The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 5,892 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—8,416 total! Take it away, MBA Jane!!! MJ 

For this week’s Farm Kitchen/Self-Sufficiency Expert Level Merit Badge, I rummaged in the back of one of my least used kitchen cupboards. I was looking for something very specific … something underutilized … something I bought at a yard sale and then promptly forgot about …

It was right next to the yogurt maker, behind the wok, and next to the As Seen On TV! pasta machine. I saw it as soon as I set aside the vacuum sealer, the tortilla warmer, the Winnie the Pooh-shaped cake pan, and the Mr. Coffee maker with the missing pot. I resolved to stop appliance hoarding immediately. Then I reached for it:

My food dehydrator.

I blew off the dust *embarrassed blush* and repented of my past sins of never having dried anything in my life.

Other than my hair.

Or last year’s Thanksgiving turkey, but that was kinda an accident. Helpful hint from me to you: Celsius temperature is NOT the same and/or interchangeable with Fahrenheit. Learned that the hard way; can I get an Amen?

Anyway, to earn my Expert Level Merit Badge in Self-Sufficiency, I needed to learn to use this puppy. I cracked my knuckles, figuratively speaking, and put the pieces together (the dehydrator, not my knuckles). Luckily, it seemed rather easy to use, and I even had the original directions (thank you to the nice yard sale lady who was quite organized, and who also let me pay with the loose change from my glove compartment, if I recall correctly).

First up:

Beef jerky.

Photo by Severein via Wikimedia Commons

I hadn’t necessarily planned on starting with something so advanced sounding, but I had two freezer-burnt steaks staring at me with a reproving glare. I didn’t blame them. I hadn’t wrapped them properly, and now they were inedible. Normally, I am quite carnivorous, but I had my dinner menus all planned that day I bought them, and into the freezer they went for another time, and then I put several loaves of homemade bread over top of them and kind of forgot they were there, and … well, you get the point. It was a crime, but it is what it is, and I knew how to redeem myself.

Thanks to the existence of my food dehydrator, yes ma’am.

I patted my steaks in a reassuring fashion, and got to marinating. Here’s what I used:

Jerky Marinade (for two steaks):
several dashes of Worcestershire sauce
a couple shakes of tomato sauce or organic ketchup
2 t minced garlic
2 t brown sugar
2 t instant coffee granules
spices and herbs (whatever you have—I used salt and pepper, thyme, and tarragon)

I marinated my steaks for several hours in the refrigerator. Then I sliced them as thinly as could be, across the grain. Then I set my fan for 155 degrees and laid them all out on the trays. Your food dehydrator might be different, so follow the directions. In about 7 hours, I had the most delicious snack ever! I’m already soooo excited to try it again, this time with different seasonings. Honey maybe, or rosemary and garlic, how about a spicy one with chili flakes or a siracha marinade? Or a pork jerky that’s been taking a bath in apple cider? Yum. Don’t even get me started with turkey or salmon. Or actually, get me started! I’m all in with this stuff.

Next, since I was feeling so very confident and pleased with myself, I tackled some non-meat items. The best thing I think about drying fruits, veggies, and meats is how you can enjoy off-season foods all year round! I’ve even put dried fruit in my freezer so I can savor strawberries in the winter. My favorites so far? Well, I’m so glad you asked. Tune in next time, my little chickadees.

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Amanda Mathis!!!

Amanda Mathis (Andi, #5199) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a Beginner Level My Fair Farmgirl Merit Badge!

“For this badge, I spent time researching different different health and beauty products. It was interesting to see that even products labeled organic or natural didn’t mean they were good for our planet. It was also interesting to learn more about testing health and beauty products on animals. I didn’t know there was special labeling on products for that. I chose to make deodorant out of baking soda and coconut oil. I do not mind the new deodorant at all. I use it everyday. I’m glad I made the switch.”

Meet Julia Hayes, farm goddess. We’ve featured our dear friend Julia in my magazine in the past on her new tractor (a surprise gift from her husband for her 40th b-day), but the Dorothea Lange-style photo she sent last week after driving her tractor all afternoon plowing up a HUGE plot of ground for a HUGE garden still has me smiling the biggest.

“Me all cleaned up, sun-screened and ready to plant The Sunflower Forest, which is what I call this garden. Lots of goodies go into this space in addition to rows and rows of glorious sunflowers!”

Jane Deere indeed!

And Julia at our Farm Fair several years ago. Farm goddess indeed-y double deedy!

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Patti White!!!

Patti White (#4415) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Dyeing for Color Merit Badge!

“While visiting Shaker Village of Pleasant in Kentucky a year ago, I was fascinated with the weaving and dyeing that was perfected by the Shaker women. They not only used dyes from plants and insects, they also harvested and spun wool from their livestock and kept a worm farm for the purpose of making silk. In their gift shop, I purchased a book called Natural Dyes and Home Dyeing by R. Adrosko to mark my enthusiasm for trying to dye fabrics when I returned home. An excellent historical account of dyeing fabric, the book also had simple-to-follow, tried-and-true recipes. I was committed to using only plants that were growing on our property and to get a variety of colors.

I set an electric hot plate on my planting table in the garage, found an old 2-gallon pot with a lid, and set out to plan my ‘color wheel’! My fabric was 100% cotton muslin, torn into varying sizes.

Here are the recipes I used and the results:

Fabric prep mordant for berry dyes:
Prepared fabric by boiling in 8 cups water and 1/2 cup salt for 1 hour.
Thoroughly rinsed, but kept fabric wet.

Mulberry Dye: 2 cups berries – 4 cups water
Boiled and mashed. Strained through cheesecloth. Put strained dye back in pot and added 2 cups water. Added fabric to dye and boiled for 1 hour. Rinsed off in tub with garden hose and hung to dry.

Fabric prep mordant for plant dyes:
Prepared fabrics by boiling in 8 cups water and 2 cups vinegar for 1 hour. Thoroughly rinsed, but kept fabric wet.

I followed the same recipe and proportions used in the Mulberry Dye, but used these plant materials: spinach, yellow yarrow, walnut sawdust, pink rose petals, and coffee grounds from my kitchen.

I wore gloves while working with dyes and put the strained mash from each batch in my compost pile. I love the muted shades of my dyed fabrics and hope to someday make a mini quilt using just these fabrics. I presented the idea to my 4H quilting girls as an idea for a project for next year’s county fair. We’ll see!!”

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Linda Cole!!!

Linda Cole (#4879) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a Beginner & Intermediate Level Recycling Merit Badge!

“I contacted all of the recycling centers in our phone book. Learned that only one receives anything but different type of metals. This center will take different types of metals, electronics, glass, plastic, and cardboard. The center will separate the items for you, therefore saving you work.

Made me look closer at things around me. The center is too far from home to use unless I have a large load, but I am glad to know it is there just in case I am able to use it.

Since we have only regular garbage pickup, I contacted our local recycling centers. I found only one that will recycle things other than metal. An area business will buy car batteries. Many items can be recycled in the home. For example, milk jugs can be used to water plants in the garden during dry weather. Plastic bags can be made into holiday wreaths, and food scraps that don’t contain grease can be put into the compost pile or given to the worm bed.

To begin with, I think it would be too overwhelming to try to recycle everything, so I will only recycle three: pop cans, paper, and milk jugs. I have set up a trash can outside for cans and tow containers inside for paper and jugs.

Turning out very well. The pop cans will be sold when I get a trashcan full. At the end of the week, I only had two milk jugs and one of them was collected from outside, where it had been used for something else. All other milk jugs were being used for other things. My biggest problem is paper from junk mail. The paper and jugs are in containers to go to a recycling center in another county as I go to visit a friend in that county.”

The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 5,892 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—8,416 total! Take it away, MBA Jane!!! MJ 

For this week’s Cleaning Up/Going Green Expert Level Merit Badge, I was pretty happy with the way things were going around my house. Green? You betcha! Everywhere you looked, you could see the rewards and fruits of my labors. Not that it was too laborious; going green is easier than you might think.

My cleaners were homemade, my food was organic, my paint was non-toxic, and everything was looking tip top, ship shape, in Bristol fashion. *

*I may be watching a tad too much British telly lately. I mean, television.

There were only a couple items on my Expert Level Merit Badge that needed to be accomplished:

• a clothesline
• a lending library of any how-to books relating to going green
• spending some time at a friend’s house, helping her abode become more earth friendly

First off, it turned out that that weird-looking post in the ground in my backyard was not simply a place to tie your doggy when you needed to curb his wandering habits. Nope, it was a clothesline! Well, you could have knocked me over with feather. I knew it looked sorta familiar (must have seen one on a period piece on the telly). I got myself over to the hardware store immediately and purchased myself some clothespins (turns out they’re not just for crafts or for holding your chip bag closed. Ahem).

I was flabbergasted at how yummy my organic cotton sheets smelled after one morning in the sunshine! I am not kidding, my little honeybees, they were sweeter scented than anything Downey could ever bottle. I slept like a log that night. Chainsaw included, I admit sheepishly.

Next, I organized my little stack of books (and magazines) and let my friends and family know they were available for borrowing. Two weeks at a time, no renewals. Please fill out this little form, including credit card number, social security, and mother’s maiden name. What? So, I’m a little over-protective of my books … I can’t imagine why no one has visited Jane’s Lending Library yet. It’s a puzzle.

Anyway, after that (and after a short siesta on my floral bed of happiness), I wandered over to Midge’s house. I figured she needed some sprucing up in the ol’ green department, and boy, was I right. That doll is still stuck in the ’50s, let me tell you. Of course, it’s not strictly her fault; Mattel discontinued her in the ’60s. (Reproductions don’t count. My Midge could never be reproduced – pshaw!)

She was happy to let me do my thing, so to speak, and we spent a cheerful afternoon throwing out toxic cleansers and scrubs, letting the kids try out my homemade deodorant and toothpaste (good thing they’re organic and tummy friendly, cuz the youngest kept trying to eat them), and pulling out some nasty old carpet in the entryway. (Can you say, hardwood floors beneath? Blimey!)

At the end of our day, I had earned my newest badge, plus a sense of satisfaction and an even deeper friendship. A most excellent way to spend a day, indeed.

Pip pip, cheerio!

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Carole Prevost-Meier!!!

Carole Prevost-Meier (#3610) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Knitting Merit Badge!

“I do know how to knit; however, I can only read French patterns. My goal is to learn to read English patterns. I am teaching my daughter how to knit. She made a pair of mittens and a scarf. I am also teaching her about yarn quality, which is very important.”

I love how her scarf turned out. She used circular needles and did a great job.