MaryJanesFarm | Farmgirl Sisterhood

Earning Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badges

Farm Kitchen

Know Your Food

Beginner Level

Write a food journal for a month to learn your eating habits. Do you know where your food was grown? Read labels.
Become a sprout farmer. For further instructions, see MaryJane’s “Ideabook.”
Find 10 new ways to incorporate more fresh fruit and veggies into your family’s diet

Intermediate Level

At the end of the month, make a pact to increase how much organic food you eat by 25%
In your food journal, write down all the names of your local CSA’s, their phone numbers, and membership cost
Replace a dessert a week with an unsweetened fruit dish. Help you and your family to learn to appreciate natural food.

Expert Level

Write a report to present at your next chapter meeting. This report should include information on how your local CSAs, Farmer’s Market, Food Co-op, Natural Market, etc., impact the local economy and your personal health.
- Some ideas to consider are: what pesticides are they helping you to avoid; how do genetically modified, hydrogenated, and synthetic ingredients adversely affect your health and what are these agencies doing to help people avoid these ingredients.

Forage

Beginner Level

Contact your local extension office to find out which plants in your area are edible, where they grow, and what season is peak to forage for each

Intermediate Level

Spend time in the field finding places to forage before, during, and off season. Learn to identify the plants by location, leaves and stalk characteristics.

Expert Level

Forage for natural food in your area
Document your foraging with pictures. Take pictures of the area and of the plant itself.
Create a pamphlet or book to be printed and bound (either using a 3 ring binder or a place such as Kinko’s) to share with your farmgirl Sisters in the Chapter library

ChillOver®

Beginner Level

Order MaryJane’s ChillOver Powder
Explore some of the ChillOver recipes found in the idea book and in her magazines
Host a ChillOver taste test. Have your fellow farmgirls make ChillOvers and make an evening out of learning new recipes.

Intermediate Level

Create a new ChillOver recipe and share it

Expert Level

Create two additional new ChillOver recipes and bring them to your next chapter meeting, along with take-home recipe cards

BakeOver®

Beginner Level

Explore some of BakeOver recipes found in the “Ideabook” and in MaryJanesFarm magazines
Host a BakeOver taste test. Have your fellow farmgirls make BakeOvers and make an evening out of learning new recipes.

Intermediate Level

Create a new BakeOver recipe and share it

Expert Level

Create additional new recipes for
- Breakfast BakeOvers
- Lunch BakeOvers
- Dinner BakeOvers
- Dessert BakeOvers

Do For Others

Beginner Level

Figure out how much money you spend per person per meal each day of the week
Pick one day of the week; on that day, skip your choice of meals
Donate the saved money to your local food bank to help others who have to do without everyday

Intermediate Level

Organize a food round-up of non-perishable food items to donate to your local food bank/food shelf for the needy. Collect at least 50 items.

Expert Level

Donate 5 hours to your local food bank/food shelf
Write a letter to the editor concerning the hungry in America and what we can do to help
Help package food packs for charity
Help deliver food to homebound/elderly for at least 5 hours

Expand Your Horizons

Beginner Level

Try a new organic food each week. Eat it every day in one form or another. It only takes 21 days to change your taste preferences. Here is your chance to encourage yourself to enjoy more fruits and vegetables.
Do this for 1 month

Intermediate Level

Do this for an additional 3 months

Expert Level

Do this for an additional 6 months

Becoming Self-sufficient

Beginner Level

Learn how to dry your extra harvest
Package your own spices for seasoning meat and gift to those who hunt

Intermediate Level

Learn how to can precooked apple pie filling. MaryJane has simple-to-follow instructions for this.
Try canning something like spaghetti sauce
Learn how to pickle/ferment fruits and veggies for home use

Expert Level

Learn to make your own jerky
Host a “putting up” party to can, freeze and dry your fresh food for the winter
Host a clinic to teach others how to pickle and ferment their fruits and veggies

Get Organized

Beginner Level

To truly be able to function on a high level in the kitchen, you need space and organization. Pull out all your storage containers. If you don’t use them, toss or recycle. If they don’t have a lid, toss or recycle (unless you really do use it lidless), and toss and recycle all those abandoned lids (we all have them!) that don’t fit anything left in the cupboard.

Intermediate Level

Continue your organizing efforts. Get like items grouped in places relative to each other. In other words, have your skillets and sauce pans within easy reach of the stove. Have measuring cups and other baking items close to each other. Make a place so that all your cups, bowls, and plates will be together.
Decide if you really use all of the items in your kitchen. Be honest and assess if you use each gadget and appliance. You might be surprised at the answer! Recycle, donate, or toss any appliance or gadget that you don't use.

Expert Level

Now that you have your kitchen streamlined and organized it’s time to make it safe as well. Sharpen your knives and kitchen shears. Sharp knives are less likely to cause injury than dull knives
Make sure you have a way to sanitize your kitchen easily. Try vinegar in a spray bottle or even a very mild bleach solution.
Make sure all cleaning supplies are clearly labeled.
If you use a porous style cutting board, make sure you have one designated for meat only.