Have you been over to our Farmgirl Connection chatroom lately? It’s chock full of farmgirls sharing their expertise in all things farmgirl. Many of us spend a considerable amount of time every day chatting via our computers, so we’ve decided it’s good to put our electronics aside now and then. How? We’re mailing mail art. Real art mailed through the post office. Real art that shows up in our actual mailboxes.

This is just a sampling of the awesome art our Mail Art Coordinator (and mail artist extraordinaire), Kristi, has been receiving.

But don’t feel daunted by what’s been done—anything that gets your hands moving and your creative juices flowing is welcome, and we’d love to have you join us!

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Erin McBride!!!

Erin McBride (#3762) has received a certificate of achievement in Civic Heritage for earning a Beginner Level Civic Heritage Merit Badge!

“My family went to Fishers, Indiana (just outside of Indianapolis) to visit Conner Prairie. Conner Prairie is a living history museum made up of several historic areas including 1836 Prairietown, 1863 Civil War Journey, Lenape Indian Camp, William Conner Homestead, and 1859 Balloon Voyage. They also have a Nature Walk, Animal Encounters, Craft stations, and much more.

I went with my husband and our three children, and we all loved it. We were there most of the day and by the end the kids were a little tired, but overall they liked it a lot. They especially enjoyed the animal encounters. They had a barn set up there with cows, sheep, goats, and chickens. There were animals everywhere just walking right around you. That was definitely the most interactive experience with farm animals that I’d ever had, and the kids just loved it.”

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … CJ Armstrong!!!

CJ Armstrong (ceejay48, #665) has received a certificate of achievement in Outpost for earning a Beginner & Intermediate Level Speak for the Trees Merit Badge!

BEGINNER

I have always been interested in the trees growing in our area, but it became more of a “project” to learn more after a fire in July 1994 that destroyed our house and most of the natural wooded area around it. So, in order to replace trees, we did a lot of research on what would grow well, knowing that we could never replace the trees that grew here naturally and took many decades to do so.

We planted Colorado blue spruce, aspen, Ponderosa pine, white fir, yew, Alberta spruce, golden raintree, Japanese pagoda, sour cherry, apple, and pear trees in our yard and they are all doing well. Not all of the native trees were destroyed, and what we do still have growing on our property are: cedar, pinon, cottonwood, and scrub oak. While they are not “trees,” we also have native sagebrush, rabbit brush, and even some prickly pear cactus.

INTERMEDIATE

In the immediate area of our house, there are lots of natural wooded areas and orchards and not too great of a need for windbreaks. However, in the dryland farming area just to the northwest of us, there are acres and acres of farmland that are wide open and susceptible to wind erosion. Thus, the windbreaks are a great need and many folks have successfully planted trees that are suitable to the area and the dryland farming concept.

We have some beautiful parks in the towns in our community, and they have planted Colorado blue spruce, Ponderosa pine, and Navajo willow trees there. While not native to this elevation, the blue spruce and Ponderosa pine are native to Colorado higher elevations and they do well because they aren’t far from “home.”

It’s been a challenge to replace trees we lost, but we are happy with what we did plant and the growth we’ve seen. We have some absolutely stunningly beautiful trees in our yard!”

The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 6,269 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—8,908 total! Take it away, MBA Jane!!! MJ 

Wondering who I am? I’m Merit Badge Awardee Jane (MBA Jane for short). In my former life …   

For this week’s Farm Kitchen/Bread Making Beginner Level Merit Badge, I first had to learn the difference between two very simple, yet very ingenious, common kitchen ingredients: baking soda and baking powder. Hey, they’re not just for brushing your teeth and scrubbing your cutting boards anymore, peeps.

I’m blushing to admit that A) I have never really learned the difference, and B) I have mixed them up more than once. And just a friendly helpful hint from me to you: baking powder does not a Red Devil Cake make.

It turns out the two are amazingly similar: so similar, in fact, that you would think they are interchangeable. But alas … weeping and gnashing of teeth … negative, ghost rider.

Although you can, in a pinch … (Get it? A pinch? A pinch of soda? HA!) … use powder in place of soda, though you would need a larger amount. But vice versa? Just ain’t true, Magoo.

Both are basically sodium bicarbonate, but baking powder has other ingredients as well.

Photo courtesy of Joe Mabel, Wikimedia.com.

Here’s a great explanation from North Carolina State University:

“What’s the difference between baking soda and baking powder? Short answer: acid. But it can make a big difference for baked goods, so let’s explain.

Baking soda has only one ingredient: sodium bicarbonate. Sodium bicarbonate is a base that reacts when it comes into contact with acids, like buttermilk, yogurt or vinegar. This reaction produces carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the form of bubbles, like a liquid foam (think of the grade school experiments involving fake volcanoes, vinegar and baking soda). When making baked goods, the process is called “chemical leavening,” because the trapped CO₂ gas makes the dough or batter rise.

But when baking soda comes into contact with an acid, it pretty much reacts immediately. And that’s a problem.

For many baking recipes, you want an extended reaction, so that the rising doesn’t take place all at once.

Baking powder addresses this problem because it is “double acting” – it has different ingredients that create CO₂ gas at different stages of the baking process.

All baking powders contain sodium bicarbonate (just like baking soda). But baking powder also contains two acids.  One of these acids is called monocalcium phosphate. Monocalcium phosphate doesn’t react with the sodium bicarbonate while it’s dry. But as soon as the baking powder is stirred into a wet dough or batter, the two ingredients begin to react, releasing bubbles of CO₂ and causing chemical leavening.

But to extend the chemical leavening process, baking powder also contains a second acid, either sodium acid pyrophosphate or sodium aluminum sulfate. Neither of these acids react with sodium bicarbonate until they are both: A) wet (i.e., stirred into the batter) and B) hot.

In other words, sodium acid pyrophosphate and sodium aluminum sulfate won’t start reacting with the sodium bicarbonate until after you’ve put the dough or batter in the oven. This means that the batter rises for a longer period of time, making lots of bubbles (and a fluffier cake, muffin, or whatever).”

Anyway, enough of the science-y stuff, gals. Just call me Jane the Brain.

Onto baking some bread in order to earn my badge … let the smacking of lips begin.

Hermann Sondermann (1832-1901), kehr vom Backhaus via Wikimedia Commons

 

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Katie Wright!!!

Katie Wright (#5600) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning an Expert Level Knitting Merit Badge!

“Hand-knit cardigan sweater, from a French pattern that I have had for years. I have made several of these and like having two for myself. Usually, I make them as gifts, such as this one is. It is in acrylic yarn so it can be washed easily. I do this when I make gifts, as the recipient may not know how to care for wool. Anyway, I have worked on this sweater piece by piece while doing other projects also. It takes a while to finish a sweater, and then piecing it together, doing finish work, and finishing loose ends all takes time. But it’s worth it for such a lovely gift.

This sweater turned out well. Instead of ribbing (k,p) for edges of sweater bottom and sleeves, this sweater pattern uses cables, which I believe make the product look very elegant. I chose buttercup yellow, which is very soft, but put on some sparkly buttons to “jazz” it up a bit. After all, women do like “bling.”

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Shannon Hudson!!!

Shannon Hudson (#5349) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a Beginner Level Farmgirl Jubilee Merit Badge!

“Definition of jubilee: the celebration of any certain anniversaries, such as the 25th, 50th, 75th, etc., or the completion of 50 years of existence (Dictionary.com).

– Special jubilee I attended: My 4 siblings and I threw a jubilee for my parent’s 25th wedding anniversary. We invited folks they had not seen in YEARS, along with relatives that we do not see very often (my mom’s side of the family is Old Order Amish and some of them even came!). Somehow, we kept it a secret, though we were all quite young … my older sister was 24, I was 19, my younger sister 17, and my brothers were 15 and 11! It was a great celebration complete with lots of food and even more love and laughter.

– British Diamond Jubilee for Queen Elizabeth (Wiki Link)

Imagine ascending into power 60 years ago. Would you want to celebrate? Would you feel blessed to have been in such a position for such a period of time? Surely Queen Elizabeth II had much to celebrate in 2014, as only the second British monarch to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee. (The first was Queen Victoria in 1897).

Queen Elizabeth II had two guidelines for her jubilee. The first was that the public was not to pay a large amount for the celebration. In fact, she wanted public funds to be as minimal as possible. The second requirement was that the people were not to be forced to celebrate her. If they wanted to, they were certainly welcomed to, but the public was not to be forced.

The celebration was embraced by many, and was celebrated in numerous ways. Considering the vast amount of countries visited by the Queen, along with her love for horses, a show was produced. The show included over 500 horses and over 1,000 performers from various countries. There were also lunches throughout the area, not all of which the Queen attended, but they were in her honor, nonetheless. There were also a “Google Doodle,” a maritime parade, and numerous other celebrations. One of the neatest things was the lighting of beacons throughout the world!

I can only imagine how humbling the experience must have been for Queen Elizabeth II. The love of the people for her really showed through. I wonder if she had ever imagined how the people would react and celebrate her reign!?!?

– Ideas shared with other farmgirls online: make an apron, have an outside celebration with MaryJane’s recipes, work in the garden and beautify outside, and invite others to join our celebration.

I understand what our Jubilee is about now, and am able to embrace the idea. I am looking forward to seeing how the Jubilee takes shape, not just here at my own home, but across our nation!”

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Suzanne Holland!!!

Suzanne Holland (#828) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning an Intermediate Level Crochet Merit Badge!

“My daughters wanted me to learn how to make amigurumi dolls for them. So I purchased a few patterns and got busy. I enjoyed working with my daughters, spending time with them, choosing yarns to make each doll just right. So far, I have made four dolls of different sizes.

On each doll, I have been able to spend time with my daughters as I work on their dolls, letting them practice on stitches and make choices. They even helped me stuff them. The dolls made were a Geisha Girl, a Kitty, Tinkerbell, and an Elf.”