Per my dad, my grandparents had a walk in ice box. It was a hand dug into a dirt embankment. They cut ice out of the river in the winter and packed the ice box with ice blocks and saw dust. We still have the ice cutting tools.
The Lifespan of Large Appliances Is Shrinking
- Thread starter Chris
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Per my dad, my grandparents had a walk in ice box. It was a hand dug into a dirt embankment. They cut ice out of the river in the winter and packed the ice box with ice blocks and saw dust. We still have the ice cutting tools.
KennethS
TJ Expert
If propane is readily available, has anyone considered propane refrigerators? We have 2 at out cabin, both about 18 cu. ft.. They've been running 24/7/365 for 20+ years. The only maintenance is running a big pipe cleaner through the exhaust pipe every few years. We bought them at the Amish appliance store.
I just gave that a google out of curiosity. They are available. They do cost 2-3X what a similar conventional fride cost. Short term, not worth it. Long term, like a decade or two, it would probably start to break even.
It's been a while since I purchased, but I don't remember them be that expensive. The Amish appliance store is 1 1/2 hours from my house, or I'd stop by to see the current prices.
Do they sell typical name brands?
I found this website; https://www.gasfridgedepot.com/
Looks like this site has a some interesting things too. https://www.lehmans.com/
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Naw, electric is cheaper even if the fridge lasts half as long. Unless your off-grid running a generator to power it.
Our cabin is off grid. Before the purchase of the larger propane refrigerators, we had a small, dorm room size refrigerator and a spring house. The spring house is about 6x8 concrete block with a shingle roof. There are "troughs" cast into the perimeter of the concrete floor. The troughs along the side walls are wide enough to put a 6 pack, and 4" deep. The trough along the back wall is about 2' wide and about 1' deep. Spring water feed into the back corner and flows out the front corner via 1" pipe. It keeps beer cold.
The springhouse still exists, but its about 20 yards away, and not as convenient as keep your food inside the cabin.
When I travel to Pennsylvania I love to go to the Amish hardware stores. Their hand tools, like shovels, are far superior to anything I can get locally. Also I’m always amazed by the number of types of lanterns they have for lighting at their homes.
Everywhere I travel I always do two things. Go to the local hardware and grocery stores. I’ve found some unique tools traveling out of the country. Amazing what you can fit in a suitcase.
Found these this spring at a Japanese hardware store in Hawaii.
Found these this spring at a Japanese hardware store in Hawaii.
Now I wish there was an Amish hardware store here.
Maybe a dumb question, but how do I find these? I am about to head to western PA next week and wouldn't mind finding some gems.
Well, you can rule out calling them on their cell phones for directions...
Praise zorba.
Just follow one of the orange triangles.
Actually, depending on the specific sect and their believes, they'll advertise like any other business. Here's an "Amish made" store in my state; https://shilohgeneralstorenc.com/
There is an Amish furniture and storage building store not too far from me that advertise via road signs, but nothing online, so it really just depends.
that's the wrong side of the state, the overwhelming majority of the Pennsylvania Amish population is found in Lancaster County which is down in the south east corner of the state a couple counties to the west of Philly. I'm about 20 minutes from the border, absolutely beautiful countryside of rolling hills, farms, and horse & buggies everywhere, gotta be really careful when driving out there lest you get into an ugly accident. The county seat is Lancaster City, a beautiful historic Pennsylvania town, I visit frequently.
Apropos of nothing in this thread, the food in Amish country is off the charts, just silly big, good, & much of it fattening as all hell, I've had more than one donut that felt like it weighed a pound
Lancaster also has America's largest buffet
https://www.shady-maple.com/smorgasbord/
that's the wrong side of the state, the overwhelming majority of the Pennsylvania Amish population is found in Lancaster County which is down in the south east corner of the state a couple counties to the west of Philly. I'm about 20 minutes from the border, absolutely beautiful countryside of rolling hills, farms, and horse & buggies everywhere, gotta be really careful when driving out there lest you get into an ugly accident. The county seat is Lancaster City, a beautiful historic Pennsylvania town, I visit frequently.
Apropos of nothing in this thread, the food in Amish country is off the charts, just silly big, good, & much of it fattening as all hell, I've had more than one donut that felt like it weighed a pound
Lancaster also has America's largest buffet
https://www.shady-maple.com/smorgasbord/
While Lancaster is the epicenter for Amish, they have been moving West for a long time. Western PA and Ohio have a significant population. They seem to go where land is cheap. A lot of the Amish furniture comes from factories in Ohio.
The Ziggenfus clan are from South Western PA. They're the one's that sued the State because they thought the orange triangular signs were too much. They want reflective grey/brown signs on the back of their buggies.
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