Harvest Monday - 3 October 2016 - Blue Ribbon Edition!

For 140 years the nearby Deerfield Fair has been one of New Hampshire's largest agricultural expositions. Last year, as we viewed the judged displays of vegetables, canned goods, baked goods etc. in the Agricultural Hall, we said to ourselves, "let's enter something next year!" So we did! The Kitchen Goddess selected 3 jars for the "Household" category that she thought were best, and I chose 2 crops for "Adult Vegetables" ("adult" as opposed to "junior"; get your mind out of the gutter). I thought I would have an edge if I entered produce that not everyone grows. I picked watermelon radishes for the "Radish, Dacon-type" category, and hops for the "Any Other Worthy Vegetable" category.

The stuff had to be dropped off on Tuesday, the judging occurred the rest of the week, and on Saturday we went to the fair. Our results were beyond our wildest dreams!

TKG won a blue ribbon for her cornichon/gerkhins:

A blue ribbon for her Cowboy Candy (red pepper jelly):

And third place for her mustard/dill relish (the judges' notes said "not enough product" and "lid was dusty," which annoyed her in the worst way):

My hops got a blue:

And the radishes got second place:

I know now that they were graded down for the lack of size consistency.

To say we were thrilled is an understatement (while laughing over the silliness of it all). But the accolades do not stop there! There were substantial cash prizes involved: $4 for blue, $2 for red, and $1 for white. So TKG made $9, and I made $6! Being the overgrown boy that I am, I promptly spent my earnings at the fair on a soft-serve ice cream cone, and 1/4 pound of hot Spanish peanuts. Before I even got the money.

Other harvests this week included our last and best-ever muskmelon, over 3 pounds:

Inside, pure delight:

Some of the last zucchini, and a typical every-other-day picking of raspberries:

Some solanacea, which are not loving the chilly and damp weather we've been having:

And a big harvest of chard and kale:

Also this week TKG and her mother picked a large amount of wild Concord grapes from the property across the road (with permission), and she put up many jars of delicious grape jelly:

That's all for this week. Thanks for reading, and indulging us in our well-meaning boasting. Of course, we are already planning next year's entries. Do you have an agricultural show you can enter your best vegetables? If so, make your plans. It is so much fun!

See all the other harvests posted on Harvest Monday. I'm sure the're all prize-winners! Thanks to Dave at Our Happy Acres for hosting Harvest Monday.