The Town N’ Kountry Kids Blue Group met Jan. 21 at the 4-H building in Forestburg.  Twenty-nine members answered the roll call topic of “What color would you like snow to be?”
The meeting was called to order by President Brady Larson. The pledges were led by Parker Ettswold and Caleb Kneen.
The treasury report was given by Noah Wormstadt. Motions to accept the report were made by Caleb Kneen and Bryce Larson; motion carried. The secretary’s report was approved as read. Ellie Evans talked about grandparent cards.
Oodles for Noodles report was given by Delaney Zoss, Cannon Zoss and Tori Hoffman. The bowling party report was given by Michael Hoffman and Ellie Evans.  The club discussed enrollment online for Clover Buds. Shooting Sports update was given by Toby and Caleb Kneen.
The Central Electric supper is Jan. 26, 5-7:30 p.m. Livestock judging is on Jan. 28 in Sioux Falls.
The healthy challenge is to try popcorn from the newsletter before the next meeting. Playground project idea motions were made by Payton Uecker, seconded by Bryce Larson, to make a play area behind the Letcher Community Center. The committee for the playground is Michael Hoffman, Parker Ettswold, Ellie Evans and Delaney Zoss. Fruit sales were discussed and will be sold in February.
Talks were given by Alexis Kelly on “Nail Polish Cups,” Delaney Zoss on “A Throw Pillow,” and Noah Wormstadt on cookie cutter bird feeders. Lunch was by the Larson, Uecker and Wormstadt families. A February meeting date will be determined.

…See a picture in this week’s issue of the Sanborn Weekly Journal.

The Town ‘N Kountry Kids Red Crew 4-H Club met on Jan. 27, at the Community Center in Woonsocket. Prior to the meeting, supper was served by the Snedeker family, the Linke family and Jen Sandness.
The meeting was called to order by President Aaron Linke. The flag pledge was led by Bailey Feistner and the 4-H pledge was led by Henry Hunter. Roll call was led by Vice President Xavier Baysinger with the question, “What is your favorite winter activity?” which was answered by 15 members.
The secretary’s report was read by Secretary Spens Schlicht, and approved as read. The treasurer’s report was given by Megan Linke and approved.
Under reports, Nick Snedeker talked about the bowling party. Hope Baysinger reported on Oodles of Noodles. A report on decorating the Courthouse Christmas tree was given by Sarah and Lane Burkel. Megan told us about Shooting Sports. There were some changes made this year, and around 80 members are signed up.
Old business: New club shirts will be in this week. Ice-skating is planned for Feb. 25. Shaun Snedeker read a thank you from Nurse Leslie Ohlrogge for the cookie trays.
New business: The club will be doing fruit sales in February to fundraise for 4-H ground improvements. Money will be used for the horse arena crows nest, a sound system and aluminum bleachers, plus other improvements.
They discussed plans for the Paisley King fundraiser.
Community service ideas were discussed. A petting zoo at the nursing home was mentioned. It was decided that we would go to the nursing home for a fun day. A committee was set up to make more plans: Hope, Bailey, Xavier, Megan, Lane, Emily Ohlrogge and Dilyn Brooks.  We are looking at an April date.
The next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Center. Supper will be provided. Members need to plan for getting some talks and demonstrations done.  Leader Jen Sandness offered to help work with members to get their presentations ready.
Following the meeting, Valentines Day cards were signed for elderly friends and 4-H sponsor thank-you cards were signed.  Bailey presented a talk called “Big Lick” about the abuse of the Tennessee Walking Horse.
The night ended with a feather relay game led by Recreation Officers Hope Baysinger and Nathan Linke.

…See a picture in this week’s issue of the Sanborn Weekly Journal.

A group works to run the noodle dough through the pasta machine. You can see where the dough is being cut into strips and the hangar is gathering the noodles for drying.

Twenty-four kids from the Jerauld/Sanborn County 4-H participated in the Oodles of Noodles, a 4-H workshop, held on Jan. 24 at the Jerauld County 4-H Building. The workshop entailed making both noodles and cheese from scratch. From their fancy aprons to their floury faces, the kids had a fun-filled morning learning the science behind the process and the value of making a meal from scratch.
The youth, along with volunteers, used a variety of flours including: All Purpose, Durum, Semolina, Whole Grain, White Whole Wheat and Gluten Free. The end result of the noodles depended largely on the type of flour that was used to make them. They ranged from perfectly formed noodles to small chunks of pasta. The kids worked in small groups, and were each assigned a specific flour. They measured and mixed their ingredients and then wrapped the dough in plastic to let it rest. When this was done, half of the groups took their dough to the pasta machines and began the process of rolling, cutting and hanging the noodles to dry.
Youth learned about gluten, the secret ingredient that provides the structure in baked goods. In order to understand a little more about gluten, gluten balls were made by combining flour and water. Then they rinsed the starch away with cold water, leaving behind only the gluten. “It was interesting to compare the types of flours to each other,” stated Audra Scheel, SDSU 4-H Extension Youth Program Advisor.
Youth also were introduced to the art of making cheese. The kids taste tested a variety of store bought cheeses to compare with their homemade cheese, Queso Fresco. Once the noodles were dry, they were cooked and served with both white and red pasta sauce, making for a tasty lunch to conclude the event. Queso fresco could be sprinkled on top to finish their plate if they chose. This workshop fell under the Foods and Nutrition project area in 4-H. For more information on how to join South Dakota 4-H, contact Audra Scheel at audra.scheel@sdstate.edu or igrow.org.

…See more pictures in this week’s issue of the Sanborn Weekly Journal.