The Amish Way, Ashland, OH (2025)

12/09/2025

An Ohio producer has issued a recall for every batch of its tomato basil soup after discovering that the product contains an undeclared milk ingredient.
Lil’ Turtles is recalling its 17-ounce jars of Grandma Belle’s Tomato Basil Soup due to a labeling error that fails to warn consumers about the presence of milk. Anyone with a milk allergy or sensitivity could experience an adverse reaction if they consume the soup.

The recalled product was shipped to retail stores between Sept. 23 and Dec. 3, 2025, across 14 states. In Pennsylvania, the soup was sold at:
• Indian Trail Country Market in Elizabethville
• Burger Farms in Drums
• Paul’s Country Market in Waynesboro
Illinois: Countryside Variety (Buncombe)
Indiana: Dented Can (Goshen); Sommher’s Bakery (Gosport)
Iowa: Golden Delight Bakery (Kalona)
Kansas: Jet Produce (Leavenworth)
Kentucky: Creekside Pantry (London)
Minnesota: Cherry Grove Market (Browerville)
Mississippi: 45 Flea Market (Meridian)
Missouri: Sunnyside Market (El Dorado)
New York: The Olde Bat Factory (Hancock); Shadyview Farm (Rushville); Beef and Butter Company (Rochester); Hymers Farm Market (Delhi); Troyers Country Store (Canastota)
Ohio: Baltic Meats (Baltic); Trailside Deli (Millersburg); Randles Cheese (Millersburg); Wesley Miller (Sugarcreek); Bambi Farm Market (Orient); Baker Florist (Dover); Jungle Jim (Cincinnati); Becks Market (Greenville)
Oklahoma: Amish Cheesehouse (Chouteau); Martins House Country Store (Davis)
Utah: Applecreek Willard (Willard)
Wisconsin: Hecks Farm Market (Arena)

The issue was identified during a routine inspection conducted by the Ohio Department of Agriculture, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. No illnesses have been reported.

Customers can request a replacement by contacting Lil’ Turtles directly. For assistance, call Josh Coblentz at 330-897-6400.

12/09/2025

When I was growing up in the Amish, there are many, many things that are never a conversation in the Amish. There are some certain words that are not used in Amish. Here are a few examples:

Most Amish are never educated about s*x. The word "s*x" is completely forbidden. No one tells you that it's forbidden, but no one says that word, and because of this, it feels like it is a bad thing. I personally did not know the whole process of conception until Tyler and I were dating and he educated me about it. I was around 21 years old.

The word "pregnancy" is not typically used in the Amish. We would say it in the Amish language, so translated into English, we would say "she is so" or "she is expecting". A few times when I was speaking to a non-Amish person, I would say the word "pregnant", but it always felt wrong, because we were not supposed to say that in the Amish.

When I was around 10 or 11 years old, my mom told me about me getting my period. We did not call it a menstrual cycle. She made it sound very scary and did not explain any reason why women get a period. It is not talked about in the Amish, except for whispers among the girls and women. It felt like a bad thing, because we were not supposed to talk about it openly. But a lot of times, most girls would not call it a period, there would be other words to replace it, such as, we would say, "I have my stuff", or "grandma came to visit me" or I've even heard "the little red wagon came to visit me". It's very weird.

And of course, private parts are forbidden words as well, we would replace it with other words if we needed to say it, but for the most part, avoided any conversation about this. Once again, it is viewed as something negative.

12/09/2025

The U.S. Supreme Court has reopened a legal challenge brought by several Amish parents against a New York law that removed religious exemptions for school vaccinations.
In a decision released Monday, the high court threw out a previous ruling against the families and returned the case to a lower court for further review. The justices instructed the lower court to reconsider the case in light of a recent Supreme Court decision that strengthened parental rights in matters involving religious objections.
New York ended religious vaccine exemptions in 2019 during a widespread measles outbreak, requiring all students in public schools and daycare programs to receive state-mandated immunizations unless they qualify for a medical exemption.
The policy has faced multiple legal challenges over the years, including one filed in 2023 by Amish parents and several Amish schools. Earlier this year, a federal appeals court upheld the law, pointing to evidence that vaccine-preventable illnesses have recently affected Amish communities.

Now, with the Supreme Court’s latest action, the case will be reevaluated, giving the plaintiffs another opportunity to argue that the law violates their religious rights.

12/08/2025

Growing up in the Old Order Amish, we were not allowed to have a cell phone to text our family and friends, if we are a member of the church or a younger child. The only time some are allowed to have a cell phone is when we are in Rumspringa, which is between the ages 16 to lower 20's, it depends. And IF our parents allow us to have a cell phone, then there is restrictions to it. Usually it cannot be out in the open, in front of our siblings. For me and my brothers, we were not allowed to have a cell phone at all. But of course, we did have a cell phone, so we would always hide it completely from our parents. I had a cell phone since age 17 and my parents never found out until I was 21, when I moved out of my parents' house. My brothers and I would go to Walmart and we would buy a cheap flip-phone, that doesn't usually have internet, and we would use it to text each other and we would also Bluetooth songs to each other, so we had music, which of course, we only listened to music when our parents were not around. So in that time of Rumspringa, most of the youth in the Amish community that I came from, have cell phones, whether they're allowed to or not. And the only other people that have a cell phone is adults that have a business. My family had a business, so we had a cell phone, but it was only used for business purposes. And there might have been one or two other churches in our community that were more lenient, that allowed their members to have a certain type of cell phone that is not supposed to have internet. Every family in our community has a landline phone, which is of course, completely different from a cell phone. So we could call anybody that we wanted to, but we couldn't text each other and the landline phone had to be outside of the house, so sometimes the weather wasn't nice and therefore, we wouldn't usually call our friends and family unless there was a reason.

Not being able to text friends and family, or email them, or have a phone in the house where it's convenient to call, because of that, there's other ways that Amish people keep up with friends and family, such as: family gatherings quite frequently and writing letters. ✍️

Writing letters in the Amish is quite common. Sometimes we would write letters to family, usually that would be the women. There is a church newsletter that is for our community and there would be 'get well showers' in there for people that are hurt, or something like that and then people from our community would send a card or sometimes write a letter to those people. Then there's also something called 'circle letters' that is very common in the Amish. Most women in the Amish are in at least one or more circle letters. A circle letter is where a bunch of the women would take turns writing a letter and putting it into an envelope and then it would get passed around, each person has to send it to the next person on the list, there might be a total of 5 to 10 women and when the letter comes back to you, then you have to take out your old letter and replace it with a new letter, that way it's continually new letters for everyone who gets the envelope. My mom is in a circle letter with her cousins (the women). When I was Amish, I was in a sisterless circle letter for a little while. This was only for Amish women and girls who did not have any sisters, from several different States and one from Canada and we would write letters, put it in the envelope and send it off to the next person in line. Even after I left the Amish, I was still in this circle letter, until about a year ago, I backed out. (I backed out for a reason that I will not be explaining).

Another thing that is common in the Amish is for them to find a birthday twin who is Amish from any community and they would write letters to each other. If you don't know what a birthday twin is, it just means it is another person who is born on the exact same day and year as you were. I remember when I was Amish, I wanted to find out who my birthday twin was in the Amish, and I went through our entire Amish community directory, just to find 2 boys, no girls! It wouldn't have been appropriate to write a letter to the boys, so I was disappointed, but I did have a second cousin who was born the day before I was, she was the closest to a birthday twin that I could find and we sometimes sent a birthday card to each other.

Since I have been shunned by my family, since leaving the Amish, I write letters to them a few times every year. My grandmother, married brothers, a few cousins and aunts have written a letter back to me, but my parents have never written back to me. I used to love writing letters to friends sometimes, when I was Amish, but now that I left, I have to be very careful about what I write to them, so I don't really like it as much now.

Amish people usually get envelopes in the mailbox almost daily, because they can't have electronic bills, it has to be paper. They can't get emails or any such things, it all has to be on paper. They also send a lot of greeting cards to each other, because once again, they can't just text their long distance family a Merry Christmas or a Happy Birthday.

12/07/2025

I am starting a series of things that I was never taught in all of my Amish life. (I left at age 22). Most of these things my husband taught me after I left the Amish, and from my GED, and educating myself. My husband had a regular high school education. Most of the things I will be mentioning in each part, will be things that non-Amish people typically are taught with a normal education.

So this is part one, of things that I was NEVER taught in Amish life.
I was never taught about the Food Pyramid. The food pyramid depicts what each person should have in their diet daily, in order to get the nutrients that our bodies need to stay healthy.
My husband remembers being taught the food pyramid when he was around 2nd or 3rd grade. It is very important to teach our children about the nutrients that our bodies need! It doesn't mean that everyone who was taught about it will follow it, but at least they are aware of the basics.

The Food Pyramid:
*The base teir that we should eat the most of is: 🥔🍞🍝🥬🍄🫜🥕🥦🍓🍍🍇🫐
Grains, Vegetables and Fruits, such as; Whole grains, Brown rice and Potatoes. A wide variety of different colored Vegetables, especially leafy greens and a good mix of different Fruits.

*The middle tier, we should eat in moderation, which is; 🫘🍣🍗🍳🥜🥛🧀
Dairy Products and Proteins, such as; Lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, nuts, seeds (limit red meat)

*The top tier that we should eat the least of is: 🧈🍪🍭🧁🧋
Fats, Oils and Sweets, such as; Butter, oils (use unsaturated ones like olive), sugars, candies, sugary drinks (use sparingly).

Some of you know, because of a previous post that I made, about myself getting sick, because of the Amish diet, when I was 16. The Amish diet consists of lots of meat (especially red meat), lots of dairy, lots of casseroles (especially cheesy, potato casseroles) and tons of sweets. That's how it was in the Amish community that I was raised in.

12/06/2025

When my husband, Tyler and I met, he was a taxi driver for our Amish community. The first time I ever knew that Tyler even existed I was around 16 years old and my older brother called Tyler to take him somewhere. My brother was already in Rumspringa. Then when I started Rumspringa, my friends and I would sometimes call him to take us to places as well, he was known to be a safe and cheap weekend driver. When I first met Tyler, he was just another taxi driver and I didn't think anything different about him and he also had a girlfriend at the time. Throughout the next couple years, it would be the same thing, sometimes when we needed to go somewhere then he would be the taxi driver. Then when I was around 20 years old, me and a few of my friends did not like the parties on the weekends (Rumspringa) anymore, but we didn't want to be at home if our parents were at home, so we would end up calling Tyler to allow us to ride with him in the vehicle, and he would drive us around the backroads. We would talk and laugh and listen to loud & explicit music. We did that for a little while, only on the weekends and in that time, we got to know him better. Tyler was always the quiet taxi driver, he didn't usually talk much. But he would talk more as time went on. Then when he dropped us off at home, he started always dropping me off last and in that time, we would talk so much, when it was just him and I, on the way to my house. We felt a connection between each other, but he was not Amish and I was Amish. I was taught that it is a sin to date someone who is not Amish, so I wouldn't even think about dating him and I wouldn't allow myself to like him. Months later, we ended up dating, but that was not until after some very personal things happened in each of our lives. We kept our dating a secret for a whole year, (Tyler knew that was a good idea) and I'm so happy that we did. For this post, I want to mention some of the conversations that happened between Tyler and I, as we were driving on the back roads, when the other girls had already been at home and it was just him and I in the vehicle. Most times he took the long way home. ☺️

First, I want to mention the thing that Tyler remembers the most from our conversations. He remembers me asking him questions that the Amish had no answers for, and he told me to read the Bible and not to tell anyone, because they will tell me that the Bible will deceive me. Tyler was very well aware of the negative side of the Amish and I was completely oblivious at that point.

The conversations that I remember the most, was when we were discussing the universe, the stars, the moon, the sun and the planets. All my life I had been so curious about basic questions about the stars, the moon and the universe and I remember many nights when we would sit out by the campfire with my family and I would ask my dad questions about it and he never had answers, he would always say that it is not for us humans to understand. Basically, that there's no way that we as humans can understand anything about the moon, or the stars, or the planets, or the universe. But that really did not seem right to me, so even as a teenager, I was still curious, because I was always fascinated and amazed with the night sky. I remember many nights growing up, when I would be very sad and I would open my bedroom window and I would just stare at the sky, wondering about God.
So as Tyler and I were driving, it was always night time, because Rumspringa happens in the evenings, on the weekends, and so we could see the night sky all around us and that's obviously what prompted my questions. And I was so amazed that Tyler knew these answers. He explained that this is basic things that people learn in public school and I told him that we are taught that there's no way that anyone can know about this. He told me about black holes and about a supernova, he told me about how the sun is just another star, and each sun has its own solar system and he told me about Earth's rotation, taking 24 hours to complete one full rotation and 365 days to complete one full circle around the sun. He taught me that there are lots of moons, not just one. Then he taught me things about the other planets. I was so interested and apparently, this is basic knowledge for non-Amish people, even children, which is so different from my life in the Amish. And then it hit me, that the non-Amish children, that I used to babysit, sometimes said things that I had no idea what it was and I realized that even them, as a 3 and 4 year old, knew things that I've never learned in my entire life. These things were not even typically a conversation in the Amish, it would have been foolish to have a conversation like this. So then I wondered how many more things that I've had questions about all my life, that there actually was answers for, that the Amish are just completely unaware of.

Another conversation that I remember between Tyler and I, was him teaching me about photosynthesis. There was so many new words that I've never heard before, as he was explaining photosynthesis, that I just vaguely followed along. So I don't really think I got much out of that conversation at the time, but it just absolutely amazed me so much, that someone knew these answers.
I remember thinking that now I have a tiny glimpse of why I always feel so uneducated, next to any non-Amish person, even very young children. At the age of 20, it was still hard for me to have regular conversations in the English language, with non-Amish people, I basically only knew how to have a basic conversation that we (Amish people) always had with the taxi drivers or in the Amish businesses I worked at. Such as: "Hi, how are you" and talking about the weather or "can I help you with something" and "have a nice day".

Another conversation we had, was Tyler asking me if I would want to do a few videos with him, he would say something in English and I would say it in the Amish language. Tyler already had started a few channels, teaching about the Amish. I said that yes, that would be fun, but that I was too scared of what would happen if anyone in the Amish found out, not necessarily about teaching the Amish language, but about doing anything with a non-Amish person, that was supposed to be only a taxi driver for us. I couldn't imagine how angry and upset my parents were if they found out that I did something like this with a non-Amish person and because of that, I told him that I cannot do that with him.

We would also talk a lot about food. I would mention how I love to try new foods, which is considered 'weird' in the Amish and he told me he loves to try new foods as well, so we would have many conversations talking about food. 😋

So those are the conversations we remember the most. We basically got to know each other over talking about these types of things. And of course, as you know, eventually we ended up getting married, years later. 😉 (It sounds romantic, how we met and got to know each other, but it was extremely complicated).

12/05/2025

Most people in the Amish do not show physical affection except to babies and toddlers. Most Amish believe showing physical affection is worldly, especially public physical affection. This was my personal experience growing up Amish.⬇️

Most Amish, especially the men, do not hug other Amish people. In some of the more lenient Amish communities, it is more common for the girls who are in Rumspringa, to hug each other. Couples hug in secret. Of course there is always that older lady, who is a long distance relative that gives hugs. At funerals some give hugs. So of course, there is some Amish that hug people sometimes, but overall, it is not very common.
I will never forget the way I felt growing up when it comes to hugging. The only time I saw my mom hug someone was our non-Amish friends and at my grandma's funeral when I was 10 years old. I remember when our non-Amish friends came to visit and if their daughter came along, who was also a friend of mine, she would always give me a hug and beforehand, I would get so nervous about hugging her and I would hope in my mind that she would hug me when my parents were not around, because it made me so uncomfortable to hug someone if my parents were standing right there. My face always got so bright red and my heart started racing. Then when I started Rumspringa (age 17), I started hanging out with a group of girls and they all hugged each other, on the weekends, and it took me a while to get comfortable with that. In the Amish community that I came from, Rumspringa (which is for dating) happens on the weekends and there would be partying and drinking alcohol at the youth gatherings, to the point of being very drunk, so on the weekends, when everyone was drunk at the parties, then we would hug each other more, especially to pose for pictures. (YES, I have tons of photos from my Rumspringa weekends)

This is not physical affection but it goes with this subject. Most Amish families do not say 'I love you' to each other. Some parents teach their toddlers to say something similar but once they are around the age that they start going to school, they don't say it anymore. Of course in some rare instances some Amish families might say "I love you" to each other but overall it is not common.
They might sign a letter with "love you", if they're writing a letter to someone or in a greeting card to a family member, but they won't usually say "I love you" out loud.
I was so surprised, all of my life, my parents never said they love me out loud, until they knew that I might be leaving the Amish, then my dad said it to me. That was one of his ways of trying to get me to stay Amish. It was very odd.
I had an Amish boyfriend for 6 months when I was Amish and we never said "I love you" to each other.

Amish couples typically do not hold hands unless they are in secret.
For the most part, Amish families do not typically, like, hold hands or gently touch a shoulder in a comforting way. I have seen non-Amish families interacting with physical touch in a family way and I have not seen that in the Amish. I'm not sure if I explained that well, but I think most of you will know what I mean by that.

Most Amish families do not kiss each other, except couples do in secret and only some Amish couples kiss in front of their children. Adults sometimes kiss their babies and toddlers, but not their school children or older children.
When I was when I was growing up in the Amish, my parents only once in awhile kissed each other quickly, when my brothers and I were right there.
I remember my mom tucking in my youngest brother to sleep and she would kiss him when he was really young, but then she stopped when he got a little older, like around the time he started going to school.
The only other time I've ever seen anyone in the Amish kiss someone, is 2 different instances where a 'holy kiss' is required. The Amish preachers on Sunday mornings have to exchange a kiss with the other preachers. And when someone in the Amish gets baptized, they are kneeling down on the floor and then once the bishop tells them to stand up, then he takes their hand and they have to exchange a 'holy kiss' with the bishop if they are a man, and if it is a woman getting baptised, then they have to exchange a 'holy kiss' with one of the older ladies. That is done very specifically and ritualistic.

A little personal information about myself. I'm not sure how to word this, but one of my love languages is physical touch. But growing up Amish, I was scared of physical touch, because of the way that it was treated by everyone around me. As an adult, now that I have left the Amish, one of my favorite things is to cuddle with my husband. 😉 But I don't like when any other person wants to give me a hug, unless they truly care about me. Of course I still hug someone as a friendly gesture, but it feels wrong if it means nothing except for a hello. It doesn't make me uncomfortable anymore, but it means so much more to me. If someone gives me a hug, that should mean they really care about me, or if anyone says "I love you" then I need them to mean it, because those are very powerful words and I would never say "I love you" to a person unless I truly mean it. If you love someone, I think it is VERY important to tell them and show it with your actions. When I (personally) truly love something or someone, I will love with all my heart, not just a little here and there. So having a 'love language' of physical touch does not mean I need to be 'touched' more, NO, it means I don't want anyone to touch me (we're talking in a friendly way) unless they truly mean it. Because it's so much more powerful to me. I remember when I was growing up, I hated when anyone accidentally touched me or bumbed into me and I used to get teased about it. My brothers would tickle me on purpose to tease me 😉 and my cousin would joke that she would feel bad for my boyfriend because he wouldn't be allowed to touch me. 😆 NO, I just need a bigger personal space around me in order to be comfortable. It is different for everyone.
I say all that to say, that it took me awhile to navigate through all of this, throughout my life. And it is confusing when physical affection is viewed the way it was in my life, growing up Amish.

12/05/2025

A Vicksburg man has admitted guilt in connection with a crash that claimed the life of a 10 year old Amish boy.
Logan Thomas, 30, pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing death, a charge enhanced under Michigan’s habitual-offender rules because of his prior OWI convictions. With the enhancement, the offense carries a potential maximum sentence of life in prison, according to St. Joseph County Prosecutor Deborah J. Davis.
The case stems from a deadly collision on the morning of Dec. 2, 2024, along Banker Street in Sherman Township near Sturgis. Investigators say Thomas was driving a 1988 Chevrolet 1500 pickup when he hit four Amish children riding their bicycles to school. One of them, 10-year-old Anthony Miller of Sherman Township, died at the scene. Toxicology testing showed Thomas had methamphetamine, fentanyl, amphetamine, and morphine in his system at the time of the crash.
Prosecutor Davis called the incident entirely avoidable and emphasized the danger impaired drivers pose to the community. She also noted that Thomas’s driver’s license had already been revoked due to his previous OWI convictions.

Investigators outlined several key findings:

☆ Thomas made no attempt to brake or steer away before the collision.

☆ The children were riding properly along the far edge of the roadway with adequate visibility gear.

☆ Weather, lighting, and road conditions were clear, and the truck had no mechanical issues.

☆Thomas had more than 1,300 feet of clear sight distance giving him 16 to 18 seconds to notice the children based on his reported speed.

He told authorities he was watching for deer on the roadway instead of paying attention to the children ahead of him.
Under the plea deal, both sides are recommending a minimum sentence of 7.5 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections. Judge Paul Stutesman will decide at sentencing whether to accept that recommendation. If he rejects it, each party will have the option to withdraw from the agreement. Thomas will face a life-maximum sentence but will be eligible for parole after serving his minimum term. His bond was revoked following the plea, and he remains in the St. Joseph County Jail. Sentencing is set for 3 p.m. on Dec. 19 in St. Joseph County Circuit Court.

12/05/2025

A former missionary connected to an Ohio religious organization has been charged in federal court for allegedly engaging in illegal sexual acts with minors during multiple trips to Haiti.
Jeriah Mast, 44, of Millersburg, is accused of abusing four minors between 2002 and 2019 while serving with Christian Aid Ministries (CAM), a group tied to Amish and Mennonite outreach work. Federal investigators also say Mast previously admitted to harming around 30 children in Haiti, as well as victims in Ohio.
This case follows an earlier criminal conviction. In 2019, Mast received a nine year sentence in Holmes County after pleading guilty to abusing two minors in Ohio. He was released early in October 2024 after serving nearly six years and is currently on probation under sex-offender supervision requirements.
The new federal charges were filed after Mast’s arrest on Nov. 5. He is scheduled to appear in federal court in Cleveland. Prosecutors say the charges stem from laws that make it a crime for U.S. citizens to travel overseas to engage in sexual acts with minors. Homeland Security Investigations outlined additional details in a criminal complaint, stating that Mast acknowledged in 2019 that he abused children in Haiti from 2003 through 2019, most of them boys. The latest indictment focuses on four specific minors and incidents occurring in 2004, 2007, and 2011, including one case involving a 13-year-old boy who was allegedly assaulted inside a tent. CAM has not issued a new statement, though in 2019 the organization placed two managers on leave for reportedly knowing about concerns as early as 2013.
Holmes County, where Mast previously lived, includes one of the largest Amish communities in the United States. Advocates continue to raise concerns about how abuse allegations are handled in insular religious groups, where victims may face pressure not to report crimes.
CAM’s work in Haiti has drawn attention before most notably in 2021 when 17 missionaries and children were kidnapped by a local gang. Some hostages escaped while others were released. The gang leader, Joly Germine, was sentenced to life in prison this week in an unrelated case.
Mast is currently being held on the federal charges.

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