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I want to thank all of our readers and newspapers along the line for reading The Amish Cook. 2018 will mark the column’s 27th year, and I’ve been at the helm the whole time. It seems insane to do anything that long, but loyal readers and wonderful newspapers have stuck with it, and I’m grateful.

The Quincy Herald-Whig in Quincy, Ill., remains the place where The Amish Cook has run the longest. But others like Kokomo, Ind., and Cincinnati, Ohio are not far behind. And we have newer subscribers like Monticello, Ind. and Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

The newspaper industry has changed incredibly since 1991, and I’m not sure anyone knows where it will go from here. Newspapers have shrunk in size and more and more circulation is not measured by print copies but by digital page-views. The Amish Cook racks up more views each week online now than in print. Who would have thought?

But there’s been one constant: you. And I’m grateful.

The Amish have also changed a lot in 27 years. The first sizable group of Amish arrived in the United States in 1720, so the column — I’m rounding — has been published for approximately 10 percent of the entire Amish history in the U.S. That’s not insignificant.

More and more, Amish are accepting of photography (a story — I never could confirm it — about an Amish man who would grab the cameras of tourists and run over the cameras with his buggy was popular when I started this in 1991). Increasingly, Amish use photos, indoor plumbing; some even drive cars, and the digital world is catching up to the Amish. But even with all of these changes, the Amish remain a bastion and beacon of simplicity and humility, which i think we can all stand to emulate a bit.

I’d like to do a better job of occasionally, through this column, reaching out to readers, and I’ll start by wishing you all a blessed and happy 2018. Look for Gloria to return next week. In the meantime, enjoy this New Year’s favorite from the Yoders!

New Year’s sauerkraut with sausage

1 pound bulk sausage (browned)

1 large can or bag sauerkraut

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 diced onion

1 cup ketchup

Mix all ingredients. Bake at 275 for 4 to 5 hours. Stir occasionally. You may want to add a little water to desired consistency.

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Kevin Williams

Editor

The Amish Cook

Readers with culinary or cultural questions or stories can write Gloria directly at Gloria Yoder, 10568 E. 350th Ave., Flat Rock, IL 62427-2019. To see more on the Amish, go to www.amish365.com.