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Merit Badge Awardees - Woo-hoo Sisters!:  Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badge Awardees |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
17008 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
17008 Posts |
 Posted - May 14 2026 : 5:40:23 PM
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Shennandoah Connor (#8578, shennandoah) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning a Beginner Apples badge!
"First I researched the history of the apple. The apple tree originated in Asia. It was traded along the silk road and brought to Europe by the Romans. European settlers brought fruit trees with them to the Americas in the 1600s, cultivating them in New England. Many of these earlier varieties were used for cider, while the fresh eating and desert apple varieties were developed over time.
Four ways apples used in every day living:
1. Apple cider vinegar is used as a base for dressings and as a healing tonic for humans and poultry
2. Apple sauce is used as a replacement for sugar and/or eggs in some recipes
3. Dried apples are often used for decoration and in potpurri
4. Apples are eaten fresh and baked providing many health benefits
I live in South Texas, Zone 9a. Since most apples require 500-800 chill hours, and we get less than 400, there aren't apple orchards nearby. However, there are a lot of backyard apples gardeners grow, including some that are common in the grocery store (and others that are not).
Varities for my area including:
Anna
Dorsett Golden
Ein Sheimer
Fuji
Granny Smith
Pink Lady
Fuji, Granny Smith, and Pink Lady are all common in the grocery store (and varieties I have eaten). I'm not found of granny smith - they are too sour for me. Dorsett Golden and Ein Sheimer are both varieties commonly used for deserts, cider, and canning.
I did try out a few new apple flavors in the grocery store: Gala, Jazz, Envy, and Honey Crisp. Of those four, I liked Gala the best, though Fuji is my go to.
I shared the insights about the chill hours with the farm girls, as well as what varieties I identified for my area. I was surprised at how many high chill hour apple varieties the box stores try to sell - they may grow but are unlikely to fruit. My goal is to plant several varieties on my property and one day be able to pick enough apples to make apple pie and apple butter (like my German grandmother would make!) I have her recipe written in her handwriting too :-)"
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
17008 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
17008 Posts |
Posted - May 14 2026 : 5:43:37 PM
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Shennandoah Connor (#8578, shennandoah) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning an Intermediate Recipes badge!
"For this badge I created a recipe box for my niece Taylor, and recipe books for my two daughters. I hand copied several core recipes in triplicate - which took some time. I've also given hand written recipe cards with birthday and Christmas gifts. For example, I did a Bridgerton Tea Party basket for my niece's birthday, and included my cream scone, Devonshire cream, and savory feta scones recipe cards with the Bridgerton cookbook I bought for her.
My eldest daughter moved a couple months ago and lost her recipe book during that time. So I have bought new recipe cards and binder for her and will work on rewriting all the recipe cards (hopefully this one doesn't walk off!)
My niece and eldest love having the recipes and receiving recipe cards at the holidays. My niece especially was very appreciative of having a recipe box and of the two cookbooks I bought for her. I have two other niece's who have now requested recipe boxes. So I have bought more cards and tins and am slowly making my way through the core recipes. I have terrible handwriting, especially if I go too fast, so I have to take my time."
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
17008 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
17008 Posts |
Posted - May 14 2026 : 5:44:51 PM
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Shennandoah Connor (#8578, shennandoah) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning an Expert Community Service badge!
"I looked at my community and identified the following needs I could help fill:
1. Making newcomers feel welcome to town
2Connecting and supporting special needs families in the area
3. Accesss to affordable activities for kids and adults
4. Fighting loneliness with opportunities for social connection/creating inclusive spaces
5. Supporting Underfunded teachers
I've continued to volunteer at Artable Curiosities/The Impact Project. We were able to secure an additional suite at our location. So I helped move our studio to the new suite and set up the teacher's store in the old studio space. We doubled the size of the store and have set up a new donation area.
I've also continued to host our monthly Knit, Hook, and Stitch meetup and am working with the founder to set up some fiber demo days and some beginner knit and crochet classes for kids. I've done several impromptu lessons for kids at the shop already. We've also been expanding our offerings for the special needs community with several art days for special needs children and adults and joint events with local day programs for folks with intellectual disabilities. I continue to make weekly pick ups of cardboard to use in my garden (full truckload each time).
Our impact has grown steadily. Each month we are able to divert 20,000-40,000 lbs of materials away from landfills. We also give away roughly $25,000 in supplies to teachers each month. We have 30 volunteers and do 30-60 workshops each month. We also just received "Most likely to save the planet" award at the Seguin Earth Day celebration.
I am terrible at tracking my hours, but the ones I did remember to log total 87hrs."
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
17008 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
17008 Posts |
Posted - May 14 2026 : 5:50:44 PM
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Christine Kenney (#8680, bellepic) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning an Intermediate Community Service badge!
"Up to 30 cumulative hours! It has been a joy as parent group treasurer helping collect and disburse funds for field trips, school dances, history festivals, and teacher appreciation lunches. Plus we are in the final steps of reinstating our non-profit status.
The balance of the time was helping to co-lead my daughter's girl scout troop. I can't believe the girls have been meeting for almost 3 years and how fun it is to watch them all grow up while expanding our tribe of local parent friends.
My latest crusade has been challenging a major barrier to volunteering. Many organizations require volunteers to get a background check and fingerprinted. Fair enough, but a state law prohibits sharing the results with multiple organizations. So every time you want to volunteer, it is another trip to the UPS store, another $90 scan fee, and another wait for the host organization to receive your results. So I sent a letter to my state assembly member to see if his team could investigate a better way. I also solicited ideas from community service-oriented sisters in other states on the merit badge chit chat forum.
Service log posted here: https://steamstead.blogspot.com/2026/01/community-service-log.html
(Next quest: find a stickier place to post this tracker so it doesn't get buried so deeply in my blog feed)."
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
17008 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
17008 Posts |
Posted - May 14 2026 : 6:01:23 PM
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Heather Neeper (#4701, nndairy) has received a certificate of achievement in Outpost for earning a Beginner Fishing badge!
"I learned how to tie the clinch, Palomar, turle, and barrel knots, along with the double surgeons loop.
It was fun to discover proper ways to tie your hook on your line. Or to tie lines together. I also think I'm going to try the Palomar knot on a water bucket that a very ornery calf keeps dumping. They say it's one of the strongest knots - we'll see if it's a multipurpose knot as well."
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
17008 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
17008 Posts |
Posted - May 14 2026 : 6:02:58 PM
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Heather Neeper (#4701, nndairy) has received a certificate of achievement in Outpost for earning an Intermediate Fishing badge!
"I downloaded a copy of the fishing regulations for Ohio. I discovered that catfish, bass, trout, walleye perch, carp, and crappie are popular fish found in Ohio lakes and rivers. I researched methods and bait used for catching each type.
I've seen the colored, glittery, fake worms in stores and often wondered if fish were really fooled into thinking they're tasty. My research showed that some fish like some of the artificial options, but that you can use worms, minnows, chicken liver, and even corn to catch different fish. I would have never thought to use corn!"
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
17008 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
17008 Posts |
Posted - May 14 2026 : 6:03:38 PM
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Heather Neeper (#4701, nndairy) has received a certificate of achievement in Outpost for earning an Expert Fishing badge!
"Before spending the money on a license that I'm not sure I'll use much, I went fishing at a friend's pond.
It was cold and windy, but the fish were biting! It was fun to catch a few fish. At the pond owners request we released them back into the pond, so I didn't learn to clean them yet. Ohio has free fishing days in June (where residents can fish without a license). My husband and I might go fishing in a bigger lake with some friends to see how we like it."
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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Merit Badge Awardees - Woo-hoo Sisters!: Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badge Awardees |
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Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badge Awardees
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