A Holiday Season at Yoder’s Bakery & Furniture
There’s a certain point in autumn when the pumpkins appear on porches, the air turns crisp, and kitchens across Ohio begin their busiest season of the year.
First come the apple pies and pumpkin treats. Then Thanksgiving brings recipes pulled from drawers and cookbooks, some stained and faded from generations of use. Before long, Christmas cookies are cooling on the counter, and another holiday season is in full swing.
At Yoder’s Bakery and Furniture in Adams County, the journey from pumpkins to fruitcake is more than a change of seasons. It’s a tradition.
Tucked along the Appalachian Highway near Seaman, Ohio, this authentic Amish-owned and operated destination is part bakery, part market, part furniture store, and part old-fashioned shopping experience. And fall is a wonderful time to make the drive.
When Autumn Arrives
A country drive through southern Ohio seems made for fall. As the landscape changes color and farm fields give way to rolling Appalachian foothills, Yoder’s makes a fitting destination.
Step through the door and another sign of the season takes over: the aroma of the bakery. Amish bakers can be seen working behind the counter, rolling dough and preparing fresh donuts, pies, cookies, cinnamon rolls and breads. The goodies move from oven to shelf, sometimes disappearing almost as quickly as they arrive.
Then there are the peanut butter pretzels. They have developed something of a reputation for never making it home. Customers have been known to open the box before leaving, settle onto a front porch bench and dig in. No judgment here.
Autumn also ushers in serious cooking season, and Yoder’s bulk-food aisles are stocked with ingredients for those family recipes that suddenly become important again around Thanksgiving. There are hard-to-find pantry staples, canned jams and jellies, old-fashioned candies, sugar-free selections and plenty of discoveries that may not have been on the shopping list.
Nearby, the full-service deli offers meats and cheeses sliced to order. Pack a cooler for home, stock up for a holiday party or put together the makings of a country picnic before winter sends everyone indoors.
Thanksgiving Turns Toward Christmas
Somewhere around that last slice of Thanksgiving pie, attention turns toward Christmas. And Yoder’s changes right along with it.
Those searching for something different from the usual big-box Christmas gifts can wander through an eclectic collection of Amish-made and country goods. Wicker baskets, candles, quilts, wooden toys and wall décor are among the possibilities.
Furniture occupies a large portion of the store, with Amish-made dining tables, hutches, gliders, bedroom furniture, benches and other handcrafted pieces. Additional buildings outside offer still more to browse.
It makes Christmas shopping feel less like an errand and more like an afternoon excursion. But one particular Yoder’s tradition signals that Christmas really has arrived.
Here Comes the Fruitcake
Fruitcake may be the most teased food of the holiday season. At Yoder’s, they take it seriously.
The store’s famous fruitcake has roots stretching back to the 1970s, when Roy Keim sold his wife’s homemade pies and fruitcakes from a horse-drawn buggy along a rural roadside. Word spread. Travelers discovered them. Truckers helped carry the story beyond southern Ohio. Decades later, the fruitcakes remain a holiday tradition under the Yoder name. Packed with fruit, nuts and old-fashioned flavor, they have developed such a following that customers from across the country place orders to have them shipped to their homes.
Make a Day of It
Perhaps what makes Yoder’s especially fitting for the holiday season is that nothing about the place feels rushed.
You can watch something being baked, browse the market, fill a cooler at the deli, hunt for a Christmas gift, admire handcrafted furniture and leave with something sweet tucked under your arm. It’s a reminder of when holiday shopping wasn’t all about clicking a button and waiting for a box to appear on the porch.
Take the country roads. Enjoy the scenery. Wander the aisles. Smell the cinnamon rolls. And whatever you do, save room for fruitcake.
Yoder’s Bakery and Furniture is located at 2621 Burnt Cabin Road off SR 32 in Seaman, Ohio. It is open Monday through Saturday, 8am – 5pm, and closed Sunday.
