Umbrellas block the scorching sun as the vendors prepare to sell their goods.

I’d like to introduce myself.  My name is Emily, and I am Ian and Yvonne’s assistant.  I am their “do whatever needs to be done” person.  I’ve been at The White Oak Inn for 3 1/2 years and have loved every minute of it. I thoroughly enjoy my job, whether it’s helping out in the kitchen, walking the Inn mascot, Dougal, conversing with the guests, or working on the computer in the Bat Cave (H.Q. in the basement).

During the summer time in and around Amish county, it seems as though a person is never far away from a farmers market. There are farm markets, which are essentially roadside produce stands, and then there are farmers markets, which are on public property and feature a variety of vendors and products. In a nearby village called Fredericktown, the farmers market is held every Thursday from 3-6, starting at the end of May and running until the middle of October.

The Fredericktown village square, with it’s community-built gazebo, antique cannon, and surrounding historic downtown, is the perfect stage for the weekly performance that is as American as apple pie, baseball, and hot dogs. On average in Fredericktown, there are 6-10 vendors who set up and proceed to sell their best goods.  This weeks’ offerings were tantalizing to any palate. There were fresh red skinned potatoes, naturally grown blueberries, baby beets, fresh baked breads, fruit pies, cakes, and cookies.

Kate and Christopher try to beat the heat at the Farmers Market

I have to boast a tad. Our daughter is the baker behind Katy’s Kakes. She’s an 11 year old girl with her eye on the prize. She has been baking with me (Emily) since she was 6. When she turned 8, she asked if she could make something on her own. We found a recipe for an Oatmeal Cake that has become her trademark cake. It’s a very moist cake that is the right blend of spice and sweet. When she tops it with her coconut pecan topping, it’s out of this world. Yes, it’s all from scratch. And yes, she’s got the recipe memorized!

She’s not the only entrepreneur in our family. Our son, Christopher, is a 10 year old boy who is slightly more cautious, but driven to do things his way, just the same. He created a stand out recipe for lemonade that is earning him rave reviews from his customers. With a little more confidence, he’ll be hard to beat!

The heartland of America is a wonderful place to get reconnected with the old-fashioned values and traditions of the past. A farmers market brings it all full circle from past to present.  Fresh produce, fresh fruit, homemade baked goods, neighborly conversation, and a knowledge that your food didn’t travel more than 15 miles to get into your hands is a great way to spend an afternoon. When you visit The White Oak Inn, check out our local farmers markets and farm stands. The difference in taste and quality will have you coming back for more!

The sign says it all!

No matter what day of the week you stay at The White Oak Inn, chances are there is a Farmers Market being held.  We’d love to point you in the right direction to help you get back in touch with a time-honored tradition.

The lovely reception area at Soothing Touch Massage

As many of our guests have experienced, we offer in-room massage services at The White Oak Inn.   These services have been provided by the excellent and professsional ladies from Soothing Touch Massage in Mount Vernon, Ohio.    Recently the business was purchased by one of its long-time employees, our very dear friend Kim Dean.    Kim has been coming to the inn to provide massages for our guests for a number of years.    She has relocated the business to a larger facility to allow more services and additional therapists.    All of Kim’s massage therapists are licenced and insured. 

Although most of our guests prefer to enjoy a massage in the comfort and privacy of their own room at The White Oak Inn, some of them enjoy it so much they decide to continue enjoying the services of Soothing Touch when they aren’t staying at the inn.    Ian and I recently went for a visit to see the new office.    Kim and her talented husband Greg have renovated and decorated the Victorian style building to reflect a calm and tranquil atmosphere, and provide comfort and privacy for their clients.   Soft music plays in the background.   Small water fountains trickle gently.   Live plants and flowers abound.     An eclectic collection of art graces the walls.     It’s soothing, comfortable and relaxing – exactly what the whole massage experience should be.

In addition to standard massage, Soothing Touch will be offering hot stone massages and body wraps.    A small gift area sells massage oils, lotions and essential oils.   Gift certificates are available.

For those guests who book a massage at the inn, the therapist will arrive shortly before your appointment time and set up her table in your room.    She’ll start soft music, perhaps light a scented candle.   The tables are heated in the winter time.     You will undress to the degree of your own comfort and slide under the sheet on the table.     And then the bliss begins….

We love to see the faces of our guests after a session with Kim or one of the other therapists.   The best description would be that they ooze into the room.    Totally relaxed.   All stress gone.     Guests who have never experienced a professional massage before will rave about the experience.

I think I’ve just talked myself into booking a massage with Kim right now!

Your table awaits!

Showroom at Holmes County Pottery

Last week was kiln-opening time at Holmes County Pottery.   Ian and I just love pottery.   And at the workshop and store of local potter Cary Hulin we always find plenty of pieces we can’t live without.

Cary is a true artisan.   He built his large wood-fired kiln himself.   It took 10,000 bricks to complete that job.   He mixes his own clay and glazes, forms and decorates the pots, then supervises the firings.

The huge kiln needs 2 to 3 cords of hardwood slabs for one firing, and it takes Cary about 3 months to make enough pieces to fill it.      So the thrice-yearly kiln opening sales are much anticipated by his fans.

We had visited Cary a few weeks before the firing and he showed us a new design he was calling a Cobbler dish.    As soon as I saw them I knew I had to have at least one.    He took a round pot and pulled it to make a square-topped deep dish – perfect for a fruit cobbler or other baked dessert.    I was so glad we got up there early on the first day of the kiln-opening sale – Cary told us the cobbler dishes were selling like, well, to use another food analogy, hotcakes.     No wonder, they’re both beautiful to look at, and practical to use.

I brought home my new treasure and put it to almost immediate use, baking a berry crisp for dessert that weekend.      Sorry, the guests ate it all before I could get a photograph, but here’s a picture of the clean and empty dish.

Cobbler Dish from Holmes County Pottery

Holmes County Pottery is just one of artisans featured on the Pottery, Art and Artisans self-guided tour we give out to White Oak Inn guests.

The early corn crop is coming in and we’ve been enjoying some of the sweetest tastiest corn I can ever remember having.    We had a cookout last night for a family reunion, so we served fresh local corn.   They loved it.

I was worried we might not get good corn this year because we’ve had an unusually cool and dry summer, but apparently that isn’t the case.

I just love this time of year.   Drive down any road in this area and you’ll find little stands where farmers or individuals are selling whatever excess they have from their gardens.    It’s all so fresh and tasty.     Ian thinks I need to wear blinders because I want to stop and buy from them all.

This reminds me of the story I heard from a neighbour a few years ago.    He had planted too many zucchini plants and they had way more than they could eat or give to friends.    So he put an old chair out at the side of the road, put a box of zucchini on it and a large sign that read, “Free.  Help yourself”.     He heard a car stop so he went to see how much they had taken.   The chair was gone, the zucchini was still there.

Update on the tomato plants I bought at the auction:  I planted two behind the barn and kept three in pots near the inn.     The ones behind the barn have been given a little boost with sheep manure.     One of them is taller than I am right now and has hundreds of green cherry tomatoes.   The ones in pots aren’t growing as tall, but I’m getting a couple of ripe cherry tomatoes off each one daily.    Not bad for $1 a plant!

Yvonne

Local blueberries are ready.    One of the local pick-your-own farms has a one-for-one offer.    You pick all you want.   Keep half.   Give the other half to the farmer.     The farmer doesn’t have to pay to get his berries picked.   You don’t have to pay for the berries you keep.     Best of all, blueberry bushes don’t have thorns.     They’ll have various varieties of berries available all the way to September, so come on down and get some for yourself.

In honor of the season, here’s a great way to use some of those delicious berries.

Goat Cheese and Blueberry Salad

Salad greens or fresh spinach – enough for 8 salads

1 cup fresh blueberries

1/2 cup or more of crumbled goat cheese

1 small can of mandarin oranges

1/2 cup of toasted walnuts or pine nuts

Dressing:

1/4 cup of orange juice

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 tablespoon of honey

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup canola oil

Combine all the dressing ingredients except the oil in a blender jar.  With the motor running slowly pour the canola oil in the top.

Put greens on a plate.   Drizzle dressing over top.   Divide the blueberries, nuts, goat cheese and mandarin oranges between the plates.

We recently dropped by the Amish Country Furniture store, just outside Danville.  It’s only about a 15 minute drive from the inn, and we ordered all the furniture for our cottages from there.    Well, all we can say is that we always thought the furniture was great quality and value before, but now it’s over the top.   The store is now under new owner Raymond Weaver.   Raymond is justifiably proud of the workmanship and design that goes into all of his pieces.  From his nearby workshop his Amish workers make heirloom-quality furniture that is sold and shipped all over the country.   We were particularly impressed with one bedroom suite,   made out of solid white oak, (no particle board or veneer in any of Raymond’s work)  and with a design that is so special there’s a patent pending.     The smaller of the two dressers in the set weighs 350 lbs!   This is furniture that will last for generations.

I was kicking myself for not remembering to bring my camera along so I could take some pictures to show everyone on here.    Next time, I promise.

In addition to furniture, the store also sells beautiful Polish Pottery pieces like the one pictured below.

Typical Polish Pottery design

In the same location as the furniture store is the Gateway To Amish Country travel and tourism information center.     Visitors to the area will be able to pick up maps and brochures of many local points of interest.

The store is located right on highway 62, between Danville and Brinkhaven.   And before we end up in a “who’s on first?” type routine, and you start asking, “But Yvonne, what’s the name of the Amish Country Furniture store?”, the name really is Amish Country Furniture.