I would bet that those jars are filled with some kind of lovely jam or jelly, sealed with paraffin. I'd have loved to help her put up the jam, but I'm glad I didn't have to assist in the killing, plucking and cleaning of all those chickens!

Amish and Mennonite romance novels are actually a huge literary subgenre. They generally fall under "inspirational romance," and lots of people read them, actually. (I work for a publisher.) They certainly are ... interesting.

Last week at my library's annual used book sale the Amish/Mennonites were racking up on books! Among those that the man in front of us got was a very large "Uncle John's Bathroom Reader." A girl had a bio of Pope John Paul.

We have a lot of Mennonite families locally. The area supermarkets' paperback sections stock Mennonite romance novels, complete with cover art of young, neatly capped, dewy-eyed heroines.

Now, that's a sub-genre!

My guess would be that this photo was taken at some version of the Farmers Market. Currently it is held every Saturday morning from May until October. Would not surprise me if descendants of these folks are still selling fresh chickens on Saturday mornings.

C'mon, Dave, ya gotta Fark this one!

[News Flash: I have no influence over whether something gets Farked. That's up to the Fark people. - Dave]

I note the prices on those chickens... $1.58, $1.58, $1.98.

Can't get a leg for that little, now.

[Whole rotisserie chickens are $4 at my local grocery. (And they're quite delicious.) When you take inflation into account, a whole chicken now is much cheaper than any of these Mennonite chickens. - Dave]

Mennonites come in lots of different flavors.

"Old Mennonites" appear in dress and lifestyle about like the Amish. "New (moderate) Mennonites" aren't much different in either than a regular ol' Protestant is.

This Mennonite couple appears to be rooted somewhere between the Mennonite extremes. Or perhaps they're a (gasp) mixed marriage?

One of the funniest things I've ever seen was what appeared to be an Old Order Mennonite in his simple, conservative dress polishing the chrome on his Peterbilt semi at a truck stop in Colorado. Geez, talk about a clash of cultures.

Notice their size as compared to the hormone-fueled behemoths you find in grocery stores today.

["Hormones" aren't used to grow poultry, at least not in the United States. - Dave]

that more than one mennonite is being greedy.

How to pluck, singe, and dress a fresh chicken.
I wonder what she has in those jars ?

Between the Colonel and Hooters the only thing left over now days is the beak and the feet.

What a lovely looking couple. Love the Lennon specs!

How to tell an Amish from a Mennonite? He's got buttons! Oddly, though, I can't say that I've ever seen an Amish or Mennonite person wearing a sweater.

There is a large Mennonite and Amish population in my hometown, and it's always interesting to see where they give in modern conveniences. A few weeks ago, I saw a couple walking through WalMart. Among the things in their basket was a hose (can't make that at home, I suppose). One of the first people my friend sold a box of condoms to when she worked in a grocery store in high school was an (apparently liberal!) Amish man. And when I worked in retail, the women would often come in to purchase luggage and undergarments - I still remember selling a VERY flashy pink, sparkly, embroidered bra to one young Amish lady!

I wonder how this couple would feel about all that!

Those birds have goosebumps.