Country Ham Project Group (grades 6-12)

Due to modern technology many skills that our ancestors used to survive are being lost. The Country Ham Project Group is designed to teach young people the old-fashioned way ham was cured by our ancestors, without artificial preservatives. Mr. Bob Woods of G&W Hamery in Murfreesboro teaches the skills needed to cure a country ham and the business and background of the Hamery. This process takes several months and over the time spent at the hamery the 4-H members learn other skills besides just how to cure a ham. After the hams are cured Mr. Bob enters the 4-H members’ hams in competition where they can win ribbons and prize money. The hams are ready to be taken home by early November and enjoyed by your family. Our first meeting will be Monday, November 8th at 5:30 pm at G&W Hamery, 411 W. Lytle St., Murfreesboro. Cost is $35.00, and there is a limit of ten participants. For more information contact Barbara Davenport at 898-7710 or bdavenp4@utk.edu.

4-H Pottery Group

Rutherford County has a new afterschool group, it’s the 4-H Pottery Group! This group will learn the art of pottery making by hand in a fun setting. The participants meet at a local pottery studio then make 3 to 4 projects that they get to create, glaze, and then take home in a month's time frame. This group will meet once a week for a month from 5pm to 7pm. All sessions are taught by the studio owner. Your creative side will shine! Space is limited and there is a class fee of $60.
*Dates for the sessions are: October 12, October 19, October 26, and November 2.*

Contact our Extension Office or Ms. Raquel at 615-898-7710.

Join a 4-H Judging Team NOW!!!

Would you like to be a member of the 4-H Poultry Judging Team? You don't have to know a thing about chickens! It is time to begin our practices. This year, we are excited to have two adult volunteers that will be serving as assistant coaches for our team. They are Dawn Reshonsky and Suzanne Caum. Thanks goes out to them for donating their time to working with our team!

Here is the practice schedule for this year:

September 7- introduction/refresher of poultry judging (meeting room B)
September 9- How to judge live birds (livestock barn)
September 13- Meat parts identification and carcass evaluation (meeting room A)
September 16- All about eggs (meeting room A)
September 20- Review Day (Livestock Barn)
September 21- Mock Judging Competition (livestock Barn)
September 23- Poultry Judging Contest (Lebanon, TN)

Please let me know if you would like to be a member of the team this year. Feel free to invite anyone you know to join us; they do not have to know a thing about chickens!

Contact Mr. Michael at 615.898.7710

Video Camp Underway

Rutherford County 4-H members are attending a video camp at the local Extension Office. Throughout the week, campers will be completing educational videos to enter in a national 4-H film contest! Check back throughout the week to check on our progress.

Still space available for Junior 4-H Camp

As you think about what you are going to do this summer, you should add "Attend Rutherford County 4-H Camp" to your list.

We will be camping June 14-18, 2010. The 4-H Camping Center that we attend is the Clyde M York center in Crossville, TN. Check out their web site for all the fun activities that you can do at camp.

The picture to the left is of 4-H Agent Michael Shirley and one of Rutherford County's 4-H members showing off two largemouth bass that they caught at the same time at the 4-H lake!

Call the Rutherford County Extension Office at 615-898-7710 for more information.

Sign up for Rutherford County's 4-H Gardening Group

Call 615-898-7710 for more information about the 4-H Gardening Group

New Zip-line Installed at 4-H Camp York

Below is a video of several 4-H agents testing out the new zip-line that was installed at the 4-H camp in Crossville, TN. Rutherford County will be attending 4-H camp June 14-18, 2010. Call the office for more details. 615-898-7710

Rutherford County 4-H Horse Member Wins National Award

Rutherford County 4-H Horse Club member Shelby Finch was recently awarded the 2009 High Point Award in equitation (ages 11 and under) by the National Walking Horse Owners Association. Shelby is a 5th grader at Saint Rose of Lima Catholic School in Murfreesboro and has been active in the 4-H horse club for two years. We are very proud of her accomplishment.

Rebecca Henry
Extension Agent
Rutherford County

The Rutherford County 4-h Horse project would like to thank Ms. Anne Brzezicki and The M.T.S.U. Equestrian team for their continued support and generosity. Our January meeting was held at the Horse Science Center, where they held the annual barn scavenger hunt. They gave away prizes for the winners with the most points in each division. Once again we would like to say thanks to The M.T.S.U. Equestrian team and any other volunteers involved in the Rutherford County 4-H.

Rutherford County 4-H Horse Project
Faith Duke
-Horse project Reporter

National 4-H Cornbread Cook-Off

ATTENTION ALL 4th GRADERS:

Tennessee 4th grade 4-H club members are invited to celebrate cooking and cornbread by entering a recipe in the National 4-H Cornbread Cook-off Contest. Recipes should be creative and easy to prepare and must contain at least one cup of Martha White Corn Meal or one package of Martha White Corn Meal Mix and be cooked in Lodge Cast Iron Cookware.
Novice cooks should submit their entries by March 2, 2010 to Vicki Lofty, Marion County UT Extension, 302 Betsy Pack Drive, Jasper, TN 37347.

Recipes will be reviewed and 10 lucky 4-H’ers will be invited to participate in the youth cook-off at the National Cornbread Festival on April 24, 2010 in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. Finalists will have one hour from start to finish to prepare their cornbread dish. Judging of the finished recipe will be based on creativity; texture, appearance, ease of preparation, appropriate use of products and of course - flavor!

The 4-H slogan is “Learn by Doing”, so 4th grade 4-H’ers get in the kitchen and learn to cook. Prepare a yummy cornbread dish that will make mouths water! Prize are as follows: 1st place - $400; 2nd place - $200; 3rd Place - $100 and the other seven finalists will each receive $50. All 10 finalists also receive special gifts from Lodge Cast Iron and Martha White. The 4-H agent or 4-H Program Assistant and the teacher of the winning contestant will each receive $50. Youth traveling more than 100 miles to the competition will receive $100 travel money.

Vicki Lofty, Marion County UT Extension Agent invites youth from all regions of the country to enter. “Every year I am amazed at the amazing tasty and creative recipes that are submitted,” said Lofty. To celebrate 100 years of UT Extension and 4-H in Tennessee, Marion County 4-H Clubs have compiled a cookbook containing a collection of recipes from the past finalists in the National Cornbread Festival Cook-off. Funds from the sale of the six dollar cookbooks will be used to fund 4-H youth projects and activities. For more information about purchasing a cookbook or the cook-off contact 423-942-2656. Contest guidelines are also available at www.nationalcornbread.com.