish farmers selling their goods and both Amish and non-Amish buyers stood around the rows of produce as an auctioneer rattled off prices and winning bids at breakneck speed in what was, to us, incomprehensible gibberish. We watched in awe as the crowd moved from one crate to the next and the auctioneer sold them off to buyers who had raised a hand or winked or given some other indication of their price. It was fast and efficient, and in no time the crowd had dwindled to just a few people as everyone completed their transactions and left. Non-Amish men drove forklifts to load the crates onto flatbed trailers. Some flatbeds were hauled away by trucks but most were hauled by a horse. We even saw one double-tow where a horse pulled an enclosed family buggy with a flatbed
The town of Ovid is home to many Amish farms.
Boating is a happy pastime in Seneca Falls.
trailer ladened with produce hitched up behind it. All the Amish men wore black pants with suspenders and the women wore long dresses while the children went barefoot in the summer heat. It was an experience we’ll never forget. Seneca Falls At the far north end of Seneca Lake, the town of Seneca Falls is a charming collection of traditional brick buildings that open onto the road as they would in any town. Behind these buildings, however, you get an entirely different view of the town. Seneca Falls is actually a boat- in destination for those fortunate enough to own a boat on the Finger Lakes. Boats of all sizes were tied up along the canal on the back side of town. Large cabin cruisers, barges, and small power boats all had a place on the waterfront. Although we love the freedom our RV gives us, a boat would be another great way to explore the Finger Lakes.
WATERFALLS, WINERIES, AND THE AMISH
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE SUMMER 2023 | 12
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