fair = fun

August 2012- Oh the Gillespie County Fair.  It has come and gone once again.  And this year I was finally victorious in my quest for a trophy!  

I made quite a few canned goods to enter:

Pecos helped with most of them but I'm pretty sure mashing the strawberries for jam was his favorite task.

I didn't get quite the recognition for my efforts as I expected, but that's about par for the course when it comes to me and the canned goods division there.

Things went much better for me in baked goods.

Pecos did a little better with his entries in baked goods.

He had a few entries for the art division too.

The boys visited Oma in the baked goods and inspected some of the entries.

Some of which needed to be sampled.

And then hit the carnival for a few games and rides.

It was really funny to see Casey trying to get his legs to fit in this airplane ride!

Pecos joined Oma to ride in the parade.

The rest of us were spectators.

See you next year!

the quest has ended

August 2012- The quest for a trophy at the Gillespie County Fair has ended!  I am finally victorious {for my own efforts}!  I won with baked goods for a Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini bread.  And the trophy was donated by Oma- how perfect since she's been my biggest cheerleader and coach on this quest.  

But I'm still after one for canned goods and I'm going to need something better than jelly and jam to win it with.  Perhaps I'll have to attempt a vegetable garden next year...

FAIRly frustrated

August 25, 2011- Time again for the Gillespie County Fair.  And time to continue my quest for a trophy.  Guess what?  I finally got one!  But wait, of course there is a story that goes with it.  Kind of long but bear with me.  It starts out like this:

I've tried to win a trophy with my canned goods (and occasionally baked goods) for the last four years and never seem to even come close.  My mom, the home ec major, taught me those baking and canning skills as part of my 4-H projects.  Every summer we made fig preserves and jelly- usually pepper jelly- to enter in the fair and give as Christmas gifts to friends and family.  My history with canning has always been good and I always did well at the fair back at home, but they don't give out trophies there.  Needless to say, when we moved here I felt compelled to uphold my family (maiden) name in the canned goods category at the Gillespie County Fair.  Why I felt this way, I have no idea.  Honestly, I'd enter something in the fair even if there wasn't a $3 first prize or trophy up for grabs.  There's just something nostalgic about taking top honors at a county fair.

Okay, so I'm a country bumpkin kind of dork.  I admit that and I own it.

Last fall I canned some pickled okra so they'd have plenty of time to set and get all pickled-y (yes, I know that isn't really a word).  Then I made salsa for a family get together and had enough left to can one pint so that too went into the pantry as part of my trophy quest.  Each time I get out the canning pot Pecos becomes interested in the tools of the trade and wants to help.  Since there is a junior division at the fair I let him be my assistant so he can also enter something.  His job is washing the vegetables and helping dunk the jars into boiling water.  He also observes the chopping process and presses the pulse button on the food processor for me.  But he never helps clean up the mess.

Just a month ago we returned from Louisiana with a bounty of fresh peppers from my dad's garden (remember, I'm a country girl and yes, my dad has an enormous garden with a bountiful harvest).  So after hauling- & smelling- these peppers all the way home I gave some of them away and let the others sit on my counter for a week before I finally got a chance to do anything with them.  I got ambitious and wanted to do something different from my usual pepper jelly; since that has never won a trophy I desperately needed to find an alternative strategy.  I settled on making a hot pepper relish from a recipe I found on-line but never tried.  After all the chopping and seeding it went into the pot to cook for a while and if you've ever "cooked down" something for canning you know there is a vast reduction in volume.  So it was for this batch of relish.  I ended up with barely one pint to can.  And my frustration with the lady in charge of the adult division of canned goods grows every year as she refuses to take anything less than a pint sized jar.  Quarts for vegetables and nearly everything except a relish or jelly.  I'll never understand her rationale and she'll never understand why I think it is so wasteful.  This is where the story really gets good, if you are a country bumpkin kind of dork like myself.

Fast forward to today.  I arrived at the fair to enter my canned goods (no baked goods this year because that requires far too much time and concentration than Brazos will allow me to have).  I automatically let Pecos enter the salsa since we only had one jar and there usually isn't much entered in the youth division for salsa.  That left me with pickled okra and hot pepper relish.  I went over to the canned good section to deliver my bounty to my arch nemesis of all things preserved in glass jars.  She refused to take my hot pepper relish because it was in one of those cute new short and squatty PINT-SIZE jars.  Okay, I get it, all of you non-country bumpkin dorks probably don't know what I'm talking about so here it is, sans relish:

And here's the label that foolishly led me to believe I'd done something right:

Canning Queen tells me it is NOT a pint.  I said it was...it even said so on the box.  Canning Queen says no, not really, and then told me "if you would take the time to measure out a pint with a measuring cup and pour it into that jar you would know that it is a little bit less than a full pint".  To which I replied "does it really make that much of a difference for a fair entry if it is just a half ounce or so less than a full pint?"  Canning Queen was not amused.  I assured her the difference in volume (a mere 3 tablespoons- yes, I measured when I got home)  did not put me at a competitive advantage, nor did it pose a risk of botulism or other food safety hazard for the judges.  Canning Queen insisted she wouldn't take it.  I politely said okay and took BOTH of my jars back.  Canning Queen wanted to know why I wouldn't enter my pickled okra.  I told her it wasn't fun anymore, but thanks anyway.

Here's where I'll take a moment to rant for a bit.  In today's times how many people are really canning anymore?  It is sort of a lost skill that is not shared much, although I've read of community canning groups...kind of wish there was one nearby.  Families no longer garden all summer and can everything to make it through the winter.  Why should they- we have H-E-B (a Texas grocery store for any non-locals that may be reading this) and year round access to any produce you could want no matter what the season.  You'd think the canned good know-it-all would just be happy that she has another jar to display and something for her judges to sample.  But no, she gets a kick out of her once-a-year power to make us hobby canners feel embarrassed that we don't know the difference between a pint and an almost pint sized jar.  Enough of that, I'll quit ranting now...thanks for indulging me.

So how did I get the trophy?  Well, I didn't actually get it.  Pecos did!  Since he'd helped with the jars and pushed the button on the food processor, I took the relish over to the junior division where the mean Canning Queen doesn't reign and it was accepted for entry.  In fact, the lady in charge over there- we'll call her "Glinda"- has an attitude that is much more pleasant...she is glad to take whatever comes in as long as it is canned properly.  She doesn't want to discourage kids from learning how to do it- and she is just glad to fill her display shelves, even if it is with my short, squatty, almost pint sized jar.

The call tonight came that Pecos needed to be at the fair tomorrow at 2pm to take a picture with his trophy for winning with the hot pepper relish.  And his prize for BEST OF SHOW HOME PRODUCTS is donated by none other than, you guessed it- the one and only self-declared canned good maven that rejected the not-quite-pint-sized jar.  I wonder if she'll show up to be in the picture?

Now, I know this is not truly a win for me and an end to my trophy quest.  I'll admit there are not near as many entries in the junior division and much better odds at winning an overall prize and trophy.  But you'll have to excuse me while I relish in this moment.

fair-ly well

August 27, 2010- It's Gillespie County Fair time!  One of my favorite times of year...such nostalgia and memories of the Jeff Davis Parish Fair back at home.  The fair is a BIG deal here in Gillespie County.  This year the parade was on my birthday!  Who gets a parade on their birthday? Me, that's who!  Main Street in Fredericksburg begins to fill up the night before with pick-up trucks parked overnight so everyone can get a great view of the parade.  I have become overly obsessed and possibly neurotic when it comes to getting a good spot to view the parade.  This year I parked the truck on Wednesday afternoon.  Yes, I know it is obsessive but I can't help it.  So if you ever want to view a parade in Fredericksburg you can save yourself the hassle of finding a parking spot and come view the parade with us!

Pecos kept the parade moving right along and instructed the entrants to keep moving down the parade route.

This clown thought Pecos was flagging him down for a photo so we indulged him.

It was Brazos' first fair parade and he enjoyed it for the first 15 minutes or so before snoozing for the remainder and it was time to eat again.

As for entries in the fair this year, let's just say they were slightly less abundant than last year.  But with both boys keeping me busy it is a wonder I had time to bake anything at all.  And we didn't have a garden this year- that is a whole other story in itself.  And my chickens have had to vacate the property because of the conflict they were causing with all their hanging out on the porch and creating unsanitary conditions; so no eggs to enter either.

I have never in my life made cinnamon rolls from scratch.  So why in the world would I attempt them for the fair?  Slight lapse of judgement I suppose.  Or just the thrill of doing something different to try and win a trophy since the last few years of cookies and cakes weren't producing one.

Pecos helped in the endeavor that created such chaos in my kitchen.

He was so helpful to point out what part of the recipe I needed to do next.

Here's the result; not too bad for a first attempt.  We both entered them; mine got first place- big surprise because I thought they tasted good but were a bit on the doughy side.

Pecos got third with his, but I let him have my ribbon.

And since I was on a roll (no pun intended), I thought I'd make a loaf of cinnamon swirl bread.  It was a huge flop.  Done on the outside but not cooked on the inside.  Here is the proof just in case you don't believe me.  This loaf went straight in the trash so as not to embarrass the Worrell family name.  

Over the summer (with help from my mom) I managed to do some canning.  And although I don't like jam, jelly or preserves, I do love to make them.  And I love entering them in the fair even more!  But I don't like it when they don't win a trophy.  Here's the deal: I know my food is good.  And even though I don't need a trophy to prove it I still want one.  So I am on a quest to get these taste-bud challenged judges that control the fair into awarding one to me.  I am also on a quest to get them to accept half-pint jars but don't get me started on that rant.

So no trophy this year.  Just first with my pepper jelly and second with blackberry jam.  Pecos got second place with his pickled okra while mine was once again mis-understood.

This was the first year Pecos discovered the carnival rides.  During the fair I made a rapid trip to Louisiana to attend my brother, Eric, and his fiancée, Shellie's, engagement party.  While I was away for less than 36 hours Casey and Pecos hit up the horse races.  Pecos got bored waiting in between the races and told Casey "let's go check out that carnival thing."  Needless to say they didn't make it back to the races.

The motorcycles were a favorite.  Another reason to love the fair: no matter where you go for a county fair the carnival rides remain the same.  It is quite possible I rode this exact same ride 25 years ago.

But this is a new one.  Future big rig driver:

So while the trophy for baked and canned goods eluded me again this year, Pecos had fun and Brazos saw his first fair parade.  Fairly well, indeed.

fair is fair

August 20, 2009- The Gillespie County fair came around and I just couldn't resist the urge to enter something. The county fair back at home was always one of my favorite times of year and our family always had lots of things to enter- from livestock to baked goods, vegetables to arts and crafts. If there was something we made or grew then we found a category to enter it in the fair. So I guess I was re-living my childhood and got excited about the possibility of ribbons (and bragging rights!!). Plus, there is always the chance of winning a trophy and who can resist that? Pecos even got in on the fun; for the past several weeks he's been helping me in the garden and I told him he could enter his vegetables in the fair. He was excited about that! Here's the bounty we brought to the fair (the photo was taken with the camera on my cell phone so the quality is not that great):

The day entries were due I played Betty Crocker and made 4 different cookies and some cupcakes to enter in the baking category. The chocolate cookies were a recipe from a bakery in town...they are my all time favorite cookie but they did not turn out very good at all when I made them. They tasted fine but looked horrible. No more of those in my oven....I'll just stick to buying and enjoying them from Peach Tree. The snickerdoodles were another favorite of mine, but not a favorite of the judges. But the judges did like the macaroons, chocolate chip cookies and cupcakes so it wasn't a total loss.

A week or so before the fair I made a jar of pickled okra the way I had always made it growing up with my grandmother and mother. I was so proud of my efforts but the judges obviously don't know a good pickled okra when they taste one because it didn't get a ribbon. But they sure looked good in the jar! I also had a jar of hot salsa and hot pepper jelly to enter. The jelly got 1st place and the salsa was 3rd. I gave Pecos the best vegetables and eggs to enter and he did pretty good- 1st place butternut squash and cantaloupe and 2nd place snap beans and eggs. My snap beans were 3rd so I guess I need to work a little harder next year in the garden!

And if you know me, you know I take lots of pictures. I'm no professional, I just like to have good pictures. Besides, professionals can't enter photos in the fair anyway! So I decided at the last minute to enter some photos and it was so hard to choose because they only allow two entries per person. This was my animal life photo that got 2nd place. As I was searching through photos taken in the past year I came across this one. It wasn't the one I was looking for but for some reason it struck me as a good entry for the portrait category. And turns out it was- it got 1st place.So another year of the fair has gone by and some of our entries were great and others were not so great. Still no trophy, but the quest will continue next year. I guess you can say the Fair was fair.