Goodbye to summer, and a county fair wrapup

Ahhhh September has arrived. Labor Day weekend is over and summer festivities are ending. Before we know it the leaves will be changing, frost will be kissing our gardens goodbye and pumpkin everything will be everywhere. I do so love autumn.

Along with the end of the summer is the end of the fair season. The Iowa State Fair ended two weeks ago but our Guthrie County Fair is ending today. Time to load up the livestock, get the last funnel cake and corndog, ride the last rides of the summer, and of course....... pick up the entries submitted by folks with every talent imaginable. From quilting to baking to floral decorations, just about everything is represented here. Antiques, flawless garden produce, the tallest cornstalk- so much to see!

A few of the other competitors' entries on drop off day

And I won't lie....... I feel a sense of dread as I head to the Arts Building and see how I fared with my entries in the Open Class- Canned Foods and Dehydrated Foods. This is my second time entering anything in a fair and I'm just as nervous this year as I was last year! I'm a confident canner and food preserver but there is a lot of competition out there these days. Dropping off the jars last week I noticed there were quite a few more competitors than the prior year. So, yes, I did have butterflies. 

The busy fairgrounds didn't help. It's slow going with folks leading horses and other livestock around. A major storm system had passed through overnight leaving the roads and parking areas very muddy and sloppy. I found one of the few remaining grassy areas and took a deep breath. 

With the Tilt-a-Whirl and Space Rocket generating screams in the background I walked into the Arts Building, and found an awesome surprise! My entries did fabulous! Last week I dropped off twenty-four jars and two plastic bags of dehydrated vegetables and hoped for the best. Today I was seeing my success- sixteen first place blue ribbons, four second place red ribbons AND the Grand Prize for winning the most blue ribbons!

Here is the breakdown: 

Blue Ribbons:

• Pear Halves
• Corn
• Bread and Butter Pickles
• Whole Dill Pickles
• Dill Spears
• Dill Chips
• Pickled Hot Peppers
• Pickled Green Tomatoes
• Dill Zucchini Relish
• Asian Plum Sauce
• Gooseberry Blueberry Jam
• Cherry Jam
• Blueberry Pineapple Jam
• Apple Butter
• Cranberry Apple Relish
• Dehydrated Ghost chilis

Red Ribbons:

• Carrots
• Peach Jam
• Applesauce
• Dehydrated Sliced Tomatoes

2014 was a success!!

Add to that an awesome set of ceramic mixing bowls as the Grand Prize for the most blue ribbons awarded- and THAT my friends, is how I am closing out the 2014 Guthrie County Fair! See you next year!

Fair Season 2014- Guthrie County Fair

Once again it's time to load up the jars of home-canned goodies and head off to the Guthrie County Fair. I'm not here for the concerts, or the mud bog racing. The animal competitions and deep fried fair foods really aren't on my agenda. I am headed to the Open Class Competition, to show my jars of colorful foods and hope for a few ribbons. Last year was the first time I'd ever entered anything, and took home 10 ribbons out of 13 entries- I'd say that's pretty good for a newbie! 

2013 Guthrie County Fair winners

I've been busy! Canning is a year-round project for me. If it's not in season, I froze it when it was, and jams, jellies, mustards, relishes- you name it- can be made anytime. When the wind was howling and the snow was piling up, the canner was whistling away, warming the house and filing it with wonderful aromas.

On the list of entries for this year are-

• salsa verde 
• green beans
• wax beans
• carrots
• hot pickles (dill pickles with a cayenne pepper added to each jar)
• cowboy candy 
• spiced pears
• pear halves
• applesauce
• dill pickles- whole, spears and chips
• corn 
• tomatoes
• pumpkin cranberry ale mustard 
• pickled green tomatoes
• apple butter
• cherry jam
• peach jam
• Kinky Blue Goose Jam
• Pineapple Blueberry Jam 
• Summer zucchini relish 
• Apple Cranberry Jam 
• dehydrated hot peppers
• "sun dried" tomatoes

I've also decided to enter things other than just canned foods this year and see how that goes, so you will notice I have some dehydrated things on my list too.

And now.......the waiting. Our fair is only 5 days long but it's a very very long five days waiting to see if I am lucky enough to snag a ribbon or two! As long as I'm here, I might as well enjoy some of the fun fair stuff. Of course, the ever-popular fair food and rides are all around. The campground is filled to the brim with campers, many have had the same spot for generations, and it's a reunion of sorts- old friends and new, sharing food, drink and stories. The livestock buildings have everything from bunnies to chickens, lambs to cows.

Thursday is free admittance day, and drop-off day for exhibits like mine. Livestock judging, the dog show, family meal and the Bill Riley Talent Search competition take place on this day. Don't forget, the carnival rides and fair food all open too!

Friday the fair has lots of fun things for all ages. 4-H and FFA kids show their horses in the morning, poultry in the afternoon followed by pets. You better brush up on your cribbage skills for the tournament. Little buckeroos can demonstrate their prowess at mutton bustin', and the evening is capped off with the IRCA sanctioned Grand River Rodeo in the grandstand.

Saturday the fun kicks off with the parade in the morning, followed by more livestock and animal shows, mud volleyball, antique tractor show and the MPA and MAPA Truck and Tractor Pull in the grandstand. 

Sunday begins with church service bright and early at 7:30 am. Bring your appetite and your wallet to the pie auction, and stay for the Baby Olympics. If you're feeling competitive, sign up for Arm Wrestling. Gunnar and the Grizzley Boys take the grandstand stage to wrap up the day, followed by fireworks.

After Sunday, the weekend may be over, but not the fair! Labor Day closes the fair for the year with livestock auctions, mud bogs, and a last chance to take a spin on a carnival ride or enjoy a funnel cake or hot dog. It will also be time to pick up my entries and see what the results are! Make sure to watch for an update!

Fair Season 2014- Adair County Fair

It's Fair Season in Iowa! That means every county has put on their best show of the year- live entertainment, agriculture displays and competitions, artistic competitions- and the best part of all- FAIR FOOD. This year the Adair County Fair really caught my attention with their Pride of Iowa Cooking Contest. This year twenty chefs-in-the-making are competing in three divisions: Senior, Intermediate and Junior. The requirements? Each chef must prepare a dish using at least one Iowa product, in front of the audience and judges. How fun, right?

The competition took place in the 4-H and FFA Center on the Adair County Fairgrounds in Greenfield. According to the department superintendent Grace Evans "We have an excellent variety of foods to be prepared during the contest."  Each chef is judged on their skill level in preparing food, safety in the kitchen, how they chose to use Iowa products and the final product.

MaKenna Lilly makes Individual Oreo Turtle Cheesecakes.
I wish I could have judged her recipe. Sounds yummy!

Competing in the Senior Division this year, and their dishes, we have- MaKenna Lilly- Individual Oreo Turtle Cheesecakes; Hank Bohling- South of the Border Casserole; Katharine Hrubetz- Loaded Chicken Alfredo Gnocchi Bake; and Bailee Huddleson- Bailee's Breakfast Bacon Bowls.

Check out Alan Evans- he had meatballs ready for the
oven in just ten minutes!

The Intermediate Division is bringing some serious competition- Alan Evans, Meatballs; Cody Mertz- Chicken Pot Pie; Kyra Evans- Cheese Puff; Jill Wallace- Jill's Petite Hamballs; Reba Lonsdale- Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza Puffs; Skyler Rawlings- Korean Beef Bowl; and Alexis Shelley- Italian Salad. 

Two cooks compete side-by-side, each with a judge just for them.

Can you believe these are kids cooking? I need to figure out how to be a JUDGE for next year's fair!

Every cook made a poster of their recipe

The Junior Division also is showing some pretty impressive kitchen know-how with Erin Ford- Delicious Corn Bread; Gaige Schwochow- Gaige's Omelet; Zayden Rawlings- Enchilada Meatballs; Riley McCall- Tortellini Soup; Shelbee Woosley- Pizza in a Pan; Ethan Blomme- Red, White and Blue Smoothie; Storm Hoadley- Pepperoni Bubble Pizza; Rylie Mertz- Breakfast; and Bella Rubio- Chicken Nuggets.

Erin Ford makes her Delicious Cornbread recipe. She was very
confident in the kitchen, got right to work and impressed the
heck out of me!

Gaige Schwowchow sits with his judge during the tasting part of judging.
Gaige's omelet was a meaty, cheesy omelet I want to make myself!

I am SERIOUSLY impressed! I was most definitely NOT cooking when I was a kid- not even in high school. Enchilada meatballs? Pizza puffs? Individual cheesecakes? We're talking Superbowl Food here! And how did they do?

Zayden Rawlings makes Enchilada Meatballs. I am anxious
to make his recipe at home myself- it looked delicious.

The Junior Division Champions-

Ethan Blomme, Erin Ford, and Isabella Rubio

The Intermediate Division Champions-

Alan Evans, Skyler Rawlings and Alexis Shelley

And the Senior Division Champs-

Bailee Huddleson, MaKenna Lilly and Hank Bohling

The weather couldn't have been more perfect for a day to visit the fair. The breeze was brisk and cool, lots of shady places to sit and enjoy the sights and sounds of a laid-back rural county fair. I wandered through all the exhibits and saw everything from beautiful floral arrangements to vintage quilts and, of course, canned foods! It's really gotten me even more excited for my county's fair, which takes place next month. Guess I better get busy canning!

Sponsors included Hometown Foods, Stuart; Fareway, Greenfield; HyVee, Creston; Adair County Pork Producers; Adair County Cattlemen; Rose Acre Farms, Stuart; Adair County Corn and Soybean Growers Association; Midwest Dairy Association; Iowa Egg Council/Iowa Poultry Association; 3 Bee Honey Farms; and Adair County 4-H Booster fund.

*** Thanks to the Adair County Extension Office for providing pictures of the winning kids

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."