Who knew digging up Jerusalem artichokes could be so much fun?

A group of about 20 local Girl Scouts dug into a variety of spring garden projects during a field day at Purple Frog Farm near Whitefish last week.

Lizzy Johnson, 10, a member of a junior Girl Scout troop from Columbia Falls, said digging up the artichokes was the best part of the day for her.

“We got the job done,” she said assuredly.

Lizzy is no stranger to gardening, since her family has its own garden. She loves onions and carrots.

Of course the object of the field day was not only to have fun, but also to learn a few new things.

“I learned that you need compost to make good soil and make things grow,” Lizzy noted.

Her mother, Becky Johnson, is the junior troop leader, and she was impressed with the girls’ work ethic.

“The girls were amazing,” Becky said. “For being as cold and windy as it was, they did pretty good. They got their hands dirty and learned a lot about farming.”

Renee Jones, a Brownie troop leader from Kalispell, said she also was pleased with the girls’ effort.

“My girls jumped right on it,” she said. “One of the coolest things was working on building a compost pile.”

Seven-year-old Lily Romine said she learned there are three types of kale.

“I also didn’t know you could actually put food into compost,” she said.

When it came to moving compost, Lily preferred the shovel work over carrying the buckets. Her family, too, has a home garden, so she’s well-versed in digging in the dirt. Her favorite vegetable is carrots.

Staci Weller, community development manager for Girls Scouts of Northwest Montana, said projects like the work day at the local farm are part of the organization’s leadership-building program for girls.

“Girl Scouts is not just about cookies, crafts and camping anymore,” Weller said.

The organization uses a three-pronged approach to building leadership: discover, connect and take action. The time spent at Purple Frog Farm was an exercise in connecting with the community and working on team-building skills.

“And they learned more about the importance of locally grown food,” Weller added. She has twin girls in the Brownie program, and they, too, came away from the event with an enhanced excitement about gardening.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.