It's Just a Thing of Nature

That was the answer given by Rubin, a 13-year old Amish boy, explaining to inquisitive guests why goats have wattles on their chins. He then led his audience to the baby goats who happily walked through the end of the path to meet them. Rubin explained that if a baby goat gets sick, it is returned to its mother to nurse until it grows stronger. He said that it’s the love that helps the baby goat get well. So began another culinary tour conducted by Lancaster County Tours – run by two innkeepers - Jan Garrabrandt from The Artist’s Inn and Carl Kosko from Harvest Moon B&B - who specialize in immersing small groups into the Lancaster County experience. In this case, we visited a goat cheese farmer and his family. In much of the country, family farms are a rarity. In fact, less than 2% of the U. S. population makes its living in farming. But in Lancaster County, small farms are common. The bucolic rolling landscape brings a nostalgic longing for a simpler time. Guests enjoy the smell of fresh hay, seeing cows and horses grazing in the pastures, and meeting the families that are maintaining this centuries-old traditional way of life. LCT specializes in finding farmers and small family businesses – helping educate guests in the ways of the farm – from bringing in the bounty of the land to processing the milk for cheese...to growing grapes that will become wine. Many visitors have been to Lancaster County before, but this time they’ve come to learn, to explore at a leisurely pace and to appreciate all that the county has to offer. And that journey begins with the land and the people who work it.

While many are familiar with the Lancaster County scenery, they may not realize that a concerted effort has been made, over the past 20 years, to help preserve farms and our agricultural heritage. Thanks to the Lancaster Farmland Trust, over 18,000 acres have been allocated for preservation, assuring that future generations of visitors can enjoy the rich contributions made by our Old Order Amish and Mennonite neighbors.

A complete list of our tours is included in the blog, for more information, check our website at http://www.lancastercountytours.com.com or our facebook page.
There’s a tour almost every month – and no two are ever the same.

We hope you can join us.