   Exhibiting Fruits and Vegetables at Fairs - July 31, 2002 Jeff Schalau, County Director, Agent, Agriculture & Natural Resources Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County Do you grow the best tomatoes in your neighborhood? How about green beans, chiles, or the largest pumpkin? Gardeners that really take pride in their crops should consider exhibiting produce at local or county fairs. These fair exhibits give an excellent indication of how the growing season went, what that each area is capable of growing, and to what lengths gardener will go to protect or preserve a crop. Now is the time to start thinking about your entries at the County Fair. This column will provide a quick overview of how a judge assesses the entries and assigns the various awards. First, read the premium book carefully and follow the rules. These rules are designed to minimize opinion and establish fair judging criteria. In my experience, judges know what a certain area is capable of growing, how difficult a crop is to grow, and whether or not a given entry could have been grown by an entrant. Judges will not always award a blue ribbon in each category if there is not a deserving entry and they will disqualify entries obviously not grown by an entrant. Correct labeling is important. Provide a class number, department letter, your name, and the variety (even if it is not requested). Improper labeling detracts from the educational value of the entry, makes judging more difficult, and may be grounds for disqualification. However, sometimes a judge (in consultation with the superintendent) may give the benefit of the doubt to an entry or reclassify it into a more appropriate category so as to be eligible for an award. Proper amounts are critical. The exhibitor should always provide exactly the amount called for in the premium book. If more than the required amount is displayed, the judge may score the exhibit as though it contained the proper amount or disqualify it completely. If it contains less, they may decline to review it. Quality is key to success. Many judges use the market standards when reviewing entries. In other words, try to visualize the entry as if it were for sale in a retail market. What level of quality do consumers expect? Specimens slightly above medium size should generally be selected rather than those of large size. Entries should be displayed at the best eating stage. For example, summer squash should be tender and have that waxy appearance rather than being overripe, hard, and seedy. Uniformity is key in exhibits requiring more than one specimen. All specimens within an entry should be as uniform as possible and normal in size. Uniformity also applies to color, shape, and degree of maturity. All specimens should also be of the same cultivar (variety). Oddly shaped specimens should only be entered in the "oddity" class. When tough judging decisions must be made, the blue ribbon is often awarded to the entry having the best of all these characteristics. All exhibits should be fresh and clean. Often, freshness is difficult to maintain. Care should be taken to harvest as close to the entry deadline as possible. If the weather is hot, refrigerate entries while transporting them. This is most difficult with leafy vegetables. Judges will often consider temperature when placing entries. However, there is no excuse for dirty entries. Clumps of soil attached to carrots will prevent them from placing even if all other criteria have rated highly. Exhibits should not be mechanically damaged or show signs of insects or disease. These are often disqualified immediately. I hope this column has helped folks that regularly enter fruit and vegetable exhibits and inspired those that have not to give it a try. Fairs are fun and connect us to our agricultural heritage and the Yavapai County Fair is just around the corner: September 19-22. The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension has publications and information on gardening and pest control. If you have other gardening questions, call the Master Gardener line in the Cottonwood office at 646-9113 or E-mail us at mgardener@verdeonline.com and be sure to include your address and phone number. Find past Backyard Gardener columns or submit column ideas at the Backyard Gardener web site: http://ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/. |