Sometimes Garden = Food

  Today the topic for our 4-H Junior Master Gardener's was one they all could take a bite out of...food.  We started our day working on a scavenger hunt at the Robeson County Farmer's Market located in downtown Lumberton.  We had a lot of fun talking with farmer's and learning about what it takes to grow the items they do and bring them to the market.  After a brief photo op we headed back to the Extension office to compare lists and learn more about that delicious topic of the day.
  After a brief snack we headed back to work and learned about food measurements.  Not cups or quarts, but bushels and pecks.  We also learned how to make a profit, and why prices at farmer's markets tend to be better than grocery store prices.  Then we made a plant web and talked about the different plant parts that are edible and the types of food they encompass.  After all of that it was time to concentrate on the seeds.  We created a garden in a glove planting seeds in a biodegradable substance (cotton) and placing it in the finger of a glove until it germinates.  We planted pumpkins, peppers, herbs and more.  All our seeds need are light and we should see some results in the next week or so.  After the hard work it was time for a game of what is in the bag.  It took lots of clues for some of the items, but we guessed all the fruits and vegetables that we were given.
  We took a break to enjoy Mrs. Wendy's famous grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch and then we came back to keep cooking up a storm.  This time we split into two groups.  One worked with Mrs. Janice in the kitchen to dehydrated Blueberries (we can't wait to see how this turns out).  The other group made peanut butter with Miss Shea Ann and Mr. Mack.  We figured out how to make creamy and crunchy and now we can make our own snack if we have the ingredients at home.  After that it was time to pull out our olfactory senses and we had a smell test of fruits and veggies, and for snack we created our own fruit salad.  Some of the campers even tried new fruits to them and found out they really liked them.
  When we made our way back to the auditorium we had the opportunity to learn about a new career and put it in practice.  We found out about judging produce and learned what makes the grade.  Then we had four apples to judge and we looked and examined each one.  Most of us got the order right putting the least bruised ones at the top and the most damaged fruit at the bottom.  It was awesome.
  If you think today was intense, wait until tomorrow when we travel around the world to see plants from afar and learn what it takes to keep them alive in a strange climate.