MaryJanesFarm | Farmgirl Sisterhood

Earning Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badges

The seven sections in my "Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook" cover, I think, most aspects of a farmgirl’s life: Each Other, Farm Kitchen, Garden Gate, Stitching Room, Make It Easy, Outpost, and Cleaning Up. Our merit badge structure grew from those seven sections.

Outpost

Be Prepared

Beginner Level

Make your own survival pack in a small bag to take with you on day-hikes. Include:
- Matches in a waterproof container
- Unbreakable mirror or something shiny to signal rescuers
- High energy bar or candy
- Rainproof poncho
- First Aid supplies
- reflective nylon cord (to mark trail)
- Knife
Find a backpacking coach/teacher in your area if you are a rookie to “roughing it”

Intermediate Level

Make your own trail mix and pemmican
Successfully build and use an outpost refrigerator (“Ideabook,” p. 295)
Cook a full meal: appetizer, main course, and dessert, over just a campfire

Expert Level

Build your own wall tent
Identify 10 native plants and their properties as food, medicine or poison
Learn to catch and then cook the catch of the day
Make a presentation at your chapter meeting about camping/backpacking skills. Pick a topic that has not been discussed before.
Write a letter to the editor about camping etiquette:
- Pack it in/pack it out
- Food safety around wild animals
- Bear safety protocol, etc.

Get your Boots Dirty

Beginner Level

Go day hiking and visit 3 places that you have never seen before
Identify in the wild your state’s bird, tree and flower. Take pictures.
Learn how to make a safe campfire

Intermediate Level

Photo document all the watchtowers, lighthouses, old mines, and other historic locations in your area
Go overnight camping away from it all (campground camping doesn’t count)
Learn how to read maps with a compass and land marks

Expert Level

Strap on the backpacking frame. Go backpacking for a weekend. Take only what you can carry on your back
Go backpacking with only Organic food
Practice low-impact camping

De-Electrify Yourself!

Beginning Level

Unplug for the weekend. Either unplug your phone, TV and other electronic gadgets for the weekend. Enjoy sewing activities such as sewing, reading, and cooking. (Electric stoves and refrigerators are an exception to the no electricity rule).

Intermediate Level

Gather up a few close Farmgirls and head for the hills. Stay in a rustic camping cabin or even go tent camping for a weekend. Do not take GPS, Cell Phones, or other “gadgets” with you. Enjoy the beauty that the natural world provides without distraction. Be safe. Don’t get lost.

Expert Level

Head for the hills again, but this time take only you. Pets are allowed.
Rejuvenate yourself by reading, writing in a journal or working on a book. Take extra pride in yourself as a self-sufficient farmgirl if you can go 2 days without needing to speak to another person.

*Note- if you are a mom and can not leave your child behind, it is okay to bring them along. Help them learn how to appreciate nature without all the electronic background noise that is so much a part of our lives.