Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Betty Hoffman!!!

Betty Hoffman (#5589) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a Beginner, Intermediate, and Expert Level Backyard Farmer Merit Badge!

“We have had chickens over the years. This year, we acquired Buff Orphingtons. They are in a movable pen with feed buckets for nesting areas that is moved every couple of days. This gives them more fresh grazing in addition to the laying pellets, chicken scratch, vegetable cuttings from the kitchen, and crushed eggshells that have been baked. The eggshells provide extra calcium. The nesting buckets are easy to remove and clean. My plan is to start making my own feed mix as organically as I can. I ordered dried mealworms to give them added protein during molting season.

This picture was taken during the snow we had here in Texas. A light was also kept on them for extra warmth. We had eggs most of winter this way. Having our own chickens provides us with fresh eggs that we share with our extended family. I added an ending date, but this project is ongoing with plans to raise some for our freezer.

I have had a Nubian dairy herd going on 3 years. I am currently milking 15. Before acquiring a milking machine, my husband was helping me milk them by hand. The machine really saves us time and is easier on my hands, and I can get it done by myself now. I taught my oldest granddaughter how to milk. She is 11 years old. My granddaughter has really enjoyed helping at milking time when she is here. My daughter-in-law helps out now when she can. I make soft cheese with our goat milk from our farm.

We were gifted with a grass-fed calf in exchange for feeding the livestock on a friend’s farm. We had it butchered and processed. Knowing where it came from is a great feeling in feeding our family. The meat is very tasty and good. We plan to buy now from the ranchers local to us. Knowing that this calf was humanely raised and fed naturally will make it better for us to consume. The meat turned out to be very good in texture and taste.

The pictures enclosed are the pictures of animals and scenes from our farm that will be made into note cards.”

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Sharon Scheidt!!!

Sharon Scheidt (Sharon Scheidt, #6026) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a Beginner Level Putting Away for Winter Merit Badge!

“I made from my garden, Roasted Grape Tomato Sauce and froze it for later use, made Basil Garlic Tomato Sauce and froze it also, and Pesto from the basil in my garden. Then I chopped up some of my green peppers and froze them, too. I went on the chatroom for the first time to tell all about what I made today. I had so much fun today in my kitchen and garden!

Everything turned out just great! Can’t wait to go to my freezer this fall and winter to eat the food from my garden!”

The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 5,965 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—8,526 total! Take it away, MBA Jane!!! MJ 

For this week’s Cleaning Up/Shopping Green Expert Level Merit Badge, I graduated (with honors) from the whole I-own-lots-of-cute-reusable-shopping-bags-but-I-always-leave-them-at-home thing, to the not-only-do-I-own-lots-of-cute-reusuable-shopping-bags-but-I-nearly-always-remember-to-take-them-shopping thing. This graduation deserved three cheers, a toss of my figurative hat in the air, and several slices of cake. You know. To celebrate.

But this was not enough for me. Nay. Never let it be so. My love for reusable shopping totes was not going to stop there. I was off to convert someone. Share the love. Spark some interest.

And also:

party.

A bag party! A swap meet of sorts. An evening with my fellow farmgirls, chatting, sewing, trading, admiring, and re-gifting our collection of shopping bags. What could be more fun than never having to hear the condemning words from our friendly local cashiers again,

Would you like paper or plastic?

Shudder, gasp, PSHAW! As if!

Since I was hosting, I figured I should have the most bags to begin with. I mean … okay, it’s not a contest, and it’s not like I’m greedy or anything, it’s just that I wanted everyone to go home with plenty. So I stocked up. I learned how to make the cutest totes from old T-shirts, and since I kinda got on a roll and made approximately eleventy-seven of them in one afternoon, I thought I’d share a little tutorial with you all.

1.) Raid your husband/father/friend/Aunt Sally’s closet for vintage Ts, or better yet, tank tops. Do they have to be vintage? Nope. But they turn out awfully cute. P.S. Make sure the fabric is somewhat heavyweight. We don’t want your container of organic mango sherbet crashing to its tragic death on the way out of the garage. Been there. Done that. Have the T-shirt. Hah!

2.) Flip inside out. Sew the bottom shut (using a sewing machine or serger, this will take like two nano-seconds). Using a large bowl, or just eyeballing it, draw a semi-circle along where the original neck hole is. (You’re just enlarging it is all. You know, so you can fit in the family-size cheddar-and-sour-cream potato chips without squishing them.) Cut. Hem (or skip the hemming and just use pinking shears if the fabric isn’t the fraying kind; I won’t tell).

3.)  Remove the sleeves. Hem. (Step #3 not necessary if using tanks).

4.) Voila!

Other ideas to get your creativity juices flowing:

• Use sheets instead of Ts. You’ll get plenty of bags out of an old flat sheet!
• Add a pocket in the front. Good for tiny items, and also for rolling up your bag when it’s not in use.
• Use thicker fabric for your cold items.
• Make several sizes! Sometimes all you’re picking up is a carton of tea, a pack of gum, and a jar of honey.
• Take apart a paper bag to use as a pattern if you like the bags that have flat bottoms for standing up straight while you’re bagging.
• Add a zipper or button for closing. This privacy is nice if you’re like me and you like to stock up on panties and brassieres once a year and don’t want them going the way of the mango sherbet … embarrassing to leave a trail of satin hi-cut briefs in the driveway. Not that I’ve ever done that:)

Once you have a nice collection going and you’re basking in the warm glow of all the compliments you receive when out shopping, share the love. Have a bag swap. (And invite me).

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Bea Campbell!!!

Bea Campbell (#2575) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning an Intermediate Level Herbs Merit Badge!

“This summer, my husband made a raised bed for me to start a herb garden. I have been doing some research and reading books on the subject. I didn’t want to use railroad ties or treated wood. And rough oak would need to be replaced eventually. So we used cedar. I got some lemon sage, dill, oregano, rosemary, and cilantro cuttings from a friend. I have used the cilantro for salsa and the oregano to season pasta sauce.

My herb garden is doing well. I got some mismatched forks at the Goodwill store and used wide-mouth canning lids to make markers for my herbs. It’s so nice to go out and cut fresh herbs for cooking.”

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … April Choate!!!

April Choate (sonshine4u, #658) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning an Expert Level The Secret Life of Bees Merit Badge!

“My husband declared, when we moved to our property, “I want to have bees!” I was shocked, being that he was a city boy. Seemed adventurous and crazy. I was totally on board, though, because I knew the benefits! He took the short course at the University of MN in the fall of 2011, and we got our first hives in 2012. During the winter, the kids and I helped him put together the hives and paint them. We watched him read all these bee books like his life depended on it. I was so thankful that he wanted to do this project!

We got our bees and watched them build up combs and create their “city.” I helped hold frames while he checked on the queen and looked for brood. I cheered him on when the queen from one of the hives decided to disappear. That hive had to be re-queened … twice. But then the fun began in 2013, when we got to harvest the honey. Our first time harvesting was scary, but not as scary because we had helped our good friend, Joe, with his harvest the previous year. But being newbies, it was still a little daunting.

My friend Jan kept telling me that it was a really sticky mess and to be prepared to stick to the floor by the time you’re done! But the reward is so worth it. When that first comb was uncapped and just oozed honey goodness, I thought I had died and gone to heaven! When we had spun the first few frames and our 5-gallon bucket was filling up … I was more than ecstatic! It was pure gold! Watching it filter was something that I didn’t expect to be fascinating, but every part of the process was. When we were finished with all the supers, we had 7 1/2 gallons of honey! Not bad for our first harvest! I was thrilled!

Each time we had someone over, we would show them how it was all done, or if they were really lucky, they would be there to help with the fun. I had a farmgirl meeting all about bees and my hubby shared all his vast bee knowledge with the ladies. He brought out a frame that they could see and explained all about it. We played some bee trivia games, made lip balm with beeswax, and watched the movie, Vanishing of the Bees. While I’m not the head beekeeper, I do enjoy helping him out, and after reading all those great books about bees for the first two levels … I’m ready to beeeeee a beekeeper for real with my hubby. Giving honey as Christmas gifts was so fulfilling this year. The look on people’s faces was priceless!

I’m totally inspired to become more involved with the process. I thought I would be scared taking care of bees, but now I’m totally calm around them and love hearing them in my garden doing their job. Holding a frame in my hands with all those wiggling bodies doing their jobs is just fascinating! I love putting on the suit and helping out now. The only time I don’t enjoy it is when it’s super hot and then the sweat just pours down! LOL! This past winter, we lost both of our hives from the extreme cold. It was a really sad discovery. We had to purchase new bees this spring. It was really expensive. I’m hoping and praying that this winter will be more favorable. We also are looking for more ways to plant more flowers in the fields that surround our hives so the bees can continue to enjoy a toxic-free flower zone. I really am loving this bee experience. The honey is so good and I appreciate the bees so much more!”

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Valdeane Odachi!!!

Valdeane Odachi (#4860) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a Beginner Level Recycling Merit Badge!

“In our home, I have established several receptacles to make recycling easy. I have three stacking bins to separate HI-5 glass, plastic, and aluminum cans. I have a special newspaper bin for the daily paper (we often use these to build fires, though) and a separate trash can (next to our kitchen trash can) that we use for miscellaneous recyclables that we can take to our transfer station for recycling. I also have an old one-gallon bottle that we use to store old batteries. We also have a small cardboard box lined with a plastic bag to hold the ink cartridges that I take to Office Max for recycling.

At our local rubbish transfer station, we can recycle the following: glass and “mixed bin” recycling where the following are accepted: newspaper, copy paper, corrugated cardboard, plastic shopping bags, aluminum, tin, non-HI-5 glass, boxboard and plastics numbered 1, 2 and 5. (I didn’t know about every single thing until I had to earn/apply for this badge!) I wasn’t aware of the shopping bag recycling!

HI-5 (5-cent redemption) glass and plastic can be redeemed at approved stations. Most of these are located approximately 20 miles from us.

Vehicle oil can be recycled approximately 20 miles from us at the Toyota dealership. (I didn’t know this either!)

Cooking oil can be disposed of (no more than 1 gallon) with regular household trash if disposed of fully absorbed by newspaper or other material. If more than that, several companies offer disposal locally. (I will be inquiring via phone of their services, though I looked up the info online.)

Our family has been recycling for a while now, but this activity made me more aware of the areas that I need improvement in and what areas are working well. Also, this badge helped me learn about more resources available in my area!

Redeeming the 5-cent refund for cans and bottles always poses a problem, as it takes so long to build up an adequate amount to redeem. We would hate to take trips just to redeem a few cans! But keeping the cans and bottles around creates such a mess.

Batteries face a similar problem, but they take up much less real estate in the house since it’s just one gallon bottle. At least we have a designated spot that everyone in the family knows about and uses.

Overall, I believe we’ve made (and continue to make) strides toward recycling. I actually hope to decrease the amount of plastic waste we BRING IN to our home… that will mean less to take out!”

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Emily Race!!!

Emily Race (Simply Satisfied, #3591) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a Beginner Level Putting Away for Winter Merit Badge!

“We try not to freeze veggies and fruit, since most of our meat comes during the fall during hunting season. We did freeze zucchini (shredded), carrots, and squash this winter. We also froze some blanched green beans when the season was late and I didn’t have enough to bother with a batch for canning. We also froze strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and currants this winter. I shared my ideas on the chat forum and gave a fellow farmgirl a new way to store zucchini.

The carrots, squash, and zucchini taste great after freezing. The beans seem similar to canning, but take longer to cook when we are ready to eat them. The berries all tasted great this spring. I just made the raspberries into jam with huckleberries to get them out of the freezer to make room for new produce and meat this year.”