Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Rebecca Riccio!!!

Rebecca Riccio (ladybek9756, #4932) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning an Intermediate Level Crochet Merit Badge!

“I made a doll for a farmgirl’s newborn baby. I used just about every crochet stitch to make all the flowers that adorned the doll’s dress as well as the dress itself.

The doll came out really nice and the flowers around the entire border of the dress added just the right touch to make the gift special for this baby and her mother.”

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Jill Schrader!!!

Jill Schrader (#6177) has received a certificate of achievement in Outpost for earning a Beginner Level Speak for the Trees Merit Badge!

“Since I live in the woods, out of town, this was an obvious merit badge to earn. I have always loved identifying trees, as well as native wildflowers, mammals, birds, and insects. I’m always pulling out my reference books when I see something past my window that I can’t identify.

I take my books with me whenever we go camping and keep them handy at my coffee table. My relatives know I’m the go-to person to ask if it comes to a nature question. I about have my field guides memorized by picture. If I don’t know the answer, we look it up together and find the answer!

I have Western Red Cedar, Western Larch, Douglas Fir, Quaking Aspen, Lodgepole Pine, White Pine, and Hemlock growing on my property. I love to study nature and am always learning and love to share this information with others as they show an interest in the great outdoors!

I was able to identify most, if not all, the trees growing around me. My uncle was a logger, so he has taught me the common names, as well as some of the “slang” names, which often go by color, such as a Ponderosa Pine is also known as a yellow pine, a Douglas Fir is also known as a red fir. I have enjoyed being able to identify trees whether I’m here at home, or traveling and see something different.”

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Debbie Klann!!!

Debbie Klann (#770) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning a Beginner, Intermediate & Expert Level Bread Making Merit Badge!

“I have been baking bread since I was a newlywed 32 years ago, but have learned MUCH in those 32 years! I’ve always known baking is more of an exact science … getting just the right amount of leavening agents so your product turns out the way you want it to.

While I’ve always used baking powder and baking soda when called for, I was never exactly sure what made each one similar and different. I recently read up on how each works and how they are not interchangeable!

I also learned that baking soda is about 4x the strength of baking powder and why you will sometimes need to use each one in the same recipe.

I’ve made several recipes using baking powder, baking soda, and cream of tartar. One of my favorite recipes was an Amish Sugar Cookie, which used cream of tartar and soda. I loved the silky texture. My favorite biscuit recipe calls for an addition of cream of tartar. They were higher and finer textured than some that I have tried. I also tried making a Cream Biscuit using a self-rising flour and cream. These seemed to raise well … and then deflated quickly! I always use unbleached flour and have recently found a whole-wheat pastry flour from soft wheat that makes the most delicate pie crust!

For my Intermediate level, I baked some bread. I love making my own bread. Store bought does not even compare. And the smell that fills your house is wonderful!

I’ve used several types of yeast in my breadmaking … regular active dry yeast, quick-rising yeast, and a special yeast for pizza dough. I prefer just the regular yeast over the quick-rising. I just prefer the texture and how it works better. I really do like the pizza-dough yeast. I think it gives it just the right amount of leavening.

Besides making our weekly bread, I also make some special dark dinner rolls that have cocoa powder, whole wheat flour, and orange juice. They were a big hit with the family!

I also tried an Irish Soda Bread. I remember reading when I was young in the Little House books how Laura’s mother would make it for the holidays. The recipe I tried included whiskey, caraway seeds, and raisins, but I substituted currants. I wasn’t too sure how this mix of ingredients would taste together … but it really wasn’t too bad! I still prefer the texture of a yeast bread to one made with baking soda.

Expert level required sourdough mothers. Over the years, I have tried several different sourdough starter recipes … some created so much gas they blew the lid right off the jar, and some never did much of anything. I finally found one that worked for me. I used the starter recipe in the King Arthur Flour baking book. This one uses a rye flour to start, eventually being replaced over the next 10 days or so with unbleached flour.

This starter was by far the best I’ve ever used. I tried a new sourdough biscuit recipe that was “ok.” I thought it was a little dry. But the sourdough pancakes were divine! The batter foamed up like meringue, and they were a little slice of heaven! Definitely worth keeping a starter JUST for those pancakes.

I did learn that even if you keep your starter in the fridge while you’re not actively using it, you still need to feed it once a week.”

The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 6,629 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—9,365 total! Take it away, MBA Jane!!! MJ 

For this week’s Get ‘er Done Expert Level Merit Badge, I was already sore and in the swing of things from helping my farmgirl friend move houses (and thereby earning my Intermediate Level Badge), so I decided to go with the flow and earn my Expert Level Merit Badge next. A house built by Habitat for Humanity was going up right down the street from me, and it was just the thing.

Photo, Navy Visual News Service via Wikimedia Commons

Twelve hours required for this badge, and I was rip roarin’ ready to go.

It took a while to prepare. I mean, I couldn’t just show up with a hammer and call it good. No, siree! They would know I was a novice. I knew exactly what to do: after all, I have watched Seven Brides for Seven Brothers often enough.

I knew how to raise a barn—how could building a house be any different?

I made several pies (rhubarb, raisin and sour cream, egg custard, and good old-fashioned apple), ironed my best country dancing dress, practiced my DoSeDo Flutterwheel Reverse Square dance moves, and headed out.

I would have hitched the horses up to the buggy and arrived that way, all proper style and all, but I don’t have a horse.

Or a buggy.

Photo by dee & tula via Wikimedia Commons

I plan to remedy that eventually, though. They’re on my grocery list, right before buckwheat flour and right after tropical fish food.

Anyway, I was surprised and kind of disappointed that none of the other volunteers were as prepared as me. It’s a good thing I brought so many pies, because evidently all the others forgot. At least I’ll win the blue ribbon, so all was not lost.

They also seemed a little under-dressed for the occasion, but I let that one slide.

They also were a shy bunch. Why, it took me at least an hour to get a dance going! Part of that time was trying to roll the nearest felled tree over to the dancing area, though. That was tough. But I made it, and when everyone quit staring (they really weren’t the most self-motivated group, I gotta say), I demonstrated a little quickstep atop it. Of course, I knew my limits and I didn’t do any backflips or add in any ax swings at the same time, but I must say, I have feet like lightening!

After that, I kind of expected a fight to break out over which girls wanted to marry which guys, but the volunteers were sort of a focused bunch, and instead we put up some walls.

I guess walls are good, too.

I kept my eyes out for a batch of good-looking, single brothers (you know … for my single, good-looking girlfriends, of course) but no one seemed related. Or single. Or good looking.

All in all, I had a nice time and earned my badge, but the whole experience was a little strange.

It’s almost like people don’t know how to properly do these things. They did appreciate my pies, though.

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Sonja Gasper!!!

Sonja Gasper (opengatefarm, #5671) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning an Expert Level Connecting Growers & Eaters Merit Badge!

“I am now a co-organizer for the Garden to Pantry project that I got my beginner and intermediate badges from last year. Our garden was started to grow vegetables for the area food pantries. All food grown goes to area people in need. Last year, we donated over 4,000 pounds of produce.

This year is going very well. We do not expect to have anywhere near last year’s numbers for poundage, as we have adjusted our plantings to what area pantries felt there was a greatest need for. This meant no more cucumbers or squash, and more focus on peas and beans. Instead of looking at pounds, we are focusing on people helped. This year, we have also included area Master Gardeners and volunteers who are pantry recipients.”