Feels Like Home

        My first month as an Extension intern has flown by. It feels like just yesterday I was preparing for bed and my first day. I have been blessed with the opportunity to intern in my hometown as well as being able to follow the footsteps of my old 4-H agent. So far it has been extremely rewarding to work with the different schools and such a diverse set of participants. As soon as I stepped into the front doors of the Franklin County Extension office, we hit the ground running and never looked back.

            Even though I spent the first day learning the ropes of Extension, it was really great to go behind the scenes and see how a project is constructed. I quickly learned the joys of seeing your plans being put to action when I had to plan my first cooking club. During the second week of my internship, I was in charge of the infamous Cooking Club that is held every Monday at 6:00pm here at the Extension office. Being on the opposite side of the program is really rewarding.

            I was able to handpick each recipe. All of the recipes that I chose were pulled from the SNAP curriculum. Once we were able to create a list of the things that were needed, it was time to shop. My advisor and I shopped at the local food markets for the ingredients that were needed to complete cooking day.

            For cooking club, I decided to bring a little diversity to the program by having a theme for Cinco de Mayo. For cooking club, there were 9 girls who were divided into groups of 3. Each group was able to make 3 different types of salsa (salsa verde, mango salsa, and mild salsa) and a taco salad. During this time, these girls gained a set of skills that may not be taught in the school. They learned what Cinco de Mayo was and why it is celebrated. After a brief informational, they were able to start preparing their salsas. Amongst the groups, the girls were responsible for dividing the task and making sure that everyone had the opportunity to be apart of each task.

            Once all three salsas were made, the girls were now able to compose their meals. Here each participant was asked to use his or her creative skills when arranging the plate. We talked about the importance of having a colorful plate, showing that all food groups are represented. 

            This project was a great experience and allowed the girls to step outside of their comfort zones. Some of the girls had never had one or more of the things that they made but after cooking together, they were able to see how easy it was to make a meal that was healthy and from another culture. They were so excited to have copies of the recipes and try them out at home for dinner or a small snack.  

            Although several programs have been put to action, this was surely one of my favorites. I really enjoyed being able to watch my plans impact the participant’s views on healthier foods. Coming up in my next blog post, I will be implementing what I’ve learned from this experience, using it to help create my special project.