Farm to Fork
On Tuesday I was able to assist Woodbury County’s Americorps Intern Emily with the Farm to Fork Camp. During this camp, the campers were able to learn about where the food they eat comes from. They learned about the five food groups from MyPlate which are: protein, dairy, grains, fruits, and vegetables. We talked about how exactly the food that they consume every day comes from farms all over the United States. Some of the campers were surprised by this statement, which to me was shocking, but watching them learn something new brought a smile to my face. They also learned how to use a knife safely in the kitchen and all about different utensils that are used when cooking. Once Emily and I were done teaching, we were able to go to Woodbury County’s teaching kitchen to help them make their own mini pizzas before the camp concluded. The mini pizza’s ingredients consisted of pepperoni, cheese, bell peppers, tomato sauce, and we used biscuits for the dough. All of the kids were really excited to get to take what they learned in the classroom and take that into the kitchen to make their own pizzas. They each got to choose what they wanted to put on their pizzas and once they were done baking all of the campers got to enjoy their mini pizzas. Each camper expressed their excitement about how good their pizza tasted!
- Photo 1: Farm to Fork camper adding ingredients to her mini pizza
- Photo 2: Placing all the very unique mini pizzas into the oven
- Photo 3: Campers watching as the tomato sauce is added
Sioux City Farmers Market: PoP Club
Wednesday brought me to the Sioux City Farmers Market where I was able to teach kids about the PoP Club. PoP stands for Power of Produce and through the PoP Club, we are able to teach kids ages 4-12 about fresh produce. At this PoP Club, I planned a lesson to teach kids about gardening, with the help of Shawn Tabke, Woodbury County’s Horticulture Coordinator. Each of the kids who chose to participate got the opportunity to make and take egg carton seeds. They each had the opportunity to spin the wheel to decide what seed they would get to plant. The wheel was a hit, because who doesn’t like to spin a wheel? After our time at the Sioux City Farmers Market concluded we totaled our numbers and we had a little over 40 kids participate and join PoP Club! Seeing that big of a number was very exciting! Next week I will be bringing the PoP Club to two different farmer’s markets in Moville and Akron! Stay tuned for next week’s posts about PoP Club!
- Photo 1: All set up and ready to go for PoP Club!
- Photo 2: PoP member getting the opportunity to spin the wheel to decide which seed she would get to plant in her egg carton
- Photo 3: Shawn teaching a PoP member about planting seeds
Recap of the Remainder of the Week
The rest of my time during the week was spent helping with getting everything ready for the fairs. Fair season is in full swing in all three counties! The Monona County Fair is up first and is quickly approaching. Yesterday I was in Onawa, which is where the Monona County office is. I spent most of my day cross-checking paperwork to make sure each exhibitor had everything that they needed to be completed on FairEntry. In two weeks I will be at the Monona County Fair getting to help where I am needed, but I will mainly be at all of the livestock shows.
On Monday evening I was able to travel to Lemars for the Plymouth County Extension Council meeting. I had the opportunity to sit in on their meeting and get to tell their council members exactly what I have been doing so far over the summer! Plymouth County Fair is a little over a week after Monona’s fair. I am excited to get to help at the livestock shows in Plymouth County as well. The Woodbury County Fair is the last of the three counties, which will be where I am spending the last week of my internship. This week I had the opportunity to design the trophies for the Woodbury County Fair, which will be given to each of the respected winners at all of the livestock shows.
- Introducing myself to the Plymouth County Extension Council
In the weeks to come, I know that I will be very busy helping with everything that all of the fairs entail, PoP Club, a few summer camps, and finishing up my internship. I am excited for what is coming ahead but this internship has gone by so quickly!
Autumn, Region 6