Ever since 1955, when Jay Lehman opened his hardware store in Ohio to serve the electricity eschewing Amish communities, Lehman's has been the go-to place for all your unplugged kitchen needs. Sauerkraut stomper? Hand-cranked butter churn? Wood-fired Waterbath Canner? It's all here!
I love the Lehman's catalog, which I first discovered when living off the grid several years ago. Here you will find everything you need to outfit a homegrown kitchen: canning and butchery supplies, hand cranked blenders and coffee grinders, and even gas-powered refrigerators.
Even though I'm now 'enjoying' a fossil-fueled life, I still find these sturdy, non-electric items to be the best choice for my urban kitchen. Canning, butchery and other old-timey kitchen pursuits very popular these days, which I hope means that Lehman's Hardware, a family run business (with no relation to Lehman Brothers!), is prospering.
The Lehman's catalog is an important source for a wide group of people worldwide. From their catalog: Our diverse customer base includes missionaries and doctors working in developing countries; homesteaders and environmentalists living in remote areas; people with unreliable electricity living on islands and mountains; second home owners, hunters, fishers and cabin dwellers; the 'chronically nostalgic,' and even Hollywood set designers looking for historically accurate period pieces.
While many of Lehman's off-the-grid customers will have to rely on paper catalogs and snail mail, other folks can use their online catalog with live chat option, youtube channel, and even twitter and facebook to discover their many delightful offerings. A few favorites are:
•Numbered Stoneware Crocks, $29.95 - $69.95
•Cobweb Broom, $19.95
•Double Layer Striped Dishcloths, set of four, $4.95
•Professional Cooking Twine, $19.95
•Solid Copper Apple Butter Kettles $369 - $1279
•Classic Dutch Ovens, $42.95 - $74.95
•Handcrafted Cherry Noodle Cutter, $27.95
•Everything for the home canner
•Everything for the home dairy/cheesemaker
•Everything for the home butcher
Related: Store Review: Lehman's Non-Electric Catalog
(Image: Lehman's Hardware)
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I have this catalog next to my desk right now. A co-worker gave it to me so I could find some good old fashioned laundry soap for poison ivy. I look at it every time I need a break...really great stuff.
If you're ever wandering through Ohio, go to their store. It's in the heart of Ohio Amish country, and it's really, really neat to walk through.
They have a cafeteria, too, that the local Mennonite women cook for, and holy crap - the food is amazing.
I get to go to that area about every 6 months when I travel down to stock up on dry goods at the Ashery (Amish bulk food store).
Love the area. In the fall you can see haystacks in the fields.
Is their website powered by mules?
I grew up in the area, and yes the Amish and Mennonite folks are amazing cooks, farmers, crafts-people...I took it for granted when I was younger and miss having such a great resource and culture nearby.
and phoxx, I don't think the Lehman people are Amish themselves...
Since I moved from Boston to Vermont five years ago, I've learned to do some of these things (cheesemaking, canning, baking etc). Mostly because it's fun and the ingredients are here, partially because you can't just walk down to the corner and get a great croissant up here.
I think if I ever move back down to the city, I'll keep doing these things though. So I'll keep my Lehman's catalog handy.
at my office we have their hand crank blender and their glass butter churn... just got their ice cream maker but haven't used it yet.
they offer good stuff!