Behold the return of the mystical Food, Fun 4-H! As the leaves turn and the winds whisper tales of autumn’s arrival, we invite you to join us on a journey of culinary delights. Delve into the mysteries of new recipes, bask in the warmth of family mealtime, and revel in the enchantment of 4-H, all at once! The magic begins anew in October, dear seeker. Free to participate, groceries not included.

This is a self-paced project to get young people in the kitchen and preparing home cooked meals, trying new foods, encouraging family time, developing communication skills and having fun! In addition to promoting kitchen and cooking skills, Food, Fun, 4-H will teach youth how to be smart consumers through planning, time management and budgeting. Each family/household will receive a kitchen utensil kit related to that month’s recipes, along with other informational materials.

Youth must prepare at least two of the recipes in the packet and complete a post-lesson report, answering three questions 1) I liked… 2) I wish… and 3) I wonder… Participants will be asked to submit two photos – one of them preparing the dish and the other of the family unit sharing the meal. Completion of these requirements by the end of the month qualifies them to receive the next month’s utensil kit. The questions are meant to get the youth thinking about ways to either modify or enhance the recipes for when they make it again, can it be doubled or halved. These are lifelong skills that might lead them down the road to becoming entrepreneurs! The program will run November to May. If they don’t meet the requirements, it doesn’t exclude them from future participation. They will just need to wait a month and try again. There isn’t a cost to participate, but families/households will need to purchase their food/pantry items.