Last week I told you about how I got the chance to hang out with my friend Zoë and her mom Baking with Whole Grains cookbook author Valerie Baer. I taught them to rug hook, and Zoë taught me how to make crazy patch potholders. I had the best time. Seriously. 
I don’t think I mentioned the food though. Holy.Cats.People. When the HH picked me up at the airport, my jeans were crazy tight… and that was after sitting in them for 5 hours on the plane. 
I don’t think I have ever eaten so much food in such a short amount of time before.
Valerie’s dishwasher died a few days before I arrived so after {yet another} delicious dinner, she told us that if we wanted a piece of pie for dessert, we had to clean our plates with a piece of bread because she didn’t want to have to wash two sets of dishes.
Actually, what she said was “shaker your plates.”
I didn’t know what it meant but I thought it was funny AND HELLO, I was totally eager to get another slice of pie I cleaned my plate immediately.
It was only after a slice of pie was safely on my plate I asked her what it meant to “shaker your plate.”
Basically, it means to “finish every last crumb” on your plate. The saying comes from the Shakers. You know about the Shakers, right? {If not, you can read about them HERE}.
Yada, yada, yada, I mentioned the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in Maine and how there are only 3 living Shakers left in the United States and how The Girl and I plan to visit the village later this spring.
Then we all started talking about WHY there are likely just 3 Shakers left {they’re celibate}.
And then, I pipped up and said how sad it was that their beliefs and way of life was dying out and that I would totally move to Maine and become a Shaker just to save the colony.
And then it got awkwardly quiet.
Until one of the guys said “I think you’d better talk to your husband about that.”
It was so freakin’ funny, I almost lost it.
Oh Valerie. I miss your good food and the dinner conversations.
Pennsylvania rocks!
~Mavis
My Trip to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Part One
Paula says
I love the Shakers. When we visited the Canterbury Village in NH I was forever changed. Hands to Work Hearts to God. Their garden, bee keeping, flour mills-it was al amazing. So generous of spirit. During depression, when people stole from their garden, they planted more rows. and we can thank them for seeds. I have always loved the idea of communal living together and working together. Not so much about the celibacy nor the shaking church service. It’s a sad story about how they voted to close the books to no more Shakers. Please blog about the Maine Shaker trip as I would love to hear about it.
Valerie Baer says
Why does the chicken house look like it’s falling over?
Mavis Butterfield says
Ha! I don’t know, probably the angle of the camera. 🙂
Susan says
Definitely visit the Sabbathday Lake Shaker community! It’s so beautiful and inspiring. Heck, *I* wanted to join and I’m a married Mormon with three kids, ha! Be sure to take a tour of the herbal gardens (of course you would). What a magical place. I’m no expert on Shakers, but we were told there that people feel “called” to become a Shaker, and might come for a period of year or so, then leave. So, the numbers might vary from time to time. One of the 3 Shakers while we were there was a middle-aged man, along with I believe two elderly women.
Leslie says
Look. At that. Clothes line.
(lots of interesting things in this post! Loving the blog. 🙂 )
Tracy L. says
Ohhhhhhh!!!!!! This looks like an AWESOME trip!!!! What fun, and what’s better than learning from each other and good food?!?!? I LOOOOOOOVE Zoë’s house!!! SO BEAUTIFUL. Some day……….
Zoë says
That’s my parents 🙂 mine is old, too, but not quite as cute.
Julia says
So glad you enjoyed your trip. To bad you left before the 31 inches of snow!!!
Mavis Butterfield says
I know. I would have loved to have gone sledding!
Lisa Millar says
I read parts of this out to my husband and we are having a good laugh! Thanx for that!!
Great post and photos!
Hungry now looking at that pie!!!!
And I think I have clothesline envy!!
Lana says
My favorite thing about Lancaster county is those clothes lines! I took dozens of pictures of them when we were there in May 2015.
My Mom is from PA and oh my goodness the food. My aunt never made lass than 20 pies at a time and we ate pie all day long. No plates, just out of hand, it is an art. Pie for breakfast is the best!
Zoë says
Mavis, I can’t stop giggling about that shaker conversation!
And I will gladly come visit you at my parents’ and eat that food with you any time!
Marcia says
I don’t know that I’ve ever been to Lancaster County, except maybe driving through it once or twice.
I did grow up in Clarion county. I do enjoy going back to visit, but have to admit, I much prefer the weather in California.