Congratulations to your whole crew Annie!! Sounds like you didn't leave any ribbons for anyone else lol. I've never entered anything at our county fair but if I did it would probably be your salsa and maybe garlic and pickled asparagus. Heck. we've only gone to our county fair a couple times in the 18 years we have lived out in the sticks!

WTG! I love hearing about young people getting into fair competitions and food preservation. You are a great influence for them Annie. Be proud.

Dave

Dave, I am proud of them, but it's a lot of fun for me too, and I get company when I can. Plus we get to go over recipes and decide what to make and what to grow, which jars of each batch look good enough to "fair worthy", we work on it all year for next year! It gives me lots of kitchen time with the grandkids and company too.

Jack, we love the fair. There's a midway with rides and games, but we've always liked just wandering through the barns, checking out the cows and horses, pigs and chickens of all colors and varieties. This year there was a giant Tom turkey just waking around the poultry barn, greeting people and showing off until his owner came to properly corral him, LOL. The exhibit building has all the quilts and canned goods, eggs and corn and alfalfa, and there's always fresh ice cream in the dairy barn, along with demonstrations about milking and cheese making. You should definitely check yours out, you might find something you enjoy a lot, and some "like minded" people besides, gardeners and canners! Plus you get to compare your vegetables and canned goods with other people, only the best of the best goes to the Fair...

Annie

Annie - our county fair was July 7-15 so too late for this year but I'll try to remember to check it out next year. We went a couple times when my son was involved in 4H while in school. It overlaps our annual July 4th family reunion at my brother's cabin in Wisconsin but it looks like the exhibit judging is towards the end of the fair so it still might be doable.

The Missouri state fair starts August 10 and we usually go most years. I have a 4 day weekend scheduled this year so I imagine we will get down there again this year. It is only a 45 minute drive.

Congrats to you and the grandkids, Annie. I bet the Princess beats you next year. Our county fair starts this week, but I'm not entering anything. Too many disasters in life this year. I will be in my station's first aid tent as an EMR.

Way to go Annie! I too came from a country life background. As kids when the fair came around everyone took turns fighting for the ovens to bake their entries. We had only one oven so it ran for 24 hours and each took turns! We finally got use of the neighbor's oven which helped out. Judging day was the BIG event. Sitting all day watching the judges do their work on taste, appearance ect. I recall while still in high school I entered strudel and wheat bread and won on both. Those were the days!

My kids always whine that I should enter some of my jams, jellies and canned fruits in the fair but I always seem to forget until too late. Our county fair is wonderful and still has a lot of baked goods and canned goods (although it seems a little less every year). Some of the surrounding counties have little or no baked good entries! I was actually horrified when they started giving awards out for bread baked in bread machines. I guess I am too old fashioned.

Glad to hear the grandkids are interested and you can pass on your skills! My kids love to eat the finished product but cooking in any form is not for them (hope they don't end up being microwave queens when it comes to food prep).

Yeah Princess! I know I'm late to the game & have been MIA for a long time - for no particular good reason. So glad to see all those ribbons! You taught her well!

booberry!!! I'm so happy to see you here again, welcome back!

As for the Princess, I'm just glad that Grand Champion ribbon bought me one more year of Fair preparation. Maybe I can talk her into helping with Madison's entries after that, she'll be old enough to enter next year and Maci the year after that.

Annie

Good job! I started entering fair when I was in middle school and have continued over the years. Are huge fair starts Friday, unfortunately I was too swamped with overflowing produce , wow what a year here tons to pick and preserve. That said, Pa has their state fair in January, so planning on taking entries there.

"Pa has their state fair in January,"

That is neat. I wish more states would consider moving their's to later in the season. Not only is it miserably hot out to be wandering midways and through tents but it would give us more time to better prepare entries. Ours moved it to October. Bound to be better than August was.

Dave

Dave, I agree. our local county fair is in the first part of July, so many garden items and canning hasn't even been done. They do allow items "less than one year old", so September's canning becomes next year's entries.

The State Fair is Labor Day weekend, or it was last year. It's about a 5 hour drive for me, though, one way, so I don't usually enter anything at the State level.

Annie

The only issue with January is getting there, only 1.5'hours for me, but many times snow and ice.

Home economics are permitted to ship in entries, I did that one year when working too much.

The fair that officially starts today is huge, if we don't hit 80,000 attendance I will be surprised. Record high temps here , the ice cream and drink stands will be busy, I know I don't want bean soup at 90 degrees.

Glad I am a member for privileged parking and admittance.

I will post some pics later, friend of mine is in the circle of champions for some of her veggies!