Posts Tagged: 4-H
‘Super Carbolicious’ 4-H Food Fiesta challenges young chefs
Inside a quiet classroom, Sadie, a 4-H member in Orange County, stands in front of two judges with an insulated cooler bag in hand. From it she pulls out plates, utensils and napkins and sets them down on the table. She unzips the bottom compartment and carefully reaches for a cast iron platter with golden fluffy pancakes piled on top.
“Would you like syrup with your pancakes? I highly recommend it,” said Sadie, an eighth grader who is participating in the annual 4-H Food Fiesta for a second time.
4-H, a youth development program supported by the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources and administered through local UC Cooperative Extension offices, promotes hands-on experiential learning for all youth.
Rita Jakel, 4-H program coordinator for Orange County, described the Food Fiesta event – intended for ages 5 to 18 – as an opportunity to practice and showcase public speaking skills through a fun, food-related competition.
Youth present their creations before a panel of evaluators, who ask them to describe how they prepared the dish and why, and how they managed challenges throughout the process. The interaction between youth and adult leaders provides a unique opportunity for youth to practice career readiness skills such as job interviews and public speaking.
This year's theme was “Super Carbolicious” and 4-H participants were encouraged to make their favorite dishes using ingredients like pasta, potatoes and bread. Carbohydrates are often perceived as unhealthy, which is not a helpful mindset to have when teaching youth about nutrition. Carbohydrates provide the body with glucose, which is converted into energy that people need to function throughout the day.
Some of the dishes that were presented during the Food Fiesta included chocolate chip banana bread, cheesy baked potatoes, cookies and Nutella-stuffed crepes. 4-H member Kaitlin had only ever attended the Food Fiesta to cheer on a friend. This year, she decided to participate and presented pumpkin macaroni and cheese as her entry.
“Pumpkin mac and cheese is better than the regular one because there's a lot more flavor and you have to use two cheeses: cheddar and parmesan,” explained Kaitlin, a seventh grader. When asked what motivated her to participate instead of a being a bystander this time around, Kaitlin said that she wanted to work on her presentation skills.
“Usually, I'm a bit shy and I don't like to share that much. The Food Fiesta helped me practice speaking up more so that I can accomplish my goals,” Kaitlin said.
Sadie, who loves public speaking, admits that it wasn't always a strength of hers. “There was a time when I hated public speaking. But when I joined 4-H's cake decorating, poultry and food fiesta events, I got more comfortable with public speaking,” she said. “Now, I like going to events and showing off. I get to show off turkeys, my cakes and, today, I presented homemade pancakes.”
Helping to keep the day's festivities running smoothly were two 4-H state ambassadors: Michaela and Laurelyn, two high school seniors. Both have been involved in 4-H for over nine years, with Laurelyn being a third-generation 4-H member. “My grandmother grew up in a 4-H club in Orange County. She still raises breeding lambs for 4-H members to this day,” said Laurelyn, whose mother was a 4-H member in San Joaquin County.
As state ambassadors, they are responsible for creating and presenting workshops during state, national and regional events. “We also engage the public via social media, specifically TikTok and Instagram (@4horangeco),” said Michaela, who is in her second year as an ambassador.
During the Food Fiesta, Michaela and Laurelyn made themselves available to answer questions from participants and their families. Both ambassadors agreed that seeing parents involved in 4-H should not come as a surprise. “Being in 4-H is a family effort. This isn't an extra-curricular where you just drop your kids off and leave,” said Michaela.
Laurelyn shared that the biggest misconception others have about 4-H is that they think it's about introducing youth to agriculture or livestock. There's a civic engagement and leadership component to it, too. “If parents knew about all the ways 4-H can benefit their kids, I think more people would want to join us,” she said. “And they're finding fun ways to help us learn life skills, like this Food Fiesta.”
The homemade dishes weren't the only thing to look forward to, however. In another building, Sandy Jacobs, volunteer event coordinator, and her team set up a kitchen quiz for members. On several tables, there were different cooking tools and participants were challenged to name as many tools as they could.
In another classroom, while some members were presenting food, others presented their themed table setting décor. Participants had to prepare a complete table setting entry including a menu card, centerpiece and table settings for two. Judges considered creativity, use of color, table setting etiquette, knowledge in talking to the judges, and appearance in their evaluation.
Finally, to wrap up the day, members competed in a cupcake decorating competition. Participants were responsible for bringing their own supplies including tools and edible decorations for Cupcake Wars. Depending on their age group, participants had 20 minutes to decorate two to four cupcakes, each of a different theme.
To learn more about 4-H in Orange County, visit https://oc4h.org/.
En muchos hogares de Los Ángeles se comen mas alimentos saludable gracias a Rachel Surls
Tras 35 años de carrera, la mayor parte de ellos impulsando la seguridad alimentaria a través de los huertos comunitarios y escolares, Rachel Surls, asesora de Extensión Cooperativa de UC, se jubila sabiendo que gracias a sus esfuerzos, muchas familias han podido suplementar su alimentación, aun en momentos difíciles, gracias a los alimentos que ellos mismos aprendieron a cultivar.
Durante su carrera, Surls, ha usado los huertos para cultivar comunidades más saludables, ya sea porque están cultivando alimentos nutritivos o porque los estudiantes están recibiendo lecciones sobre ciencias agrícolas.
Durante toda su carrera, Surls, asesora en sistemas alimentarios sustentables de Extensión Cooperativa de la Universidad de California en el condado de Los Ángeles, ha sido testigo de muchos cambios – como la promoción de eventos públicos a través de Instagram en lugar de escribir y mandar comunicados de prensa por correo electrónico. Una presencia “reconfortante y consistente” en su carrera ha sido la del Programa de Jardinero Maestro de UC, el cual es parte de la División de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales. Durante todos estos años, Surls se apoyó en este programa y en especial en sus voluntarios.
“Al echar un vistazo atrás, el Programa Jardinero Maestro de UC ha sido una constante en mi trabajo. Ayuda a mucha gente”, mencionó Surls, quien se inició en 1988 en UCCE como coordinadora de huertos escolares y comunitarios.
“Mi nuevo cargo con UCCE-LA fue el trabajo de mis sueños. Organicé huertos comunitarios en todo el condado y apoyé a maestros que deseaban iniciar huertos escolares”, recordó la oriunda de Michigan, quien planea jubilarse a finales de este año. “Tengo una licenciatura en agronomía y recién acababa de terminar un periodo con el Cuerpo de Paz de Estados Unidos en un área rural de Honduras. Mi trabajo allí me inspiró para seguir trabajando en el desarrollo comunitario relacionado con huertos”.
Louisa R. Cárdenas, fideicomisaria de Museos de Historia Natural del Condado de Los Ángeles fue voluntaria del Programa Jardinero Maestro de UC durante 25 años.
“Entre las muchas capacidades y valores de Rachel están su disposición para escuchar y considerar ideas por parte de Jardinero Maestro que eventualmente llegan y empoderan a los residentes del condado de Los Ángeles para cultivar alimentos que suplementan sus necesidades nutricionales”, manifestó Cárdenas.
Para complementar el naciente Programa Jardinero Maestro de UC en el condado de Los Ángeles, Surls organizó el grupo “Ángeles de los Huertos” conformado por voluntarios que trabajan con maestros y estudiantes para crear huertos escolares. Ella editó una guía para maestros, padres y voluntaries para construir huertos para los niños.
“Yo conocí a Rachel en 1992 y fui tan bendecida de ascender junto con ella”, expresó Rose Hayden-Smith, asesora emérita de UCCE en comunicación digital para sistemas alimentarios y extensión educativa. “Estamos en condados vecinos y tenemos muchos intereses programáticos similares, incluyendo los huertos escolares. Su investigación ha aportado mucha información y apoyado mi trabajo”.
Promoviendo la seguridad alimentaria y nutrición comunitaria
En 1994, después de obtener su maestría en Cal Poly Pomona en ciencias agrícolas con un enfoque en educación agrícola, Surls aceptó una posición recién creada: asesora en horticultura urbana en Extensión Cooperativa de UC.
Con el fin de retener el financiamiento por parte del condado de Los Ángeles en 1992, el personal de UCCE formó parte de la Comisión de Desarrollo Comunitario de la Autoridad de Vivienda del condado. Como asesora de horticultura urbana de UCCE, a Surls se le encomendó la creación de huertos en cinco complejos de vivienda pública. En uno de estos lugares, Carmelitos Housing Development en Long Beach, trabajó junto con colaboradores comunitarios para seleccionar árboles para las áreas verdes, contrató a un invernadero y diseñó un programa de capacitación laboral para residentes de vivienda pública. A este lugar se le conoce como la granja urbana Growing Experience.
“Me complace que 29 años después, Growing Experience sigue siendo una granja comunitaria activa donde los jardineros maestros ofrecen talleres para la comunidad”, dijo Surls.
En 1997, cuando George Rendell se jubiló como director de UCCE en el condado de Los Ángeles, Surls solicitó su puesto. Durante los siguientes 14 años, ella supervisó a más de 70 empleados y programas locales, incluyendo el Programa de Desarrollo Juvenil 4-H, mediante el cual se estableció un aprendizaje práctico para niños y jóvenes para después de escuela.
Surls, quien participó en el programa 4-H cuando era una niña, trabajó muy de cerca con los patrocinadores de 4-H. Ayudó a conseguir los subsidios, contratos y regalos para 4-H, así como para el Programa Jardinero Maestro y los programas de nutrición de UCCE que motivan a los angelinos a comer más frutas y verduras.
“Rachel fue increíblemente creativa e innovadora como lideresa”, manifestó Hayden-Smith, quien fungió como director de UCCE en el condado de Ventura. “Rachel practica un tipo de liderazgo silencioso que invita a las personas a participar en el proceso, honra al grupo e impulsa el trabajo de manera importante”.
Surls obtuvo un doctorado en administración de educación superior en la Universidad de Claremont Graduate University en el 2008 mientras seguía trabajando, con la intención de obtener otras posiciones de liderazgo. En su lugar, la crisis financiera global la inspiraron a regresar a trabajar directamente con los residentes del condado de Los Ángeles en huertos urbanos con el fin de reducir la inseguridad alimentaria.
Con el fin de enfocarse en la tarea de alcance, la asesora de sistemas alimentarios sustentables de UCCE le pasó su tarea como directora de UCCE a Keith Nathaniel, asesora de 4-H de UCCE, a finales de 2011.
Desarrollar y compartir recursos para granjas urbana y huertos
En el 2012, organizó a un grupo de colegas dentro de la División de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales de UC y colaboradores de la comunidad para estudiar las necesidades de los granjeros urbanos y empezar a ofrecerles talleres. Ella dirigió la creación de un sitio web sobre agricultura urbana, con recursos que abarcaran lo que es la administración de negocios, seguridad alimentaria, comercialización y normativas. Ella fue parte de la junta de liderazgo de Los Ángeles Food Policy Council (Consejo para Políticas Alimentarias de Los Ángeles) y comenzó a asesorar a las ciudades sobre políticas para facilitar el cultivo de alimentos por parte de los residentes.
“Estos han sido los años más favoritos y productivos de mi carrera”, dijo Surls.
Aprovechando los conocimientos que empezó a perfeccionar en la Universidad Virginia Tech como redactora de noticias del Virginia Extension Service, Surls co redactó un libro sobre la historia de la agricultura en el condado de Los Ángeles, titulado “From Cows to Concrete: The Rise and Fall of Farming in Los Ángeles” (De vacas a concreto: el auge y el declive de la agricultura en Los Ángeles). En ese momento se encuentra escribiendo un segundo libro sobre granjas urbanas en los Estados Unidos.
La iniciativa Grow LA Gardens la cual ayuda a los aspirantes a jardineros a iniciar sus propios huertos rápidamente – es un motivo de orgullo para Surls. Cientos de personas han tomado el curso de cuatro semanas y después de participar, casi un 70 por ciento ha plantado sus huertos.
En el 2018, Surls fue honrada con el premio Bradford-Rominger que otorga el Instituto para la Agricultura Sustentable de UC Davis por el trabajo desempeñado promoviendo los huertos comunitarios, escolares y la agricultura urbana.
Siendo ahora los huertos comunitarios y escolares lugares comunes, Surls ríe entre dientes al acordarse cuando sus colegas veteranos de UCCE le aconsejaban que eligiera un enfoque académico más “serio” a principios de su carrera.
“Es gratificantes ver tanta gente en academia trabajando en las grajas urbanas, huertos escolares y comunitarios”, destacó Surls.
Promoviendo la equidad
En el 2022, mientras que Surls se encontraba en periodo sabático, ella y Cárdenas – la voluntaria de Jardinero Maestro de UC – solicitaron y recibieron cien mil dólares de la Junta de Supervisores del condado de Los Ángeles para contratar un coordinador de igualdad, diversidad e inclusión y para gastos por difusión y alcance. Este Proyecto de Jardinero Maestro de UC promovido por la supervisora Sheila Kuehl, sirve específicamente a poblaciones desfavorecidas dentro del condado. “Un logro tan significativo no hubiera sido posible sin el estímulo y apoyo de Rachel”, señaló Cárdenas.
Después de jubilarse, Surls planea ofrecer su experiencia como voluntaria para la capacitación en línea de voluntarios del Programa Jardinero Maestro de UC a nivel estatal. Para apoyar los esfuerzos de su programa, incluyendo la difusión entre la comunidad de habla hispana y becas para las comunidades desfavorecidas, Surls ha prometido donar cinco mil dólares como un regalo para igualar los donativos que reciba el Programa Jardinero Maestro de UC en Los Angeles entre el 28 de noviembre y el 31 de diciembre en https://ucanr.edu/LAmastergardener.
RESUMEN
Rachel Surls, asesora de Extensión Cooperativa de UC, se jubila tras 35 años de servicio dejando un legado que ha permitido a muchas familias angelinas y escuelas contar con sus propios huertos y suplementar su alimentación con alimentos nutritivos.
Surls, quien llama a su cargo el “trabajo de mis sueños”, expresa que “organicé huertos comunitarios en todo el condado y apoyé a maestros que deseaban iniciar huertos escolares”. La experta planea jubilarse a finales de este año.
Adaptado al español por Leticia Irigoyen del artículo en inglés . Editado para su publicación por Diana Cervantes
4-H youths raise turkeys to save for college and learn about farming
While most Americans choose their Thanksgiving turkeys from the meat department at the local grocery store, Brylee Aubin and Yaxeli Saiz-Tapia can tell you the life histories of their holiday birds. The Sonoma County teenagers raise heritage turkeys together as part of a 4-H youth development project and sell them for Thanksgiving. For the last two years, Yaxeli's older brother Uli has joined the project and, between the three of them, they raised 47 turkeys this year.
The Heritage Turkey Project in Sonoma County has about 15 members of the UC Cooperative Extension's 4-H youth development program and the National FFA Organization growing more than 200 heritage turkeys this year, according to Catherine Thode, who has been leading the project for 15 years.
“Our project leaders are active breeders of heritage turkeys and some of our 4-H and FFA youth are now raising breeding pairs and hatching their own birds,” Thode said. “Each project member raises their small flock of birds on their own property and shoulders the responsibility of providing their feed and care.”
The Heritage Turkey Project promotes the preservation of heritage turkey breeds, sustainable farming and responsible animal husbandry. While raising the animals, the youths learn life skills and earn money for their work.
“The money I raise from raising and selling turkeys goes towards my college fund and to more 4-H projects like market goats or sheep,” said 15-year-old Brylee, who sells her turkeys for $9.50 per pound.
Three years ago, Brylee's neighbor, Yaxeli joined her in the heritage turkey project.
“I have learned how to care for animals, the importance of raising organic and the costs involved,” said Yaxeli, 14. “I have gained a firm understanding of how my birds are raised and processed versus corporate methods. Having the opportunity to participate in this project has strengthened my value for the importance of where my food comes from.”
Consumers benefit by getting turkeys that are farmed organically, fed high-quality grains, and never frozen, said Brylee.
“There are so many benefits to raising these beautiful birds,” said Uli Saiz-Tapia, 17. “First, you learn the cost of running a business, how to reinvest for the next year, the different stages of turkey growth and how to manage issues that arise such as the turkeys fighting, how they react to fluctuating temperatures, how to keep them safe and nourished properly. Learning about the process of getting our turkeys ready to be purchased has really benefitted my understanding of anatomy, the amount of work it takes in preparing them and the importance of not wasting food.”
The group sold out of turkeys in early November.
“Back in March, we really wondered if we should even do the project this year, not knowing what was going to happen with COVID restrictions and the impact on the economy,” Thode said. “We ended up with more project members than we've ever had, and over 200 turkeys to be sold for the Thanksgiving market.”
The 4-H members started the season with more turkeys, but lost some birds to predators. Wildfires seemed to drive more predators to the Sonoma County farms this year, she said.
“Things are fast and furious right now,” Thode said a week before Thanksgiving as the group prepared their turkeys for processing and distribution to people who placed orders. “I'm about to enter the busiest seven days of our year. It will take all weekend to have the birds processed, weighed, labeled. Then, we hunker down to sort and assign turkeys to our customer list.”
While selling turkeys, the group encourages customers to meet the farmers and to visit https://livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/conservation-priority-list#Turkeys to look up the history and breed characteristics of the turkey they are purchasing. In past years, some customers have taken photos of themselves with the person who raised their bird.
“We not only have a master list of customers and their desired sizes, but we create a spreadsheet for every project member with a list of the turkeys they've grown that year,” Thode said. “Each turkey is identified in the spring or early summer with a small metal wing band that lists the grower and an individual number for that turkey. When the turkey is sold, the buyer knows which project number grew their turkey, and the variety of turkey that they are purchasing. We think it's important that our customers know this. In fact, when they come to pick up their turkey, they write their check to the actual grower of their turkey.”
To learn more about the Heritage Turkey Project, visit https://heritageturkeyproject.webs.com.
UCCE advisor and Victory Garden historian Rose Hayden-Smith retires
UC Cooperative Extension advisor Rose Hayden-Smith has taught schoolchildren at 4-H summer camps about food, inspired Master Gardener volunteers to plant school gardens, led the UC Cooperative Extension office in Ventura County as its first female director, and encouraged fellow University of California scientists to collaborate more on sustainable food systems research as a statewide leader. In recent years, the historian wrote a book about Victory Gardens, created the UC Food Observer, and became a leader in using social media to expand the university's public outreach.
Hayden-Smith, who joined UC Agriculture and Natural Resources in 1992, is reinventing herself again after retiring Jan. 3, 2020. She has been selected to be a Fellow for the eXtension Foundation, to promote adoption of new technology by Cooperative Extension professionals nationwide. She also launched her own consulting business, Shine Communications.
“I've loved the multi-faceted aspect of my UC career, which has enabled me to serve my community and my colleagues in creative and meaningful ways,” Hayden-Smith said.
Lynnette Coverly was a 4-H volunteer when Hayden-Smith joined UCCE Ventura County.
“Rose struck me immediately as a passionate and organized leader who easily motivated everyone she came in contact with,” Coverly said. “She motivated me personally to get more involved as a 4-H volunteer leader.
“For my daughter, Rose continually spoke with her about how to practically apply her education and the skills she learned in 4-H to her collegiate life and later, in dental school.”
“At Loma Vista Elementary School, Rose developed an experiential demonstration garden for the fourth-grade classes,” said Curwood, who is currently director of School Nutrition Programs at the Virginia Department of Education. “Crops introduced by the Spanish and native California crops used by the Indians, grown on the grounds of the California Missions to feed the complex, were grown by students in the school garden to replicate this important part of California history and culture.”
Hayden-Smith worked with Loma Vista Elementary School teachers annually to integrate the school garden with their California history curriculum and persuaded the kitchen staff to add the garden-grown foods to the cafeteria salad bars so the students could taste them.
“Rose also provided professional development to the school nutrition program foodservice staff on the agriculture present in Ventura during WWI and II and the contribution of local Victory Gardens to the war effort. It really brought history to life and amplified their work and community connections from a historical perspective.”
During a sabbatical leave, Hayden-Smith worked with deaf and hard-of-hearing students in garden settings. She teamed with the City of Ventura to pilot-test a curriculum for middle-school age youth about sustainability through fun garden activities.
A career day at the county science fair, agriculture and natural resource journalism academies, and on-farm programs for court-mandated kids were some other learning opportunities offered by Hayden-Smith, who served as a county commissioner for juvenile justice.
“Most recently, I've been working in digital communications in Extension, which has been a wonderful fit for my skills and evolving interests,” Hayden-Smith said. “This work has also brought me back to my early career work in marketing and technology.”
An early adopter of technology, Hayden-Smith began blogging and using Twitter in 2008 as @VictoryGrower, a handle chosen to reflect her expertise in the war-time Victory Garden movement.
“It's a different ‘victory' now, but many of the goals are the same,” Hayden-Smith said. “Gardens connect people with food and food production. Food is fundamental. It's what everyone shares in common. As we are entering a more challenging era of increased population and pressure on resources, it is vital for people to understand how to cultivate food.”
Over the years, the practicing historian has delivered many presentations, commented for documentaries and podcasts and published articles about gardens. She published a book, “Sowing the Seeds of Victory: American Gardening Programs of World War 1” in 2014.
While serving as a Kellogg Food and Society Policy Fellow, beginning in 2008, Hayden-Smith developed a national media and education campaign to promote school, home and community garden efforts and public policies, publishing articles in the Huffington Post and Civil Eats. She served on the USDA People's Garden Advisory Group, visiting the White House garden groundbreaking and again in 2012, when she live-tweeted her experience.
People increasingly took notice of the academic's extraordinary communication skills.
As the social media maven's following grew, she began mentoring and encouraging UC Cooperative Extension colleagues who wanted to use social media for outreach and professional networking.
In 2011, Hayden-Smith, who had developed a reputation for being upbeat with a knack for cultivating cooperation, was tapped to lead UC ANR's strategic initiative in sustainable food systems. She was honored for her leadership, work ethic and integrity in 2013, when the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UC Davis presented her with the Eric Bradford and Charlie Rominger Agricultural Sustainability Leadership Award.
To support UC's Global Food Initiative, Hayden-Smith was asked to curate a selection of news, reports and thought pieces from a broad range of sources that represent diverse perspectives on food. The intent was not to focus on UC, but to facilitate discussions about food that were occurring across many communication platforms. She launched the UC Food Observer blog in 2015 and complemented it with social media.
“Over the course of my UC career, I've worked with the best people: curious, driven to improve communities and inspiring all around,” Hayden-Smith said. “I've been blessed to work for a world-class institution that has fostered my creativity and need for new challenges. My biggest takeaway? It all goes so fast, the possibilities for learning new things are endless, and work – and the people you work with – are a blessing.”
Prior to working for UC, Hayden-Smith worked in the technology sector as a product manager, and public relations and marketing manager for a number of companies, including Tymshare, Wavefront Technologies and McDonnell Douglas Information System Group. She earned her bachelor's degree in English, master's degrees in education and US. history, and a Ph.D. in U.S. history and public historical studies. She began her UC career in 1989 as a student affairs officer at UCSB advising re-entry students.
“Transitions are hard, and I'm filled with both sadness and excitement,” Hayden-Smith said.
Miembro del club 4-H gana concurso con su receta de chocoflan.
Celeste Harrison, de 13 años y miembro durante cuatro años del Club 4-H de Sherwood Forest, en Vallejo, comparte su experiencia sobre la preparación de chili y el cuidado de conejillos de indias, pero también es toda una profesional en la cocina y preparando el postre llamado “chocoflan.”
Es un postre que es parte pastel, parte flan.
La receta de este postre de chocolate es “de mi tía abuela Esther y lo servimos en todas las reuniones familiares”, señaló la adolescente.
Es un ganador en eso. Y justo a tiempo para el Día de San Valentín.
Celeste horneó el postre durante el , en el cual los participantes de 4-H comparten lo que han aprendido en sus proyectos, y su presentación y receta ganaron uno de los siete premios otorgados al talento para el espectáculo.
El año pasado también ganó un botón al talento para el espectáculo por el proyecto, “Los rizos solo quieren divertirse: cómo cuidar de tu conejillo de Indias de pelo rizado”.
Celeste, quien cursa el séptimo año, participa de manera activa en el club 4-H. Funge como tesorera en su club 4-H y el año pasado fue la oficial de Ciencias, Ingeniería y Tecnología (SET, por sus siglas en ingles) en el Programa 4-H del condado de Solano. Este año, la adolescente se ha inscrito en cinco proyectos: conejillos de Indias, aves de corral, perros, registro de récords y conejos.
Siempre dispuesta a aprender, Celeste decidió “tomar perros, conejos y aves de corral para aprender sobre la organización de espectáculos”, dijo, destacando que el año pasado compitió en el Gran Espectáculo de Animales Pequeños Round Robin en dos ferias condales, pero no contaba con la experiencia necesaria para mostrar otros animales que no fueran los conejillos de indias. Así que, este año se ha puesto como objetivo aprender más sobre estos animales. Su meta: sacar el primer lugar en el Round Robin.
Celeste conoce también de cocina y fue parte, durante los pasados dos años, del equipo de chili cook-off del Club Sherwood Forest, durante el Día del Proyecto de Destrezas del Club 4-H del condado de Solano.
Este año, sin embargo, dio el cambio de chili a chocoflan. ¡A los evaluadores les encantó! Lo mismo pasó con los otros participantes de 4-H y sus familias que lo probaron.
He aquí la receta:
Receta del chocoflan
Se necesitan un molde para rosca, una bandeja honda para rostizar, una licuadora, un tazón grande y una batidora de mano.
Ingredientes para el flan:
Una lata de 14 onzas de leche condensada
Una lata de 7.6-onzas de media crema (light cream)
2 cucharadas de extracto de vainilla
8 onzas de queso crema
5 huevos
Ingredientes para el pastel de chocolate:
2 tazas de azúcar blanca
1-3/4 tazas de harina de trigo regular
3/4 taza de cocoa en polvo sin endulzar
1-1/2 cucharaditas de polvo para hornear
1-1/2 cucharaditas de bicarbonato de sodio
1 cucharadita de sal
2 huevos
1 taza de leche
1/2 taza de aceite vegetal
3/4 taza de crema agria
2 cucharaditas de extracto de vainilla
1/2 taza de agua caliente
Preparación:
Coloque una rejilla en la mitad del horno y caliéntelo a 350 grados. Rocíe el molde para roscas con aceite en aerosol para cocinar.
Cierna la harina, sal, polvo para hornear y bicarbonato de sodio en un tazón grande. En otro tazón, mezcle los huevos, leche, aceite vegetal, vainilla y cocoa y bata con un batidor de mano durante dos minutos. Agregue la mezcla húmeda en incrementos de una taza en la mezcla de la harina hasta revolver muy bien. Vierta el polvo de cocoa en agua caliente hasta que se derrita y luego agrégueselo a la mezcla del pastel y ponga a un lado.
En una licuadora ponga los ingredientes del flan y licúe a velocidad alta hasta que obtenga una mezcla suave. Vierta la masa para el pastel en el molde (asegúrese que la superficie está pareja). Vierta la mezcla del flan sobre la del pastel, pero no la mezcle (se asentará al fondo del molde mientras se hornea).
Coloque el chocoflan en la bandeja honda para rostizar y llénelo con agua tibia hasta dos pulgadas. Rocíe un pedazo de papel de aluminio con aceite para cocinar y colóquelo sobre el molde para rosca (pero no lo doble sobre molde). Hornee durante una hora y 45 minutos. Retire el pastel y déjelo enfriar antes de invertirlo sobre un platón. Disfrute.
Programa 4-H del condado de Solano
El Programa de Desarrollo Juvenil 4-H del condado de Solano, el cual es parte del Programa de Extensión Cooperativa de UC, es fiel a su lema Haciendo de lo Bueno, lo Mejor (“Making the Best Better”. El programa 4-H, cuyas H en inglés significan head (cabeza), heart (corazón), health (salud) y hands (manos), está abierto a niños y jóvenes de entre cinco a 19 años. Mediante proyectos apropiados a su edad, los participantes aprenden destrezas en proyectos de aprendizaje práctico, que van desde artes y manualidades, a computadoras, liderazgo, cuidado de perros, aves de corral, conejos y carpintería. Los jóvenes desarrollan destrezas que de otra manera no aprenderían en su casa en escuelas públicas o privadas. Para más información sobre el Programa 4-H del condado de Solano, contacte a la representante del programa 4-H, Valerie Williams en vawilliams@ucanr.edu.