Earning Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badges

Farm Kitchen

15. Apples

Beginner Level

• Look up the history of the apple and how it came to England and then to the American Colonies of Jamestown and Plymouth. (If you live outside of the U.S., then learn about how apples made it to your region of the world.)
• List four ways that apples have been used in everyday living for generations.
• Look up the varieties of apples that are grown in your region of the U.S. List three different varieties in each of the following categories: eating, cooking/canning, cider making. If apples don’t grow in your area (like Florida), use apples that you have access to from the store. The apples must, however, be grown in the U.S. for this project. (If you live outside the U.S., then use the apples from an area that you have access to.)
• Go apple picking if you live in an area where that’s available. If not, try out four apple varieties from the grocery store that are new to you.
• Share at least two new things you have learned with other farmgirls on the Farmgirl Connection Chatroom.

Intermediate Level

• Using MaryJane’s BakeOver technique and some of her Budget Mix, create an apple dessert dish and include a photo and the recipe of your finished BakeOver. If you don’t know about BakeOvers, click here, or search the Farmgirl Connection chatroom for "BakeOver" to learn about what others have successfully done. You can also find recipe how-tos in MaryJane’s Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook and in the Special Recipe Issue of MaryJanesFarm. (The book and magazine required for this badge are available on loan from MaryJanesFarm; contact library@maryjanesfarm.org.)
• Learn how to use and make apples in one of the following ways: drying apple slices, making fresh cider, or canning apple-pie filling. (MaryJane offers a delicious apple-pie filling recipe and detailed directions in her Ideabook.)
• Using apples in three separate dishes, create a dinner that features apples. For example, apples in a salad, pan-sautéed apple slices to accompany a meat dish, and an apple-based dessert. The possibilities are endless!

Expert Level

Choose at least one activity to complete and document:

• Organize an apple-themed gathering at your home. Invite friends and family for an old-fashioned apple festival. Include activities for all ages, such as apple picking (if you live near an u-pick orchard), apple cider making, apple bobbing, and a fun apple potluck meal together. Make a simple display of some apples and their uses for people to look at and learn from. Include a simple apple recipe as a party favor for people to take home.
• Plant a few apple trees in your yard if you live in an area where they grow. Learn what varieties will work best, when to plant your new trees, and how to care for them.

February, 2016 Edition