State Fair Only Garden

[AJ Drew]

First year going to the state fair with peppers to enter / display.  It is driving me frigging nuts.  Lots of different categories, rules, and the real fun one.  If you enter lets say a Red. Sav in the hab competition, then you can not enter a Red. Sav in your mixed red pepper competition.  Making it more of a challenge to figure out, what will be ripe in time.  It all has to work together like a jigsaw puzzle.  So coming up with plan for next year.  A state fair only garden.

I am going to keep a picture garden out front.  You know, the one you keep perfectly weeded, maybe use that black plastic and put really nice mulch or gravel on top.  In that garden is going to be nothing but what I am going to enter in the State Fair.

Does that sound over the top?  Is anyone else involved in State our County fair with things from your garden?  My neighbor Randal is involved in the tractor pulls.  Asked him about the money, he said it is about the bragging rights and usually costs more to enter than its worth.  Produce is about the same.  You get bragging rights.  Kind of want some.

 

[Walchit]

I'm sure before the internet it was one of the best places to meet like minded people. I'm from a small town and I remember going to the 4-H fair we always had. They were pretty fun. Good luck on those bragging rights!

 

[AJ Drew]

Thanks for the well wishes.  Gotta admit, feel kind of silly.

 

[Guatemalan Insanity Pepper]

First year going to the state fair with peppers to enter / display.  It is driving me frigging nuts.  Lots of different categories, rules, and the real fun one.  If you enter lets say a Red. Sav in the hab competition, then you can not enter a Red. Sav in your mixed red pepper competition.  Making it more of a challenge to figure out, what will be ripe in time.  It all has to work together like a jigsaw puzzle.  So coming up with plan for next year.  A state fair only garden.

I am going to keep a picture garden out front.  You know, the one you keep perfectly weeded, maybe use that black plastic and put really nice mulch or gravel on top.  In that garden is going to be nothing but what I am going to enter in the State Fair.

Does that sound over the top?  Is anyone else involved in State our County fair with things from your garden?  My neighbor Randal is involved in the tractor pulls.  Asked him about the money, he said it is about the bragging rights and usually costs more to enter than its worth.  Produce is about the same.  You get bragging rights.  Kind of want some.

I enter Jams, Jellies, and Peppers in our state fair. 
 The prizes don't even pay enough to cover the cost of making a batch of jam  but those ribbons !
and knowing that not only did you make top 20 in the state (yours will be on display during the fair here Only if you made top 20 in that category) but winning!..
My wife get's so excited for me when i make top 3 you'd think we won a new vehicle or something
 
I've won several 1st-3rd for my preserves. Last year i got; two 2nd place ribbons one in Jam, one in Jelly, a 4th place for live pepper plant with Bellingrath Gardens. and in 2015, I Won 1st in the small hot pepper category with Aribibi Gusano (my first top 3 with peppers)
 
I don't plant a separate garden for pepper entries, i just pick what i want to enter from what i am already growing in grow pouch's that looks good at that time of year
 
you'll probably learn a lot the first year you enter.  I did
I learned little things like; here they judge the peppers themselves on uniformity and they ideally should all look as close to identical in size and shape, as well as ripeness, well that eliminates several from me even trying to enter and is good info to know 
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks for the well wishes.  Gotta admit, feel kind of silly.

 I don't think you need to feel silly
it's fun, and bragging rights are nice too
That Blue Ribbon is important to me just because it's so difficult to get
 
 
 
 
Best of luck to you
may you get Blue Ribbons  

 

[t0mato]

^^^

Super cool.

 

[Guatemalan Insanity Pepper]

found some old pics of the fabulous prizes 

 

yep that's it, a cheap ribbon  ,oh and i got a check for $12  for each 1st place (that's less than the cost of admission to the fair   )
but those bragging rights 
 
I can't find last years, maybe i'll have to drag out the ribbons and take a pic of all of them 
 
 

 

[t0mato]

Minnesota state fair...nice! That's a huge one.

I actually thought about entering some chili plants in next year's fair a couple weeks ago.

 

[AJ Drew]

You guys are frigging great.  I really feel kind of hokey.  Not for entering, but because it means so damn much to me.  Right now our online store sells out every day.  Thing is, could be listing more but I am terrified I wont have the best examples for the fair.  So the thing is not just costing money to enter, I am killing my own sales for it.  Not tons, but still.

I so want a stupid ten cent ribbon that says I have award winning peppers.  Now trying to figure out how to meet the categories.  I keep reading and rereading the rules, trying to figure out the best combinations.  Going to assume, in following years it wont feel this way.  But the closer I get, the more terrified I am.