While at our local grocery (Meridian Haggen), in need of butter, Severin and I discovered the Amish butter roll. Has anyone seen or heard of this? 2 lbs. of butter wrapped in wax paper. Butter presumably made by the Amish, because of the name “Amish Butter Roll,” we found that it was pleasantly devoid of marketing. No stoic stag, no Minnesotan Native American princess, not even a charming four-leafed clover to show us the spirit and depth of experience this butter would bring into our life. Nothing but a nutrition chart (required by law) and the ingredients: cream and salt. Needless to say, we had to have it. Their non-marketing drew us in. The mystery of their simple packaging left me imagining the horse and wagon that dropped it off in the wee hours of the morning for the dairy department manager to bring in. It came in a basket, lined with a gingham cloth. Pa was wearing his straw hat which wasn’t quite enough to protect his ears from the sting of the crisp winter morning air. Ma had her hand-knit shawl wrapped tightly around her shoulders as she dropped off the butter rolls that were made, by her, from the cream of cows that grazed on fresh, pesticide-free grass…maybe they need a marketing manager. Needless to say the package and simplicity were enough to draw us in to the mystery of the Amish Butter Roll, even though I’m pretty sure the nearest Amish community is far enough away that there was a commercial vehicle and many gallons of fossil fuel involved in bringing it to Bellingham, WA. Nothing’s perfect.

I have done some research on Amish butter and I have found that there is a Facebook page, there are people who will put it out there on the world-wide web that Amish butter is “the best butter [they] have ever tasted.” Below is what the FB page states about this butter. I guess it is a standard thing, and you know what? I like it. It just feels more authentic, slicing a chunk off the old butter log. And that is what excites me about food these days. Authenticity. Simplicity. Connectedness to real people. I suppose it would be more ideal if these Amish folks were part of my actual community but as I said, nothing’s perfect. I am just trying to make small authentic choices. And this butter was a perfect inspiration to break out our never-before-used cast iron pan, season it, and make some biscuits and gravy from scratch. It was the perfect “fuel” for our day at Mt. Baker, Lillet’s first day in the snow. Thanks Ma. Thanks Pa. (Thanks truck driver.) Maybe some day I will get to a place where butter is something that I can “make” for myself. Baby steps…below are some pictures from our day.