Every August is a time of transition form me with preparations for a new school year as a student or as a teacher and with my birthday and its accompanying reflections on the past year past and the future year. This August, I am grateful to have spent several summer Saturday afternoons at a mint farm and cafe in Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania while my husband worked at a nearby Ten Thousand Villages. Menno Tea was a calming space to read, to hear and share music, and to do work for this website, for Lancaster New Sounds, and for an online intro to business class.
I first heard about Menno Tea in 2016 when Prima Theatre had a showing of the movie Big Fish before their production of the musical based on the same novel. I did not attend that event, but I did stop by for lunch several months later before a matinee at Sight & Sound Theatres. While food options were limited then, the homemade mint syrup is one of the best beverage additions I have ever tasted. Whether in a mocha or a milkshake, the fresh flavor is unforgettable.
Everyone who works at Menno Tea has been kind to me, whether lightning damaged the wi-fi or I came in drooping from my own storms of life. The cafe’s mint fragrance and their empathy helped restore me. They also encouraged me to visit the farm and taught me about the six varieties of mint grown on site, each with a unique flavor and leaf texture they let me sample. They also told me not to give up on the mint plant in my home, which I thought I had killed; one stalk survived and continues to grow, as I do.
Ars Arvole 