When my husband Bob Burnley left his full time position in credit and sales in the fast growing New Holland Machine Company back in 1954, my Dad and his Mother were not too happy.  He and my sister’s husband, Paul Weaver, had searched for an opportunity in the emerging tourist business of Lancaster County.  They promised to buy a very small wholesale jam and relish business from a lady near Harrisburg and move it to Intercourse, Pa.  Bob’s dad and an Amish neighbor, Ben Stoltzfus, built a two-car garage with a front and back door and installed a show window in place of the garage door.  The circular drive around our house suddenly became very valuable.

Several times a month Ben and Bob would travel to Mrs. Landis, who sold us the jam business, to learn about her simple cooking operation and return with her well-used equipment.  She was careful to avoid showing Ben her secrets.  However, she advised them to always use the finest ingredients.  40 pound cans of frozen fruits were added to the sugar for the most part, but lots of apple concentrate was also necessary for the monthly order of  1,000 pounds of jelly for Stroehmann Bakery.  They used it for topping on their cinnamon buns.  All was cooked on her (now our) 30 gas burners in 75 cast aluminum five gallon buckets.  (Thus our name Kitchen Kettle).

Eventually all of the business assets of Mrs. Landis were packed into her little green truck – along with an enormous raspberry seeder – and set up in our garage or house.  Bob delivered gallons and 40 pound cans of product to our wholesale customers.  Ben and a capable Amish girl prepared the orders with me because Bob and needed his part-time jobs outside of the jelly business to survive.  The children, ages 1, 3 and 5, soon became quite self-sufficient in the house while I was in the “garage” and I was pleased to have become available for the growing business.  Paul, our financial partner, and my sister provided moral support in addition to their dollars many evenings.  My main frustration was Bob’s hope to have the public prefer to buy our products in our own backyard.  “Impossible!”  I firmly replied.

They laughed at Bob when this all began.  55 years later, with the help of the good Lord, three children, six grandchildren, many, many dear friends, and almost a million guests each year in our own backyard, I am still laughing every day.