Urban Martha: Goschenhoppen Folk Festival

This past weekend was the Goshenhoppen Folk Festival, a two day festival dedicated to celebrating the Pennsylvania Dutch Culture of Southeastern Pennsylvania. As I am sure a lot of my readers who know me might not be surprised to hear, once upon a time I was an apprentice at the festival and spent two days in cotton skirts, quilting and knitting lace. I will spare us all the embarassment and not post pictures from my years volunteering... But this year I went with my mom.

From the Goschenhoppen Historical Society's website:

"The annual Goschenhoppen Folk Festival, started in 1966 is nationally recognized as an educational event to be enjoyed by the whole family. It is always held in August on the 2nd Saturday and the Friday before. It is a non-commercial family oriented day in Goschenhoppen. Old fashioned foods and Pennsylvania Dutch meals are for sale on the festival grounds. Young and old alike can leisurely enjoy more than 500 skilled and apprentice craftsmen giving live demonstrations of more than 150 skills of the 18th and 19th centuries. Dressed in authentic costumes of the periods (many of which are loaned from the Historian's extensive wardrobe), they use authentic tools in recreating traditional home skills, trades, pastimes, foods, and folk music."

Below are some pictures. A lot of the crafts and cooking really inspired me; this community was absolutely dependent on being as self-sufficient and frugal as possible. Their ideals of not wasting and using what you have around you can be easily put to use in the urban home. I make many of the foods I saw being prepared often in my own home. I'll be doing posts on most of these foods over the course of the next couple of weeks; most of them are great ways to use the local produce we have right now. I highly recommend making the trip out to Upper Frederick next summer to see this. It is only about an hours' drive from Philadelphia and is a great way to spend a weekend afternoon.