Testing those Taste Buds

  It's Friday which means it's day five or the last day of our 4-H Jr. Chef Day Camp.  It's been a fun week of measuring, cooking, local foods, and today its all about taste.  We warmed up our group with letting them know today was all about testing their frozen concoction of Ice Cream.  Each group had a chance to work in the kitchen to make strawberry syrup to cover their vanilla ice cream.
  While one group was in the kitchen the other group had questions and a job at hand.  Being that it is our receptionist's, Aletha Mebane, last day they wanted to help send her off in 4-H style.  All the youth got the chance to know her over the week passing by her desk and speaking to her to and from the bathroom and kitchen, garden, break room, auditorium, etc.  While our youth was learning where their pictures were (and where they had been tagged), they got a chance to make Happy Retirement cards and notes for this lady who loved seeing and speaking to them everyday.  She was tickled to get their cards and thrilled to take a photo with her last 4-H Day Camp Group as an employee (trust me the volunteer forms are in the mail).
  Before we knew it it was time to load up in the vans and head to South of the Border and visit the Blenheim's Soda Factory.  We weren't quite sure what to expect but this turned out to be a really spicy tour.  We saw the warehouse where they store the soda waiting to be shipped and the new bottles waiting to be filled.  The day campers got to see the assembly line and how the bottles come out of the case and the case follows the bottles through the entire process and they go back into their box for shipping after being washed, filled, and labeled.  We got to see the tank where they store the liquid sugar or sucrose.  Our intern, Paige Sawyer, decided it might be a bit sweeter by sheer volume.  We also got to see where the ginger ale syrup is made before it is mixed with water and CO2.  The whole thing is really cool.  At the end our youth tried the not as hot ginger ale and many of them thought it was pretty spicy.  We understand it is the ginger that gives it it's kick and at the not as hot uses one ginger while the hot uses three gingers.  We really appreciated the plant assistant manager taking the time to show us around and answer all of our questions (cause we had a bunch).
After a quick stop for lunch we headed back to the office to finish what we started that morning.  We broke back up into two groups and while one was in the kitchen with Mrs. Janice making chocolate sauce and salted caramel sauce the other was in the auditorium making the last of the ice cream and testing all three out.  All three used the same recipe but the vanilla that was used was different for each batch.  Proving that not all vanilla extract is the same, the youth said they noticed a different vanilla flavor for each batch.  Although they all seemed to like the ice cream they hands down pick vanilla ice cream A as their favorite.  Their description of that ice cream was that it was a milder vanilla taste then the other ice creams and had a creamer taste.
After the taste test it was time to make sundaes.  Our campers had their choice of toppings and ice cream.  When it was said and done they informed us that the chocolate sauce was life changing.  They also at 2/3 of the strawberry syrup that they made.  It was impressive how much they ended up enjoying this process of taste testing and making a fun and easy treat.
We wrapped up the week with a slideshow review of the fun we have had.  It's been a great week, and we are already making plans for next year.  Can't wait to hear about our Jr. Chef's cooking escapades.

Cooking up a Landscape

  With the focus on the local foods movement this week our field trips today sort of help us pull all the pieces together.  Day four of 4-H Jr. Chef Day Camp took us to Fuquay Varina and then to Raleigh.  Our first stop, Brie Arthur's home.  Mrs. Arthur is an author, foodscaper, and self proclaimed plant nerd.  The first thing our 4-H'ers noticed pulling up to her house was the landscape.  Their exact words, "Boy there sure are a lot of plants here."  What they found out is all those plants have a purpose, and much of the purpose is an edible one.
We found traditional items such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and various herbs.  What they weren't expecting to find in the landscape were things like wheat, corn, and rye.  For some of the more invasive items, such as mint, she has a living wall that things grow on and are contained in.  Our youth learned about gardening based on soil temperatures vs. air temperature and why Hydroponics may be the future of food growth.  We saw some really neat ideas such as layering plants, strawberries growing under blueberry bushes, with peppers on the border.  In other areas peanuts are a ground cover while flowers are mixed in with vegetable plants.  The flowers attract pollinators which the plants need for fruits and vegetables.  Another neat thing we saw were bottles being recycled as edging.  The glass is actually a good heat conductor and will allow the ground to be warmer in the winter making it a more hospitable home for the plants.  Every time we turned around there was another surprise, and learning opportunity.  At the end of our time Mrs. Arthur even gave us a copy of her book, The Foodscape Revolution, and signed it to the entire group.  It was really nice of her and we really appreciate her time and enthusiasm.
After that we headed to N.C. State University for lunch.  We actually ate at one of the dining Halls with college students and sampled the famous Howling Cow Ice Cream.  How much fun is that?

After that we headed to downtown Raleigh to visit Videri Chocolate Factory.  We did a self guided tour and learned the process from the bean room, to roaster, grinder, and all the steps in-between growing a cocoa bean and molding a bar of chocolate.  At the end we got to watch bon bons being made and sample three of their chocolates; dark, sea salt, and dark milk chocolate.  Although it was not what many of us were expecting in terms of taste (it is richer and darker than a Hershey's bar), it was a great experience and we were excited to take home a bar each for our families to try.
At the end of the day we had a chance to play a few games and enjoy our new friends.  Today may have been bitter sweet in terms of taste but tomorrow will be sweet on taste and bitter sweet with our emotions as we say goodbye to all of our friends.
Stay tuned as we turn up the heat tomorrow for our last day of 4-H Jr. Chef Academy.

Making New Friends

Each morning after our day campers get settled in we review the previous day.  I always ask them what they learned and what they liked.  Today one of the main things they liked was making new friends.  Little did they know, on day three of 4-H Jr. Chef Day Camp,  they were about to make many new friends that will be very important to their cooking.
We loaded up and headed to the Robeson County Farmer's Market in Downtown Lumberton.  There we had a scavenger hunt goal, and a shopping goal.  Our young chefs were given the reciepe turned shopping list for tomatillio salsa, and told to find farmers who were selling the ingredients and find the best prices.  This meant our youth had to have conversations with adults they did not know to get the information.  What they learned was that our farmers who grow are food are really nice, and have really good prices, however not all the farmers have the same prices.  They also learned that some farmers might sell some items by the piece while others might sell them by the pound.  Then they had to figure out which was the better deal.  When we got done we had a meeting and sent the actual shopping crew out to our farmer's where we had located the best deals to find the ingredients for the afternoon's snack recipe.
It was time to head back to the office and after snack we split up into two groups.  Mrs. Janice's group worked on making corn chips and the creamed corn from scratch while Miss Shea Ann's group got to watch A Chef's Life.  They learned more about sweet corn and farmer's in North Carolina who grow it.  After an hour or so the groups switched so everyone got to do a little of everything.
Lunch was pizza and some awesome creamed corn that our Jr. Chef's made.  As a matter of fact it was so good that there was no corn left at the end of the meal.
After lunch it was time to bake the chips and make some jalepeno poppers and tomatilla salsa.  Our youth got to sample what they made as well as take chips and salsa home.  While one group was in the kitchen the second group had the chance to travel to our offie break room and make three different vanilla ice cream bases that will be made into ice cream for our youth to sample on Friday.
Of course each and everyday must end with their favorite game of all, the silent game.  Everyone stretches out to see who will last the longest, without talking or moving.
  Tomorrow we will head out on a field trip like no other.  Stay tuned for more information.

Say Cheese!

Day two for 4-H Jr. Chef Academy and we started on a simmer this morning.  Our day campers might have gotten a little tuckered out yesterday, but no time for being tuckered because we needed to turn up the heat and get things done today.
After going over our list of what we learned and liked on Monday...it was a ton of stuff by the way...we split up into our groups and got to work.  During our time with Mrs. Janice we learned how to take corn off the cob and made cream corn for our lunch on Wednesday.  Then we started working with peaches.  Miss Shea Ann taught us about the process of making cheese.  We used an acid to separate the curd and weigh and made queso fresca cheese.  It was sort of gross looking when the milk separated but after pressing the curds into a block of cheese, it wasn't so bad.
After getting a chance to work with both, it was time for lunch.  Chik-fil-A box lunches made us pretty happy and quiet as we devoured our sandwiches and chips.  Then after a little break we were back at the grind.  With Mrs. Janice we learned how to cut and freeze peaches (that we heard we get to take home tomorrow), then we learned how to make corn tortillas.  We weighed out one ounce balls and then placed them in bags to roll out and did our best to make them round and equally flat all around.  We placed them in a pan and gave them an initial cook.  Tomorrow we will turn our tortillas into chips for our tomatilla salsa that we will be making after our field trip to the Robeson County Farmer's Market.

While one group worked with the corn tortillas, the other group got to spend time learning how to fold napkins and make that elegant table setting.  We also played games working on our team building skills, and had a chance to work on some of our art work.  Each day we have coloring pages that represent what we are working on that day.  In today's stack we had a peach, cheese, a mouse with cheese, and ears of corn.  hmmmmm wonder what will be in tomorrow's stack.

After finishing in the kitchen it was time to hit the carpet for our favorite game, the silent game.  Needless to say parents and family came to get us before we were done with our game so we will have to try again tomorrow and see if we can get a winner.

Cooking Something Up

If you walked into the Cooperative Extension building in Robeson County today you would have been knocked over by the smell of bacon, watermelon, and the smell from the grill wafting inside.  In case you couldn't guess this is day one of our 4-H Jr. Chef Academy.  Of course we started the day with laying down the ground work and setting our rules for camp and the kitchen.  We also started by designing our own apron for the camp.  It didn't take long to get the basics under our belt and split up to cook and do some other fun things.
In the kitchen, our day campers got the chance to make their sides for lunch.  On the menu baked beans, mashed potatoes, and coleslaw to go with our hamburgers and hot dogs.  Many of our youth love these items but have never made them from scratch.  Today they learned about mashing and ricing potatoes to get rid of lumps.  They also had the chance to peel and slice cucumbers from Mrs. Janice's garden which they consumed for lunch.
While one group was in the kitchen the other was learning where their food comes from.  We travelled to the raised bed garden at the Extension office and planted some items, saw cucumbers, banana peppers, green peppers and eggplants.  Each camper planted a sunflower, which we talked about the seeds being edible and they all got a chance to pull a carrot out of the garden and eat it.  After going back inside it was time to start some plants of our own that we could take home.  The youth started basil and a sunflower.  With some water and sun they will have some awesome edible plants.  Our youth took the opportunity to talk food and country.  We would name off food and they would tell us which country it was from.  It was a lot of fun.
It wasn't long before we sampled the hard work of our Day Campers over lunch.  Everyone enjoyed what they made and I believe everyone had seconds of something.  They might of had thirds but there was a really big watermelon that Mrs. Christy came in and cut for their enjoyment.  Many of our youth decided they needed a couple of slices of watermelon just to make sure it didn't go to waste.
After lunch we split back up again.  In the kitchen our youth started making a syrup for a project tomorrow and husking corn.  In the auditorium we talked about the importance of pollinators and made beehives using Honeycomb cereal.  After making our art piece our youth worked on coloring pages involving pollinators and pollination sources.  After we all got a chance to do everything it was time to hit the carpet and vote on the winning apron design.  It took a lot of voting but our youth narrowed it down to one design.
Of course no 4-H camp is complete without the silent game.  It is probably the most requested game we have ever had and over the last 15 years it has become a requirement from our campers that we must play it at every day camp.
Please stay tuned for more updates over the next few days of all the fun we are about to have.

Buzzing About Something New

Did you know more than 200,000 animal species play a role in pollinating more than 250,000 plants?  Honey bees are part of a 10 million dollar industry that includes pollination, honey, and crops.  These are just some of the things members of the Dirty Rascals 4-H Junior Master Gardeners and the Robeson County Master Gardeners Association learned on our trip to the Bayer Bee Center.
We learned about the anatomy of a bee, the different roles of the Queen Bee, worker, and drones, and let's not forget the hierarchy of the hive.  Nature is brutal.  We also learned the difference between honey bees and bumble bees, and of the various roles they both play in pollination.  The Bayer Bee Center is researching all sorts of things having to do with bees, and we learned there is so much we still don't know about this most important insect and the roll it plays in our food chain.
We of course could not visit without talking about honey.  Folks got to belly up to the honey bar and try Tupelo, Buckwheat, and Orange Blossom honeys.  The majority of folks liked the Tupelo Honey but some preferred the others.  It is after all a matter of personal taste.
We also got to see some of the new technology the center is testing to determine hive temperatures, honey production, and swarms.  There are so many variables that go into pollination and honey making that it is important that we know more to see if we can help replenish the bees that are disappearing at an alarming rate.
Our folks got to see bees in action through a visible super frame,  and everyone got a chance to see the queen.  These bees were feeding off of a sugar water supply while they educated us.  We then went out in the garden and got to watch the bees in action.  We saw both honey bees and bumble bees enjoying a specifically planted pollinator garden.  There was a direct site line to their hives, all three of them that we could see.  It was a truly neat experience.
After a busy morning, we needed to pollinate our stomachs.  Where better to go then to the State Farmer's market where we could sample the local foods that grew thanks to pollinators.  We can tell you it was really good.
Then we went cross the road and had a scavenger hunt for the most colorful and strangest items.  There we saw everything from pickled carrots to snake plants, red cabbage, and some fuzzy furry plants.  It was all pretty eye opening and fun.  We tried some samples of things we hadn't eaten before and even tried some samples of our favorite things.  All in all it was a great trip and we have some ideas of how we will share the importance of pollinators when we get home.

It's A Summertime Deal

This article was written by our own Shea Ann DeJarnette for the Robesonian and should be published June 25, 2017.  It also appears on the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center's website.

Did you hear the squeals of joy when school let out?  Every child in the county was overjoyed that their summer vacation was beginning.  If you missed it, it could have something to do with the deafening sigh of parents wondering how they would keep their children busy this summer and away from the video games and TV screens.  Well, no worries mom, dad, and children of all ages, Robeson County 4-H is here for you.

            Summer Fun is the title for a series of day and overnight camps as well as leadership opportunities for youth put together by Robeson County 4-H.  We work with youth between the ages of 5 and 18, and each week focuses on a specific range of ages in that group.  Each camp has a different cost based on the experience and includes everything from transportation to snacks, lunches, and supplies.  There is no added cost on top of what we charge, so when you break it down, it really is a summertime deal.

            One of our more popular weeks is our weeklong, overnight camping experience at Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Educational Center in Reidsville, North Carolina.  This is an experience designed for 9- to 14-year-olds, and it’s the experience of a lifetime.  Youth have the opportunity to swim, horseback ride, rock wall climb, and many other activities.  Although the activities are fun and will keep them busy from sunup to sundown, the real experience goes much deeper.  Youth make friends from all over the state and start learning to take care of themselves and others.  They have to be responsible and learn to make their beds, clean up after themselves, bond with their cabin mates, and look out for each other.  It is a time in their lives where they start to figure out who they are, what they like (and don’t like), and start to gain that independence that will let them become successful adults.

            So, I hear you saying, how much fun is that?  Six days and five nights creating memories your child will never forget.  At the same time, I hear you wondering exactly how much does that cost.  Well, thanks to our United Way funds, we are able to offer this adventure for $400.  Yes, that takes your breath away, but think for a second about what that includes - transportation; meals; lodging; a camp t-shirt; camp store money for the week; trained, qualified adults watching over your child and teaching them about environmental science; and much more.  For most folks, this would cost $550.  Indian Education also offers a special deal for those who qualify to obtain this incredible experience for a mere $200.  I realize this still seems like a lot, but let’s break it down.  The average cost for a vacation for one person for just four days is around $600.  That doesn’t include all the fun things the youth get to do or even someone else to watch over them.  Also, how do you put a price tag on the experience of a lifetime?    

To learn more about this experience or send a child to camp, please contact Shea Ann DeJarnette, Extension 4-H Youth Development Agent, with North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center,  at 671-3276, by E-mail at Shea_Ann_DeJarnette@ncsu.edu, or visit our website at http://robeson.ces.ncsu.edu/.  

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Kicking off Summer

  One of the great things about summer is the offerings from the local Farmer's Market.  Robeson County has a great collection of folks who grow and sell produce at the Robeson County Farmer's Market in downtown Lumberton.  To celebrate the a full season of fruits and vegetables North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center joins forces with the farmers for the annual Summer Extravaganza.
  This is the 7th year for the event that involves free samples of products available at the market and brings in more than 100 folks to sample, shop, and educate.  Also on hand this year besides your friendly Extension staff were the Robeson County Master Gardeners Association.  Members offered activities for youth and demonstrations on how to create container gardens.  Each person who participated in the educational event also had the opportunity to be part of a drawing to win the containers that were created.  The hospital brought out their health mobile as they have in past years and offered flavored waters and information for folks who were at the market.
  This year the sample menu included, sliders courtesy of Moores Brother Beef, poppers, roasted beets, mixed fresh summer vegetables, green beans, fresh corn on the cob with cilantro lime butter, tomatia salsa, blueberry corn salsa, and a summer fruit cobbler just to name a few things available.  Everyone also had the chance to take home all the recipes of the items we made that day.  Lots of 4-H members and volunteers came out to enjoy the event and got a chance to try a little bit of everything.  Farmer's seemed happy with the increased traffic the day provides at the market.  So it was a win win for everyone.
If you want to make sure to make our 2018 event, go ahead and save June 16 for our 8th Annual Extravaganza and we have new things in the works for you to sample then.

They Did It!

Ask anyone in the office, one of my favorite lines just walking by someone is, "I didn't do it".  Mostly it is said just to see the humorous reaction for those I work with.  However on this day, in this instance our 4-H members did do it, and I could not be more proud of them.
Today was the Southeast 4-H District Activity Day.  Now that sounds all big and official but what it boils down to is 4-H members from 18 counties competing in public speaking and presentations (demonstration speeches).  For Robeson County youth they first must compete at County Activity Day and place first or second in their age division in their category to move forward to District Activity Day and come in a practice with the staff and volunteers to make sure they are ready for DAD.
  This year we had six competitors who made it to District Activity Day which was held at Lenoir Community College in Kinston.  They broke records every time we turned around.  First we had more outdoor cookery competitors then we have had in the history of our 4-H program.  Tachoma Hair and Jaylyn McNair both competed in Beef Cookery while Jordan McKinnon competed in Turkey char grill.  All three are members of the inspirational Youth Leaders 4-H Club in Rex North Carolina.  Jordan's sister Jada McKinnon was competing in the open division with a speech on Literacy.  Our other two competitors are both members of the Dirty Rascals 4-H Junior Master Gardener Club.  Maggie Underwood is competing in Careers and Entrepreneurship with a speech on How to be a Professional Video Gamer, and Alex Evans competed in Artistic Expression demonstrating how to decorate a cake.
  When everyone was done it was time for awards.  Our beef cookers both got second place in their respective age divisions, while Jordan who was competing in Turkey chargrill won gold.  Jada McKinnon took home gold for her speech on Making America Great Through Literacy.  Both Alex Evans and Maggie Underwood took home gold in their respective age categories and topics.  This means not only did our Robeson County delegation do well, all of them will be going on to compete at State Competition on July 29.
  If that was not enough, Jordan McKinnon took home a very special gift, a scholarship to Congress from a dedicated Southeast district volunteer, Gwindy Stewart.  The entire family was excited about the opportunity this will offer him.
  One other note before we close.  Each year staff members are chosen as People in Charge or PICs of rooms.  This means they arrange for judges, handle everything that goes on in the room and make sure everyone gets there and home safe and sound.  This year Christy Strickland and Mac Malloy from our Extension Staff were chosen as PICs.  To them, the judges that agreed to travel all the way to Kinston, and took a day to help determine the best of the best from our District to go to state, Thank You.  We appreciate your time, constructive criticism, and assistance making sure 4-H youth are always striving to be a little better.
Next step for our Robeson County 4-H members?  State.  Watch out here we come!