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LinkedInPosts Tagged: 4-H
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.
4-H member is a winner from curly haired cavies to chocoflan
Thirteen-year-old Celeste Harrison, a fourth-year member of the Sherwood Forest 4-H Club, Vallejo, shares her expertise about chili and cavies (guinea pigs), but she's also a pro in the kitchen and at making a dessert called “Chocoflan.”
It's part cake, part flan.
The chocolate dessert recipe originates “from my Great-Aunt Esther and it's what we serve at all our family gatherings,” she said.
It's a winning one, at that. And just in time for Valentine's Day.
Celeste baked the dessert for the recent Solano County 4-H Project Skills Day — where 4-H'ers share what they're learned in their projects — and her presentation and recipe earned a showmanship award, one of seven awarded.
Last year she won a showmanship pin for her project, “Curls Just Want to Have Fun: How to Care for Your Curly Haired Guinea Pig.”
Celeste, a seventh-grader is active in 4-H. She serves as the treasurer of her 4-H club and last year served as a Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) officer in the Solano County 4-H Program. This year she's enrolled in five projects: cavies, poultry, dogs, record keeping and rabbits.
Always eager to learn, Celeste decided to “take dogs, rabbits and poultry so I can learn showmanship,” she said, noting that she competed in the Round Robin Small Animal Showmanship at two county fairs last year but was inexperienced at showing animals other than cavies. So this year's she's set her sights on learning more about them. Her goal: to place first in Round Robin.
No stranger to the kitchen, Celeste served as a member of the Sherwood Forest 4-H Club's Chili Cook-Off team for the last two years in the Solano County 4-H Project Skills Day.
This year, however, she turned from chili to chocoflan. The evaluators loved it! So did the 4-H'ers and their families who sampled it.
Here's the recipe:
Chocoflan Recipe
A bundt pan, deep roasting pan, blender, large bowl and a hand mixer are needed for this recipe.
Ingredients for flan:
A 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
A 7.6-ounce can of Media Crema (light cream)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 ounces of cream cheese
5 eggs
Ingredients for chocolate cake:
2 cups white sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup hot water
Directions:
Put an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Coat a bundt pan with cooking oil spray.
Sift flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla and cocoa mixture and beat with a hand mixer for two minutes. Add the wet mixture in increments of one cup into flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir cocoa powder into hot water until melted and then stir into cake mix and set aside.
In a blender, add in all flan ingredients and blend on high until smooth. Pour cake batter into a bundt pan (make sure surface is level). Pour flan mixture into the cake batter but do not mix (it will sink to the bottom of the bundt pan while in the oven).
Put chocoflan into a large roasting pan and fill the pan with about 2 inches of warm water. Spray a piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray and set it on top of the bundt pan (but do not fold it over the bundt pan.) Bake for one hour and 45 minutes. Remove cake from oven and let cool before inverting it onto a serving platter. Enjoy.
Solano County 4-H Program
The Solano County 4-H Youth Development Program, part of the UC Cooperative Extension Program, follows the motto, “Making the Best Better.” 4-H, which stands for head, heart, health and hands, is open to youths ages 5 to 19. In age-appropriate projects, they learn skills through hands-on learning in projects ranging from arts and crafts, computers and leadership to dog care, poultry, rabbits and woodworking. They develop skills they would otherwise not attain at home or in public or private schools. For more information about Solano County 4-H, contact 4-H program representative Valerie Williams at vawilliams@ucanr.edu.
Competencia de cocina 4-H: pregonando el verde y blanco
¿Qué cosa es algo verde y blanco que además gana el concurso de cocina de chili de 4-H?
Chili, 4-H chili.
Y justo a tiempo para el Súper Tazón del domingo 4 de febrero, en el que los Patriotas de Nueva Inglaterra se enfrentan a las Águilas de Filadelfia en Minneapolis.
Un equipo de hermanos del Club 4-H de Dixon Ridge ganó el concurso de chili 4-H 2018, del condado de Solano, con una receta titulada “Chili verde y blanco 4-H", preparada con paleta de puerco y salchichas de puerco y cuatro diferentes variedades de chilis. La competencia en la que participaron cinco equipos se llevó a cabo en la secundaria Pena Adobe, de Vacaville, durante el Día de las Habilidades de 4-H en el condado de Solano.
Los miembros del equipo campeón de chili de Dixon - Maritzia Partida Cisneros, Miguel Partida Cisneros, Moncerrat “Monce” Torres Cisneros y Rudolfo “Rudy” Radillo Cisneros – usaron cuatro diferentes chilis verdes: pasilla, Anaheim, serrano y morrón, para darle sabor y picor al chili blanco (puerco).
Los hermanos compitieron el año pasado como los Mean Green Machines, portando su uniforme y sombrero oficiales en blanco y verde de 4-H. Este año, ellos eligieron la misma receta pero ajustaron su nivel de picante. También lucieron un atuendo diferente de 4-H junto con los sombreros de chef blancos, inscritos con sus nombres.
El equipo de Dixon Ridge compitió contra el equipo Delta del Club 4-H de Rio Vista, el cual preparó un “Chilicioso”; el equipo Hillbilly Chili del Club 4-H Tremont de Dixon; el equipo Lil' Peppers del Club 4-H de Pleasants Valley; el equipo Chicken Enchilada Chili (el cual ganó la competencia del año pasado) y el equipo Minecraft del Club 4-H de Sherwood Forest, Vallejo, el cual preparó el Ruby Redstone Chili.
Todos ellos respondieron a las preguntas de los evaluadores y les sirvieron muestras de su chili. John Vásquez Jr., miembro de la Junta de Supervisores del condado de Solano, fungió como juez del concurso de chili junto con los agentes de la policía de Vacaville, Jeremy Johnson, Shawn Windham y Steve Moore. Windham también es presidente de la Junta de Fideicomisarios del Distrito Escolar Unificado de Vacaville.
Todos los evaluadores describieron los platillos de chili como deliciosos, señaló la coordinadora Kelli Mummert, líder comunitaria del Club 4-H de Pleasants Valley en Vacaville.
"La competencia de chili es una gran oportunidad para que los jóvenes practiquen, mejoren su confianza y le pongan chispa a su creatividad", dijo Valerie Williams, representante del Programa 4-H en el condado de Solano". Los miembros del equipo de chili adquieren destrezas en la preparación de alimentos, aprenden sobre seguridad en la cocina y alimentos y usan conceptos de matemáticas y ciencias, a la vez que elaboran recetas de chili".
Cada uno de los miembros del equipo ganador recibió un certificado de regalo por 15 dólares de la heladería Cold Stone.
“Me gustaría decir que me sentí extremadamente impresionado con todos los equipos y sus participaciones en esta competencia”, indicó Windham. “No obstante que hubo un claro ganador del concurso, cada uno de los equipos preparó un muy buen chili y todos mostraron que tienen una gran habilidad para trabajar juntos como equipo de manera colaborativa y que poseen destrezas culinarias sólidas”.
“Pienso que todos los equipos mostraron madurez y tuvieron una excelente presentación de su chili”, manifestó Windham. “Todos estaban muy entusiasmados sobre sus creaciones. Encontré que todos los chilis estaban muy sabrosos y creo que todos los equipos realizaron un excelente trabajo representando a 4-H. También me sentí muy complacido de poder organizar el evento en una de la escuelas de nuestro Distrito Escolar Unificado de Vacaville”.
Windham agregó que “seré honesto en que no estaba seguro qué esperar porque no había participado en el concurso de chili anteriormente. Sin embargo, resulté agradablemente sorprendido y realmente disfruté las creaciones de cada equipo y la posibilidad de hablar con los chicos sobre cómo surgieron las recetas para el chili. ¡Es muy divertido y espero que me vuelvan a invitar el año próximo!”
Por su parte, Vásquez indicó que "creo que el chili ganador de este año cuenta con todas las cualidades que un chili ganador debe tener: sabor, aroma, textura, color y presentación. Disfrute del hecho de contar con tres agentes del Departamento de Policía de Vacaville como jueces este año. Sus habilidades de poder recordar en gran detalle hicieron el trabajo como jueces más fácil cuando consultábamos nuestras notas una y otra vez sobre cada uno de los participantes. Tuve el honor de participar como juez y presentador de los premios tanto para el Día de Habilidades y Proyectos y la Noche de Logros de 4-H para jóvenes de 16 años. A través de los años, Shelli (su esposa) y yo hemos visto a jóvenes de 4-H crecer y convertirse en adultos impresionantes y eso ha sido muy gratificante para nosotros”.
Moore dijo que los miembros de todos los equipos fueron "educados, profesionales y conocedores para su grupo de edad. Aun cuando el consenso fue de un ganador, siento que cada grupo presentó un buen producto. Para mí, era la primera vez que asistía a un evento auspiciado por el programa 4-H y quedé muy impresionado". Moore está interesado en que sus dos hijos participen en el programa 4-H.
Los otros participantes del concurso de chili fueron:
- Equipo Hillbilly Chili del Club 4-H de Tremont: Alaina Austin, Isabel Martínez, Trinity Road y Sara Yates
- Equipo Lil' Peppers, de Pleasants Valley: Jessie Means, Maya Farris, Naomi Lipary y Maliyah Desmarais
- Equipo Minecraft, de Sherwood Forest: Darren Stephens, Celeste Harrison, Julietta Wnholds y Hanna Stephens
- Equipo Delta de Río Vista: Olivia Stone, Anuheua Rivas, Maddie Baughman y Sofía Gutiérrez
He aquí la receta ganadora, Pregonando el verde y blanco:
Equipo Green and White Chili de 4-H
Programa 4-H de Dixon Ridge
2 libras de paleta de puerco cortada en pedazos de ½ pulgada
2 libras de salchicha de puerco molida
Aceite de oliva (el necesario para dorar la carne)
Dos latas de 28 onzas de salsa verde para enchiladas
2 cebollas, cortadas en pedazos grandes
2 de cada uno de los siguientes chiles picados en cubos: pasilla, Anaheim, serrano y morrón
2 dientes de ajo, picaditos
2 tomatillos, en cubitos
1 un manojo de cilantro, picadito
Agua, aproximadamente una taza
Fécula de maíz para espesar, si se necesita
Especies para sazonar al gusto: consomé de pollo, pimienta negra, sal de ajo y comino
Preparación: dore la carne de puerco en el aceite de oliva en una olla grande. Agregue la salchicha molida y continúe cocinando a fuego alto hasta que la carne se dore (alrededor de 30 minutos). Agregue el agua y las especies. Cocine durante otros 30 minutos. Agregue la salsa verde para enchiladas. Baje el fuego y hierva a fuego lento durante 30 minutos. Mientras que la mezcla hierve, corte las cebollas en pedazos grandes, pique el ajo, corte los chiles, tomatillos y cilantro. Agréguelos a la olla y continúe cocinando hasta que el puerco esté blandito (alrededor de 30 a 45 minutos). Revise el sabor y ajuste las especies al gusto. De ser necesario, puede espesar la mezcla con fécula de maíz.
Los clubes 4-H de Dixon Ridge, Tremont, Pleasants Valley, Rio Vista y Sherwood Forest se encuentran entre los 12 clubes que existen en el condado de Solano. Los otros son Maine Prairie 4-H y Roving Clovers 4-H, ambos de Dixon; Elmira 4-H y Vaca Valley 4-H, del área de Vacaville; Westwind 4-H y Suisun Valley 4-H, de Fairfield-Suisun y Travis Air Force Base 4-H Club, de Travis.
El Programa de Desarrollo Juvenil 4-H del condado de Solano es parte del programa de Extensión Cooperativa de UC. Las cuatro H representan en inglés head (cabeza), heart (corazón), health (salud) y hands (manos) bajo el lema “Hacer lo mejor, aún mejor”. El programa 4-H está abierto a todos los niños y jóvenes de 5 a 19 años. Bajo los proyectos apropiados para cada edad, ellos aprenden destrezas a través de proyectos prácticos que van desde artes y manualidades, a computadoras, liderazgo para el cuidado de perros, conejos y carpintería. Los participantes desarrollan destrezas que no obtendrían en su hogar o en escuelas públicas o privadas. Para más información, contacte a la representante del Programa 4-H del condado de Solano Valerie Williams, escriba a vawilliams@ucanr.edu o en el enlace http://solano4h.ucanr.edu/Get_Involved/.
4-H chili cookoff: Heralding green and white
What's green and white and wins a county 4-H chili cookoff?
Chili, 4-H chili.
And it's just in time for Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 4 when the New England Patriots square off in Minneapolis, Minn., with the Philadelphia Eagles.
A sibling team from the Dixon Ridge 4-H Club won the 2018 Solano County 4-H Chili Cookoff with a recipe titled “4-H Green and White Chili," featuring pork shoulder and pork sausage and four different varieties of peppers. The five-team competition took place at the Pena Adobe Middle School, Vacaville, during the Solano County 4-H Project Skills Day.
The members of the Dixon championship chili team - Maritzia Partida Cisneros, Miguel Partida Cisneros, Moncerrat “Monce” Torres Cisneros and Rudolfo “Rudy” Radillo Cisneros - used four different green peppers: pasilla, Anaheim, serrano and green bell pepper to flavor and spice the white (pork) chili.
The siblings competed last year as the “Mean Green Machines,” wearing their official green and white 4-H uniforms and hats. This year they chose the same recipe but adjusted its heat. They also donned different 4-H attire along with white chef hats, inscribed with their names.
The Dixon Ridge team competed against Team Delta of the Rio Vista 4-H Club, which prepared “Chili-licious”; Hillbilly Chili Team from Tremont 4-H Club, Dixon, “Hillbilly Chili”; Lil' Peppers Team from the Pleasants Valley 4-H Club, “Chicken Enchilada Chili” (the team won last year's competition); and Team Minecraft of the Sherwood Forest 4-H Club, Vallejo, which prepared “Ruby Redstone Chili.”
They answered questions from the evaluators and served them samples. John Vasquez Jr. of Vacaville, member of the Solano County Board of Supervisors, judged the chili contest with Vacaville police officers Jeremy Johnson, Shawn Windham and Steve Moore. Windham is also the president of the Vacaville Unified School District Board of Trustees.
The evaluators all described the chili dishes as delicious, said coordinator Kelli Mummert, a community leader in the Pleasants Valley 4-H Club, Vacaville.
"The Chili Cook Off is a great hands-on opportunity for youth to build confidence and spark their creativity," said Valerie Williams, Solano County 4-H Program representative. " Chili team members build food preparation skills, learn food and kitchen safety, and use math and science concepts, as they develop their chili recipes."
Each member of the winning team received a $15 Cold Stone Creamery gift certificate.
“I would have to say that I was extremely impressed with all of the teams and their entries in the contest,” said Windham. “While there was one clear winner of the contest, every one of the teams made a very good chili and showed that they have a strong ability to work together as a team collaboratively and that they have very strong cooking skills.”
“I think all of the teams showed maturity and had a great presentation for their chili,” Windham said. “They were each very enthusiastic about their creation. I found all of the chilis to be very good and I thought the teams did an excellent job of representing 4-H. I was also very pleased we were able to host the event at one of our Vacaville Unified School District schools.”
Windham added: “I will be honest in that I wasn't sure what to expect because I haven't been involved with the chili contest before. However, I was very pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed each of the teams' creations and the ability to talk with the kids about how they came up with the recipes for their chili. It is a lot of fun and I hope to get an invite again next year!”
Said Vasquez: "I believe this year's winning chili had all the qualities that a winning chili should have: flavor, aroma, texture, color and presentation. I enjoyed having three police officers from the Vacaville PD this year as judges. Their skills in remembering in great detail made the job of judging much easier, as we refer back to our notes on each one of the entries. I've had the honor of attending as a judge and as a presenter of awards on both Project Skills Day and the 4-H Achievement Night for 16 years. Over the years, Shelli (his wife) and I have watched young 4-H'ers grow to become young, impressive adults and that has been rewarding to us.”
Moore said all the team members were "polite, professional and knowledgeable for their age group. While the consensus was one winner, I feel that each team presented a good product. For me, it was my first time attending a 4-H-sponsored event and I was very impressed." He is interested in involving his two sons in 4-H.
The other participants of the cookoff:
- Hillbilly Chili Team, Tremont 4-H Club: Alaina Austin, Isabel Martinez, Trinity Road and Sara Yates
- Lil' Peppers Team, Pleasants Valley: Jessie Means, Maya Farris, Naomi Lipary and Maliyah Desmarais
- Team Minecraft Team, Sherwood Forest: Darren Stephens, Celeste Harrison, Julietta Wnholds and Hanna Stephens
- Team Delta, Rio Vista: Olivia Stone, Anuheua Rivas, Maddie Baughman and Sofia Gutierrez
Here's the winning recipe, heralding the green and the white:
4-H Green and White Chili
Dixon Ridge 4-H Club
2 pounds pork shoulder cut in ½-inch chunks
2 pounds ground pork sausage
Olive oil (as needed to brown meat)
Two 28-ounce cans green enchilada sauce
2 onions, coarsely chopped
2 of each pepper diced: pasilla, Anaheim, serrano and green bell pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tomatillos, diced
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
Water, approximately 1 cup
Cornstarch for thickening if needed
Seasonings to taste: chicken bouillon, black pepper, garlic salt and cumin
Directions: In a large stock pot, brown pork in the olive oil. Add the ground sausage and continue cooking over high heat until meat is browned (about 30 minutes). Add the water and seasonings. Cook an additional 30 minutes. Add green enchilada sauce. Turn heat down and simmer for 30 minutes. While mixture is simmering, coarsely chop the onions, mince the garlic, dice the peppers and tomatillos and chop the cilantro. Add these to the pot and continue cooking until the pork is tender (about 30 to 45 minutes). Check flavor and adjust seasonings to taste. If needed, thicken with the cornstarch.
The Dixon Ridge, Tremont, Pleasants Valley, Rio Vista and Sherwood Forest 4-H Clubs are among the 12 clubs in Solano County. The others are Maine Prairie 4-H, Roving Clovers 4-H, both of Dixon; Elmira 4-H, Vaca Valley 4-H, both of the Vacaville area; Westwind 4-H and Suisun Valley 4-H, both of Fairfield-Suisun; and Travis Air Force Base 4-H Club from Travis.
The Solano County 4-H Youth Development Program is part of the UC Cooperative Extension Program. The four H's stands for head, heart, health and hands, with the motto “Make the Best Better.” 4-H is open to all youths ages 5 to 19. In age-appropriate projects, they learn skills through hands-on learning in projects ranging from arts and crafts, computers and leadership to dog care, poultry, rabbits and woodworking. They develop skills they would otherwise not attain at home or in public or private schools. For more information, contact Solano County 4-H Program representative Valerie Williams at vawilliams@ucanr.edu or link to http://solano4h.ucanr.edu/Get_Involved/.
