I'm just here for the cookies

Scouting rises within you and inspires you to put forth your best.
Juliette G. Low, founder of Girl Scouts of the USA

I was a Girl Scout. I didn't like wearing my green uniform to school on Thursday's, it was itchy and a little too short after I had a growth spurt. I did however like feeling part of the group, all the cool girls in my grade were girl scouts. Our troop badge was the pansy, probably because it was purple, which was Janine's favorite color. Janine was the coolest of the cool girls in 5th grade.

I lasted a year.

I was really only after the cookies, specifically Thin Mints, and well, it was too much work to sell them. I had to give up valuable cartoon watching time on Saturday mornings to go to the local Safeway and stand outside to sell them.  I also had to give up valuable kickball time after school to go door to door to sell them. It was easier to sit with my sister in our green shag carpeted rec-room and just eat them while watching Gilligan's Island reruns. My parents financed the whole operation.

I was a slacker Girl Scout.

I didn't have many badges. I had one for crafts, I made a beaded macrame hanging plant holder. I had one for cooking, and one for first aid. Pretty sure that was all. The first aid one might not be true.

The Girl Scouts have unveiled a new badge to go along with their 100 year anniversary.



It is the new "Lovavore" badge.  It it awarded to those who explore their local food movement, farmers markets, sustainable farming, health, nutrition, and the environment. 

To earn the badge the Scout must:
1: Explore the benefits and challenges of "going local".
2: Find local food sources.
3: Cook a simple dish showcasing local ingredients.
4: Make a recipe with local ingredients.
5: Try a local food challenge.
Each of the steps includes specific challenges such as interviewing chefs who specialize in locally grown foods, taking a favorite recipe and making it local, or preparing a three-course meal based on local ingredients.
And, just in case you think the Girl Scouts are jumping on the bandwagon of the local food trend, (because we all know how au courant those Scouts are),  Alisha Niehaus, the Executive Director of Program Resources, says that the organization has a long history of eating locally. She notes that the Girl Scouts had a Canner badge way back in 1920, almost a century before food preservation became cool. Hmm, maybe they are trendsetters after all.

Can you earn a Girl Scout badge in your 40's? I'm going for it, who's with me?

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