A Guided Tour

August 1, 2008 marked the beginning of the NJ State Fair-Sussex County Farm & Horse Show.

Cruddy picture of opening nite fireworks taken with camera phone.

Faithful readers will remember that I entered four items into the Home Economics competition. Because I could not take the suspense of waiting until this weekend to find out the results of the pre-judged competitions, Friday night Damien and I drove over to the Sussex County Fair Grounds.

I grew up in Essex county, NJ which is largely urban and/or suburban but sure as hell not rural. So, as fairs go, I am accustomed to something different than what I saw. The food, the exhibitors and the hometowniness of it all was quite refreshing.

As a result of this reconnaissance mission, I bring to you, my readers...

A Guide to the NJ State Fair

Must sees:

• The home economics competition of course. My work is there proudly displayed with other talented New Jerseyans.
• The photography competition in the Richards Building. New Jersey has some very talented residents.

Must eats:

• Funnel cake...Pennsylvanian Dutch perfection...requires no explanation. They even have Oreos fried in funnel cake batter....(in Homer Simpson voice: ummm...chocolate).
  

• The roasted corn guy. They roast whole ears of corn and then, using the husk as a handle, dip them into butter...words fail to express the yumminess.

Must dos:

• Visit the animals...they definitely remind you of NJ's agricultural roots.There are even a few sheep.
  
• Carnival rides - mostly wooden and on a small scale, a must do especially if you have children with you.
  

Things to Take Home:

• Jersey Fresh produce - They don't call us The Garden State for nothin'.
  
• Jefferson Dairy- If you take 15 South home you will pass this dairy dream. I can personally attest to the Dirty Diaper - chocolate ice cream, with chocolate and other gooey, very tasty chunks. This is a very rich very decadent, very yummy ice cream. And the helpings are on the big side. I had trouble finishing a small cup and I rarely have that problem when faced with a pint of Ben & Jerry's (cough! cough!).

• Pieceful Choices Quilt Shop - This shop is the sponsor of the quilt competition. For the fabric lovers, definitely a place to stop and enhance one's stash.
  

• Pochuck Valley Farms - This little stand on Rt 206 screams hometown. They have fresh locally grown produce, canned treats like watermelon rind jelly, and candies like root beer flavored licorice.
  

The weather is supposed to be lovely, so if your inclined come on out. I'll be there Saturday afternoon around 2PM. My peeps of MYSnB should be milling around as well.

Next post...the ribbon count....

NJ State Fair

When I was a wee tike, I was a Brownie (junior Girl Scout) ...and I never remember doing anything agriculture related. Unless you count digging up the backyard with a Tonka front-loader and dumpster (fun times).

This is a blurry shot of me receiving a pin of some sort.

I did, however, grow up with a lot of gardening and canning at home. My mother tended a small garden patch and the yard included a concord grape vine grown from a cutting from my great-grandmother Gaga's house.

For years in the fall, my mother would freeze and can tomatoes for later use. My Gaga, a lover of all things fermented, would make dessert wine and/or grape jelly with the tons of grapes that we would pick. While I was not much of a helper during those years, I kept my mother distracted by talking my head off...but something must have been sinking in.

I think in direct response to these influences*, I am a lover of many agricultural and culinary traditions like gardening, canning and preserving. This year, in addition to planting heirloom variety tomatoes, I am placing several entries into the NJ State Fair (for my urban/non-ag friends, imagine Charlotte's Web). My plan is to enter several entries.

There is a special contest withing the canning category.

For The One and Only Blueberry Contest

I will be entering Blueberry Orange Preserves (with a dash of hooch). I am in the process of tweaking this recipe because my taste-testers think it is too tart. And that will not do, I am aiming for a ribbon here people!

The second entry...

Pickled Beets. I am not a lover of beets. In fact, I am not even a liker of beets, but my trusted tasters assure me that these are tangy and yummy...so into the contest they'll go.

Last but not least, what's a NJ State Fair without a tomato. My contribution...

Marinara Fra Diavolo. Right now these are just some locally grown tomatoes I bought at Montclair's Farmer's Market. But when the sun to goes down and the heat let's up, they will be magically transformed. I am slightly modifying a recipe I canned last fall and gave as Christmas 2007 gifts. I like spicy things and so a Fra Diavolo is right up my alley.

I received a few surprises in my organic food co-op today so I may decide on an additional entry before Monday's deadline. A taste testing will commence at MY SnB in next week. I'll keep you posted. ~ksp



*The moral to this story. Lesson 1: ADHD survives well into adult hood. Lesson 2: Teach younger folks (your children,nieces, nephews, neighbors) your hobbies. You never know.