I started entering only five years ago when the daughter of a friend asked me to make the effort and help keep this show going. She wanted to start a section for dairy produce, and as we had a dairy cow, I was fair game to rope in. I had a few wins and placings, so I enter a few things each year.
Little Lavendar's milk won first prize in the milk section that was well represented by all of the professional dairies in the area. I wonder what those dairy folks would think if they knew they had been pipped by a little cow that is only half dairy breed? lol
I guess organics and grass fed is the winner here.
I put in some Feta cheese, yoghurt, butter, eggs, honey, plum sauce, tomato sauce, cordial and milk with a place or win in every section.
Super pleased to have earned a second place with my tomato sauce as there are some seriously good sauce makers here.
When I started entering I was considered one of the "younger ones", which was five years ago when I was fifty five!
These country shows are at risk of ceasing to exist and it is only with the enormous efforts by the numerous volunteers and the ordinary folks like us, supporting them by entering a few things to make some competition.
When I was very young I can recall going to the show hall early on show morning with Dad who entered his prize winning Dahlias every year.
So if you have a country show in your town or area, think about entering something in the show hall sections. It doesn't have to be fancy, or even very good, but it's great fun. Winning a place or a first prize is just the bonus.
Cheers!
It must feel lovely to have had such recognition for all your wonderful goods. I want to enter this year at our local fair but it is so hard finding out the rules and regulations.
ReplyDeleteZena I strongly recommend you enter a few bits and bobs in your local show. Find out who is the Show secretary or one of the organisers so you can find an entries book and get some advice on how to place your entries. When you read the entries book you will find there are so many things that you will be able to enter. You can enter one thing or fifty plus things, what ever you feel like doing. To make it easy for myself now I always bottle off a jar or bottle of whatever I'm making, specifically for entering in the show. All I need to do then is label it without my name on it, and grab it from the cellar the day before the show. Of course the cheese, and dairy products are little bit different, but it was only a matter of cutting a piece of Feta from last week's cheese, filling a jar with milk, placing a few eggs in a cute little nest, finding a jar of honey in the cupboard, and whipping up a batch of butter the night before. The entries need to be written in the entry form and paid for by a specified date, then it is just a matter of taking your box of goodies to the show hall early on Show morning. :) Have a go, it's great fun and you will improve each year. I'm too lazy (and busy) to enter the cookery section. That is another level all together. lol
Deletecongratulations!
ReplyDeletehaven't been to a country show for god knows how long now, my kids weren't even teenagers the last time i went & they are all in their mid 20s now!
thanx for sharing
Selina, the country show is a great place to catch up with lots of people who we haven't seen all year in many cases. I love watching the sheep dog trials most of all, oh, and the Show jumping. The Angaston Show holds so many memories of my early days riding my ponies in the events, early mornings getting the horses ready, riding through the back streets early morning to the showgrounds to get a good pozzy under a shady tree for our horses for the day. We didn't even own a horse float back then. Dad was one of the stewards in the show ring, and when my sister rode in her first ever showjumping event, he ran around the course to every jump so he could be there if she fell. lol
Deletewell done Sally! I am surprised you have a milk section, was it based on taste testing? Of raw milk? Scandalous! I was thinking of entering some crochet in our coming show, I've never entered before, but we always go to the show :)
ReplyDeleteYes indeed scandalous entering raw milk Liz. The "produce" section has classes for all things dairy (butter, yogurt, milk, cream, soft cheese, hard cheese, goat's milk, goat's cheese) as well as eggs and honey. This is a relatively new section instigated by a young Barossa woman who was an "Ag Show Young Ambassador" a few years ago. She is passionate about nurturing the Country Ag Shows to maybe revive them as they used to be. As it was I who suggested some of these classes, I try to support her efforts each year by putting in a few entries. The dairy products are judged by Victoria Mclurgh, owner and cheese maker at the renowned Barossa Valley Cheese Company here in Angaston. She taste tests all of the entries. The milk class was well represented by most of the local dairies in the Barossa entering a jar of raw milk fresh from the vat on Show morning. If you love your local show, I highly recommend putting in some entries. Without entries there is no show.
DeleteWell done! Brings back memories of when we lived in Tanunda.
ReplyDeleteI need to set my goals up a notch Phil, and enter some things in the Tanunda Show. ;)
DeleteWell done on your show entries, Sally. My girl won first prize for her zucchini slice in one of the shows in NW Qld in the Outback. The locals love the show up there. We have a Nashi tree here and one morning last year just when the fruit was ripe and I was going to pick it I heard a commotion in the tree while I was having breakfast and a flock of rainbow lorikeets had arrived and ate all the fruit apart from a couple. I couldn't believe it!
ReplyDeleteOh dear, sorry you lost all your Nashis Nana Chel. We have lots of parrots, but no Rainbow Lorikeets in our part of the Barossa. Mostly it's the Rosellas that eat the fruit here so we have to net the trees on our home block. Wonderful to hear that your daughter had a win in the local show and I hope that encourages her to continue entering.
DeleteI always mean to enter one of my dolls in the Adelaide show but for the last two years I have missed the deadline, it is much earlier then I would expect it to be!
ReplyDeleteWell done on all your prizes, thats awesome! I wonder if your milk id like home grown meat, better due to a less stressful process and a more relaxed animal also? And the love, no doubt you can tase the love put into it!
xx
Emma the deadline for the Adelaide Show is so early isn't it. Your dolls are so beautiful, I think you ought to enter them in your nearest country show too. Are you far from Tanunda? Their show is coming up and entries usually close only a day or two before the show. :)
DeleteTanunda is not far at all, that's a good idea. Gawler is my local I guess, though the little ones appeal to me more! :)
DeleteI went to the Angaston markets this morning which I love to do, and swung past your little farm gate this morning with Angus, I picked up a lovely teacup succulent for my kitchen window and some of your beautiful yoghurt! I nearly popped in to say a quick hello but was in a hurry to get home for Grant as he was waiting to head off and also I figured you would be busy trying to get your work done before the day heated up too much!
xx
Oh Emma, I so wish you would have dropped in. Goodness only knows what sort of mess you'd find me in but who cares? I noticed a succulent missing (the green one) and some honey? Maybe next time you're up here for the market you will have more time to pop in. :)
Deletedoh, my brain meant honey and my hands typed yogurt. In my defense I was eating a bowl of yogurt drizzled in honey so you know.... ;)
DeleteAnd next time I will make sure I leave enough time to pop in. It would be lovely. :)
xx
Congrat's on all your wins at the show, could it be a secret ingredient that won you those prizes.... love.....!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh we have nachi pear envy, last night we ate the 3 only nashi's that the wasps or random bird didn't get to. They are so early this year for us in our Sthn Tassie orchard. So glad that Rhonda from Down to Earth recommend your blog it is such a great read and You and Brian such an inspiration, truly making the world a better place ! Wishing you love and light, Jude (sunflowers and tulips)
So nice to hear from you Jude. Yes, love and good intent go a long way to producing good food... IF the earwigs, harlequin beetles, sparrows, parrots, heat and dry season doesn't beat us to it. lol I'm ever grateful to dear Rhonda for linking my blog so I get to "meet" such lovely people. :)
ReplyDeleteI entered a few things in our show in 2014 but it crept up on me to quickly last year. I'll make sure I do it this year - our show is one of those that is getting smaller with each passing year.
ReplyDeleteAll the car dealers used to display vehicles and now we are the only ones (that suits us!).
Cheers - Joolz xx
Oh, and congratulations on your prize haul - well done you! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Joolz, Oh yes you must keep entering things or your show will diminish year by year until everyone gives up on it. Wouldn't it be such a shame?
DeleteCongratulations, what a wonderful array of prizes for all your lovely produce, well deserved.
ReplyDeleteI entered two of our local shows for the first time last year, got a couple of Seconds at one of them and lots of Seconds and Firsts at the other and I came away with the trophy for the most points in the Vegetable Section, I was so chuffed.
Yes, local shows DO need supporting, the main reason I did so well was that in some of the categories there were only two or three entries and in a couple only me, but listening to chatter in the tent hopefully it has inspired more folk to have a go this year.