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 When was the last time you had velvety-rich, homemade ice cream that was fresh out of a hand-cranked freezer? Or savored the aroma of soul-warming soup, simmering on a wood-burning stove? Or even smelled the bouquet of a freshly made pie, brimming with this season's fruits, cooling on a windowsill? Such innocent culinary pleasures are little more than memories for most of us. But to the Amish and Mennonites of northern Indiana, these experiences are symbolized as part of their foundation, almost as much as the region's tradition of quilting.
The basis of this 26-part national PBS cooking series, Amish Cooking from Quilt Country, is to portray farm cooking at its best! Host Marcia Adams spent over a year among the Amish and Mennonites, who opened their kitchens - and their hearts - to her. She has re-discovered a way of cooking that has remained unchanged over the decades. A way of cooking that is supported by the Heartland’s fruits, vegetables, meats and grains. Laced with the culinary influences from Europe, the Pennsylvania Dutch, and the rural Midwest - it is a unique folk cuisine linked to the land and the rhythm of the four seasons.
 Over 200 of these Amish recipes were handed down orally, from one generation to the next, and are recorded here for the first time. Then, there were some that Marcia refers to as "attic receipts" - found pressed between old books and inside dusty trunks with the script fading – that she salvaged and brought to new life. Each recipe is sure to awaken seasonal and pleasant memories. Dandelion Greens with Hot Bacon Dressing and Rhubarb Dumplings signal the first stirrings of spring. Country Fair Barbecue Sandwiches and Cherry Cobbler recall the sultry days of summer. Fall is heralded by Roast Duck with Sauerkraut and Apple Dressing along with an array of preservatives in jars. Then finally we celebrate winter and the holidays with Escalloped Oysters and Steamed Christmas Pudding.
This series offers some of the best-loved Amish cooking specialties, including: Fried Cornmeal Mush with Tomato Gravy, Whoopie Pies, Tomato Fritters and Onion Rivel Soup. Amish Cooking from Quilt Country also offers more than fifty glorious desserts from Elderberry Pie, to Chocolate Fudge Pudding, to Blueberry Upside-Down Cake and Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings.
 With dozens of spectacular photos of the Amish and Mennonites, Amish Cooking from Quilt Country is an extraordinary evocation of a nearly vanished way of life.
Marcia Adams, an award-winning food columnist, is an authority on Indiana Amish foods and lifestyles, - as well as midwestern cuisine. Her syndicated column, Good Food, has appeared in several midwestern newspapers. As a companion to this series Marcia has also authored a book entitled Cooking from Quilt Country: Hearty Recipes from Amish and Mennonite Kitchens that won the James Beard Foundation KitchenAid Book award in 1990 and has received many rave reviews.
This WBGU-PBS local production was directed by Denise Kisabeth, and ran for
two seasons in 1989 and 1990. Each season consisted of 13 episodes and was accented with delicious and wholesome recipes. Celebrating the heritage and lifestyles of northern Indiana's Amish and Mennonites, Amish Cooking from Quilt Country was generously funded by: Maple Leaf Farms, Ball Corporation, Sauder Woodworking Company and Merillat Cabinetmaker.
For episodic information about the series  click here.
Downloadable Recipes:
Check out more Marcia Adams:
Marcia Adams'
Kitchen, Change of Heart, Heart to Heart, Heartland Cooking, and Christmas in the Heartland.
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