Topsoil
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2024
How the Amish function without electricity
Probably better than you function with it.
Let me introduce our main characters, the Swartzentruber Amish.
While some sections of Amish can use some levels of technology, the Swartzentruber use pretty much none.
And yet,
(Source) In 100 years, the west will be controlled by the mormons, the east the amish, and they will finally answer the question: who wears the sillier clothing?
So clearly, what they're doing works well enough that people aren't too miserable to have children.
No Electricity
You'll notice on that list above, there's "propane gas". This is because many groups of Amish use appliances that are very similar to ours, but modified to run on propane.
Most importantly, propane refrigerators/freezers. Again, while the Swartzentruber Amish don't use these, some of the more liberal sects do.
All the lighting in their homes is done with kerosene lamps.
Sewing is largely done on these foot-powered sewing machines, or by hand.
Cooking is done on a wood-fired oven. This is also used to heat up the house, and you'll find wood-fired ovens in post large rooms of their houses.
Or on this, a kerosene range, often used during the summer when they don't want to heat up the house with the oven.
Dishes are washed in this, known as a "dry sink". They have one tote that they fill with hot soapy water (from a mudroom: remember, their houses don't have plumbing) and then bring back in. They scrub their dishes in the tote filled with water, then set them to the side to dry.
All their clocks are windup, they cannot have a battery in them. Remember, they don't have phones, so clocks like these are their only consistent way of telling time.
How do they keep food cold? Ice houses. These are thermally insulated buildings that they fill with ice they harvest over the winter, and haul back. Sometimes they'll use normal refigerators, and just leave them unplugged but filled up with ice.
Horse power! Everything we do with a vehicle, they do with horses. The horses in the first two images are "draft" horses, heavy-boned horses designed to do heavy work. The horse in the far right image is likely a warmblood of some sort, a more middle ground horse that trades some power for speed.
Outhouses. No indoor toilets for these Amish, it's outdoor toilets all day every day.
This somewhat terrifying image is how the Swartzentruber Amish clean themselves. No showers, only baths, and usually only about once a week. Water must be heated on the stove (that burned structure in the back) before being poured into the tub to clean yourself.
That's all the relevant changes I can think of, please ask questions if there's any I missed! And if this all looks gnarly, you're right. We're quite spoiled by modern technology. Becoming self-sustainable is going to require some sacrifices.
Probably better than you function with it.
Let me introduce our main characters, the Swartzentruber Amish.
While some sections of Amish can use some levels of technology, the Swartzentruber use pretty much none.
And yet,
(Source) In 100 years, the west will be controlled by the mormons, the east the amish, and they will finally answer the question: who wears the sillier clothing?
So clearly, what they're doing works well enough that people aren't too miserable to have children.
No Electricity
You'll notice on that list above, there's "propane gas". This is because many groups of Amish use appliances that are very similar to ours, but modified to run on propane.
Most importantly, propane refrigerators/freezers. Again, while the Swartzentruber Amish don't use these, some of the more liberal sects do.
All the lighting in their homes is done with kerosene lamps.
Sewing is largely done on these foot-powered sewing machines, or by hand.
Cooking is done on a wood-fired oven. This is also used to heat up the house, and you'll find wood-fired ovens in post large rooms of their houses.
Or on this, a kerosene range, often used during the summer when they don't want to heat up the house with the oven.
Dishes are washed in this, known as a "dry sink". They have one tote that they fill with hot soapy water (from a mudroom: remember, their houses don't have plumbing) and then bring back in. They scrub their dishes in the tote filled with water, then set them to the side to dry.
All their clocks are windup, they cannot have a battery in them. Remember, they don't have phones, so clocks like these are their only consistent way of telling time.
How do they keep food cold? Ice houses. These are thermally insulated buildings that they fill with ice they harvest over the winter, and haul back. Sometimes they'll use normal refigerators, and just leave them unplugged but filled up with ice.
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Outhouses. No indoor toilets for these Amish, it's outdoor toilets all day every day.
This somewhat terrifying image is how the Swartzentruber Amish clean themselves. No showers, only baths, and usually only about once a week. Water must be heated on the stove (that burned structure in the back) before being poured into the tub to clean yourself.
