It’s Saturday morning, the busiest day for the Dutch Country Farmers Market three-day business. It is ten minutes before the doors open, already the parking lot is filled and customers are waiting inside the aisle that leads to the front doors. At exactly 8 a.m., the doors open and people bustled into the market.
Inside is a small diner on the far left that is run by one of the vendors. A news feature has gotten them popular in a matter of months. Apart from the diner, the market includes a bakery, meat department, dairy products, a variety of sweets, and fruits and vegetables.
Traveling in buses from Lancaster County, Penn. to Laurel, these Dutch farmers run the market from Thursday to Saturday. All of the food that they sell are fresh and organic, which is different from the processed foods that Americans eat every day.
“There is a group of 10 vendors at our market. Each vendor has their own section, which I think many of our customers like,” said Sam Beiler, one of the general managers.
The market is known for its fresh food. The bakery makes all its goods once it gets to the market Thursday morning. Some of the meats come from different states.
“Our turkeys are raised in Pennsylvania. The rest of the meats come from different Amish farms in different states. We interact with Missouri a lot for some of our meats,” said Beiler, who is also the vendor of Beiler’s Meats at the market.
Beiler said the market is a way for Americans to avoid processed foods, which is the cause of the increase of obesity.
“Processed foods contain a lot of sodium and nitrates. Even though fresh foods and some processed foods taste the same, it would be better without it. I think more people are conscious on that now,” Beiler said.
Beiler may be unto something. Customers who were interviewed said they like the fact that their food is fresh and organic.
“I just moved to Laurel a month ago and every time I come here, I feel so overwhelmed. There are so many options to choose from and what makes it better is that all their food is healthy,” exclaimed Claire Thomas, a newcomer at the market.
Back in 1987, Beiler and nine other vendors signed a lease to open up their own Amish market in Burtonsville, Md. In 2009, Beiler and the other vendors signed a new lease and moved the market to Laurel, Md.
“We live in Lancaster County, Penn. We hired people to drive us down here every Thursday and to drive us back on Saturday. It’s a different experience from our Amish culture,” Beiler said.
Some customers, like Thomas, are surprised that the Amish workers are opening up their culture to mainstream American. The Amish have different lifestyles than mainstream Americans. They do not use electricity, automobiles unless needed, and are not allowed to take photographs due to their religion.
“It’s different to see the workers dress as if we’re in colonial times. The way they live intrigues me and makes me want to learn more about them,” Thomas said.
Beiler, being Amish himself, believes that they are not as different as mainstream Americans are.
“We’re Americans like everyone else,” he said. “Our practice is different, but that’s it. We have to work on issues like everyone else.”
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