Food
Food is not a part of Mennonite faith but it is a relished part of life. Many Mennonites who have moved away from the farm and garden depend on farmer’s markets and/or gardens to get fresh produce and other purchases. Urban Mennonites have needed to change from heavy, farmer-style meals of the past because of the more sedentary lifestyles of the urban work. Mennonites have also been introduced to the cuisines of other cultures.
With the increase of Hispanics, African Americans, and Asians to the Mennonite Church, interesting flavors and dishes have been added to Mennonite potlucks, which are a common Sunday noon activity in many Mennonite congregations.
Three best-selling Mennonite cookbooks are More With Less, Mennonite Community Cookbook, Mennonite Country-Style Recipes and more recently, Simply in Season.
For those who are still living on farms, the families garden, butcher, and often tend fruit trees. Often children help with shelling peas, canning applesauce and pulling corn. The food that is not eaten fresh from the garden, the fruit trees, or the butchering is either canned or frozen. They may rarely buy convenience or prepared food, not because they think it is wrong, but because they have everything they need on the farm.
