Congratulations! I used to like to go to the fair and check out all the stuff people enter. I bet the display shelf for your ribbons is wonderful.

Val

Unfortunately, the only actual ribbons these 2 Granges give are for the regional baking contests (the ones where everyone has to make the same recipe, and all the local finalists move up to the next level). They just give stickers (this one was blue stars) on the entry tickets for everything else. They kept the tickets so they know which person won what - I imagine they'll send them along with the premium check, though it won't make for much of a display ;-)

I said I'd rather have bragging rights than a check (don't even know what premiums were)!

Congratulations! Good job.

And I'm with you, bragging rights are the perfect prize. Think of all those marketing opportunities!

WTG! Home canning scores another great point thanks to you.

Dave

Thanks Dave. I was a little hesitant about putting the hot sauce out there, but they said they wanted to show a variety of things that could be done at home.

One woman entered a pint of Green Tomato Relish that looked very red, maybe she used red peppers but then I wonder how many and how much vinegar. I wish they would post the recipes so you could be sure it was approved. Same lady submitted Peach Pie Filling (looked yummy), and some "jams" that looked more like jellies - in particular, the peach and the pear jars were very clear at the bottom with just shreds of fruit floating at the top 1", no chunks, if she had strained those out and submitted as jellies her "collection" (other jam was strawberry but she also did a grape jelly) would have beat mine I think b/c of the light colors and the clarity.

Pixie - unfortunately I didn't grow/forage most of the fruits in the items I submitted so it doesn't help that much for marketing. But DH and I went out to check the old orchard for windfalls this AM, found some nice grapes nearby - I think we must have picked 2lbs or more. Gonna expand the "product line" to Wild Grape Jelly now LOL! Really, veggies aren't selling well and I don't have much left but tomatoes and peppers so I will have to make some grape and apple jelly these last few weeks of market.

A couple of the old trees have really nice big apples way up top, if not blemished I may be able to sell them whole instead of just using them for jelly/jam/butter. Gonna bring the truck and ladder out in a week or 2 and see what we can reach but the trees really need to be pruned - they're been neglected for 40-50 years. DH has been having a hard enough time clearing brush and wild roses around them just so we can get back to them.

How nice for you. Congratulations !
I know tomato strawberry jam is awesome, so I am sure your tomato pineapple is, too.
I just found a recipe in a book, I think Ellie Topps book, for a sweet n sour sauce with pineapple. It is part of a variation on a bbq sauce. I would like to can some now.

Wonder why things are not selling ? I would think with the economy people would be canning up a storm.

Well, I did enter that fair (last of the year) and got 2 blue ribbons (for collection of jams - Triple Berry, Carrot Cake, and Tomato Pineapple - and Red Raspberry Jam). Have to find out what was "wrong" with my other items - think it was that the jars didn't all match (mix of embossed and quilted Balls, Melly's Peach Preserves were 2 GH jars and 1 Ball). But I submitted matching jars of Raspberry White Wine Vinegar, was the only vinegar entry, and no ribbons awarded?

Lots of competition (esp. in Peach Jam), so I should be happy with 2 blues my first time there, just wondering what to do differently for next year. The handbook didn't say anything about all jars in a collection having to match, but I think that might be a big thing (I just use whatever I have empty at the time, 5 jellies were obviously made over the course of the year so ended up in 2 different design jars, I was selecting what we had left of different flavors, with eye to bubbles, headspace, etc. and not jars).

Oh, Linda Lou - I found that when people *did* buy at this one small-town market, they weren't buying in bulk. I don't know if canning has really made a comeback in this area yet. Now, the towns where the granges in this last fair are located are more rural, so maybe more history of preserving, older families (not newcomers to the area). I was chatting with 2 other entrants, 1 a woman about my age who said that she used inversion, I told her that wasn't allowed by the rules, she asked how they could tell, I said "headspace not clean" and told her she was risking a lid popping (esp. since it was over 80 degrees yesterday!). The other was a young woman in her 20's, I was glad to see some "young blood" canning, she BWBs but like me had submitted in a mix of jars (not mentioned in the Handbook, but makes sense that a "collection" should be uniform).

I'll post an update after I pick them up if the judge wrote any notes on the tags.

Linda Lou, will you post the Sweet and Sour sauce?
I haven't been able to find one approved for canning!

TIA,
Deanna