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Bring your garden's bounty to the fair, because you are a practical soul and want to get the most out of your efforts. Now, cool wet February, is the time to plan your garden and take into account your fair's entry book. Don't have one? Call your county Extension office and ask for an old copy or the name of someone that might share a copy of the produce department with you. If you have, children make sure to get the junior or youth department for them too.

Growing food, picking and displaying it for all to see, then taking it home and eating it are the most obvious benefits of entering the fair. However, consider this; you are going to pick and eat it anyway so there is not a real gain there. However, if your neighbor sees that your tomatoes are better he/she may make a deal with you. You grow tomatoes and your neighbor will grow something they are better at growing and an exchange of food and friendship takes place. In addition, you may bring home a ribbon and a buck or two. You also support your County Fair and the educational good this experience does for the youth in the county. Many youth groups encourage their members to show crafts, produce, animals, and food as well as agricultural items at the fair and they receive good information from other adults and judges. County Fairs are having a difficult time, financially, and many simply cease to exist. So support your Fair and reap the benefits for yourself and your youth.

How to enter is a good question and must be answered specifically by your Fair Coordinator.
The extension office in your area can direct you to the correct person or online site to meet the requirements for entry.

In general, you must decide what will be ready for the fair when it takes place. Now is the time to find out when the Fair is held and plan your planting appropriately. Keep track of your plants and when it is time to enter, your produce, you will have an idea of what will be ready. If in doubt, enter, you can always scratch an item later if necessary. Read the entry description carefully. If you want to enter tomatoes you have to know how many, what variety, and what is used to present your entry. Commonly Cherry tomatoes are presented on a white paper plate with six examples. Your entry tag may be stapled to the plate or simply stuck under the tomatoes. You must follow the instructions, and its best to know that before you pick your produce. On entry day, take your entry copy that you copied before mailing and go to your garden. Do you need three Beefsteak tomatoes? Pick five or six to give you a choice when you make your final presentation. You never know if one of your darlings will pull out his/her craft at the fairgrounds and knock your basket of produce out on the ground. You will probably still be able to rescue enough items to make your entry.

The important thing is to plan now, grow carefully, pick with extreme prejudice and follow entry instructions. If you are successful , you will reap benefits from your efforts. This may include a blue ribbon, don't hesitate to display it somewhere that will encourage you next year. And, if you don't get a ribbon you can still eat the produce and plan how to get better next year.

Learn more about this author, Ann Dennis.
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