So, you have been watering and cultivating, mothering and babying your produce all summer. And now you realize you’ve got some blue-ribbon-winners in your garden. Your home-grown corn, tomatoes or squash are beautiful or; maybe, your perfect cukes have morphed into the best pickles you have ever canned?
If so, then it’s time to consider taking your produce to the fair!
Horticulture experts such as Lynn Long of the Oregon State University Extension Service say participating in the gardening competitions at fairs around the state is really much more than just about winning. It’s about learning to be a better gardener.
“If you go through the growing season with the idea of entering your produce in a county fair, you will learn that you’ve got to irrigate steadily, fertilize properly and keep your produce or flowers clean of diseases and insect pests,” Long said. “All that is a learning process You’ll do research, call Master Gardeners and talk to your neighbors.”
She continued: “All of that will make you a better gardener and you’ll end your season with high quality produce and flowers.”
Long suggests gardeners get a copy of their local fair’s rules early in the season. Read and follow their fair book to the letter in a contest in which attention to detail makes all the difference.
For example, if your county fair requires you to bring 15 beans and you only show 10, you could be disqualified from even the chance at ribbons. If your county fair requires carrots to come with a one-inch top and you sliced it off to make it look prettier, that could disqualify you, too.
The registration deadline for the 149th Oregon State Fair Creative and Artistic competitions is Aug. 7 and entries need to be delivered Aug. 9-12.
Heads up: The Hillsdale Farmers’ Market in Southwest Portland will be hosting an Urban Fair Oct. 12 and organizers invite shoppers to enter pantry staples made from local produce in a new competition, the Preserves Showcase. Pickles, jams and other preserves will be evaluated by a panel of judges. The event will also have demonstrations of traditional food preparation techniques such as fermentation, baking with alternative grains, cider-pressing, home-butchery and more.
What are your tips for growing blue-ribbon produce?
For more information:
Calendar of fairs: http://www.oregonfairs.org/content.php?page=2013_Oregon_Fair_Dates
If you have questions about the state fair’s Creative and Artistic competitions, email [email protected] or call 503-881-3594. Additional information is available online at www.oregonstatefair.org/competitions/creative-artistic/.
