Thread: Olmsted County Fair report

In article <[email protected]>,
zxcvbob <[email protected]> wrote:

> I haven't entered anything at the county fair in a few years, but this
> year I had a couple of things that turned out *perfect* last fall, so
> I decided to go for it; see if I can win a rosette. I even put new
> rings on the jars. ;-)
>
> Dolgo Crabapple Jelly - red ribbon
> Picante Sauce (Hot) - nothing

How many entries do they get? I think it's interesting that they judge
without tasting. I'm betting that your picante was better than the
winner's. So there! Da bums!

> Bob




--
Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
Holy Order of the Sacred Sisters of
St. Pectina of Jella
"Always in a jam, never in a stew;
sometimes in a pickle."
Where are my pearls, Honey?

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> zxcvbob <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I haven't entered anything at the county fair in a few years, but this
>> year I had a couple of things that turned out *perfect* last fall, so
>> I decided to go for it; see if I can win a rosette. I even put new
>> rings on the jars. ;-)
>>
>> Dolgo Crabapple Jelly - red ribbon
>> Picante Sauce (Hot) - nothing
>
> How many entries do they get? I think it's interesting that they judge
> without tasting. I'm betting that your picante was better than the
> winner's. So there! Da bums!
>

They judge without even opening the jar to *smell* it. Or dig a
spoonful to get a good look. There were about 6 or 7 salsa entries;
more than any other class except pickled cucumbers.

It past years, there were judge's remarks written on the backs of
the tickets -- sometimes stupid remarks, like when my Seville Orange
Marmalade was disqualified because it was bitter (it's supposed to
be bitter, but at least I knew that she tasted it and didn't like it)


All the salsas pretty much looked alike, and had proper headspacing,
rings, and labels. You would have to smell them and taste them to
properly pick a winner. Mine had a slightly better label (IMHO)
because it listed the USDA bulletin where I got the recipe, and it
had the date on it. The date was last September, which could have
worked for me or against me, who knows. The stuff held up very well
for 11 months, but the red may have browned slightly, or she may
have thought "this is last year's".

Thanks for the vote of confidence. ;-)

Bob