Dirt Divas

August 12, 2007

By Hally Truelove

Extending your harvest to the fair

Alas! Gardening season, although it seems hardly to have begun, is drawing rapidly to a close.

Produce is ready for harvest: beets for pickling, berries for preserves, peas for the freezer and salad greens to eat six times a day (a desperate effort to consume the overstock that was planted after a long Alaskan winter to satisfy the craving for garden-fresh vegetables).

As always, there have been some failures. The green beans were planted just before that cold, wet week in early June and most of the seed rotted instead of sprouting. The two weeks of unseasonable heat in late June sent the broccoli to seed before the plants were mature. And the slugs ate the giant cabbage intended for the weigh-off. For reasons unknown, the slugs could not be persuaded to help munch the excessive salad greens. The cabbage is the biggest disappointment, as even a modest showing in the weigh-off (first through 12th places pay cash prizes) would go a good way towards paying the cost of this year's seed supply, besides being an opportunity to show off a success - had there been one.

Of course, there have been many more successes than not. The apples are ripening early, the bluebird clematis is repeat blooming, never have the lilies bloomed so heavily and the moderate planting of zucchini is producing enough to replace the failed broccoli in many gardens. The chance to display these successes, and pay for the seed cost, still exists without a cabbage for the weigh-off. Try entering your best in several categories at the Alaska State Fair. Amongst others, there are divisions for herbs, annuals, perennials, fruits, vegetables, canning, pickles, floral arrangements, jams and jellies, wines, wild berries and, best of all, a giant division for the largest of anything grown, even cabbages that survived the slugs but didn't make it to the weigh-off.

Perishable goods - that is, those freshly harvested - can be entered twice; once on Aug. 22 and again Aug. 29. Most divisions require several samples per entry and judge on appearance, size, uniformity, color, taste and freedom from dirt, disease and insect damage. Perhaps pest damage would be a better phrase, as slugs and moose are particularly fond of anything we might be eyeing for competition. The giant division waives some of these requirements, as only one sample is needed and taste is not important, although the entry is supposed to be edible if it is a food product. Some flowers require only a single stem and taste is out of the question. For floral arrangements, another set of criteria apply, including originality, creativity and container choice. But again, freedom from pests and disease is important. Non-perishable items, unfortunately, had only one entry date, which was the Friday and Saturday just past, but produce put up now can be entered next year, as it qualifies for up to 12 months. All entry items become property of the fair, so don't use the last jar of blueberry jam or the largest bottle of prized wine, as you are not likely to recover it.

All entries must be correctly labeled and entered in the right category or they will be disqualified. Each fair department has a knowledgeable superintendent who can be helpful in sorting out correct entry information. A fair book, with all of the details about entry divisions, specific times, prizes and other criteria, is available online at www.alaskastatefair.org or, if one does not have Internet access, the pertinent sections from the book can be requested from the fair office. One also needs to acquire a good-for-a-lifetime fair entry number from the office.

Despite the trend of the fair becoming more and more commercialized, it has retained this place for the home grower to compete for prestige and prizes. There are a few gardeners who enter faithfully year after year, but their number is dwindling. A burgeoning increase in participants might help ensure that the fair does not close this competition altogether, as it costs rather more in prizes and staffing than it attracts visitors, although people still flock to see the giant vegetables, so this would be a good division to enter. Here is a great opportunity to promote horticulture in Alaska by showing the wonderful quality and variety of agricultural goods we can produce.

Who knows, one may yet pay for those seeds.