By Mary Ann Lienhart Cross
County Extension Director

It is county 4-H fair time and a wonderful time for you to be a part of entering the many competitions. I am focusing this column on all of the food contests that are a part of the Home and Family Arts Building at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair. The dedicated volunteers need many of you to make the time to be a part by entering the contests. All of these contests have prize money, some of them have extra nice prizes and there are other awards and ribbons.

I know it takes your time, money and effort to be a part and I am really trying to encourage you to enter. I am only giving you highlights in the column. For a copy of the guidelines and rules there are three ways you can get them, on our office website, call us at (574) 533-0554 or our office foyer is open all the time and copies of this year’s lavender open class booklet are located there.

Entries for Culinary Arts-Baking are checked-in on Thursday, July 21, from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. with open judging around noon. Fair president Dr. Robert Zell’s baked item, rhubarb pie, is checked-in from 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Please note the crust can be single, double, or Dutch, but no rhubarb cream or custard.

Special contests this year celebrate our Indiana Bicentennial. They are on Saturday, July 23 with check-in being from 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Judging begins around noon. There are four categories and you can enter one in each. They are Indiana sugar cream pie, any baked item using a recipe over 50 years, any food item such as candy, and any kind of bread.

We are also celebrating the ‘Year of the Carrot’ on July 23 with anything you make with carrots but it cannot be carrot cake. The emphasis is on a carrot dish where the main ingredient is carrots. The check-in is at 4:30 p.m. and the judging is at 5 p.m.

On Monday, July 25 is the ‘Dairy Delicious’ contest with two categories you can enter: party foods, and main dishes. The check-in time is 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. On Tuesday July 26 is the 33rd Annual Senior Citizen Cookies contest with check-in from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. There are three categories to enter: bar, drop and formed, but no brownies; you bring 6 cookies on the plate.

There are also two more contests highlighting vegetables and fruits, one is on Wednesday, July 27 and is ‘Anything Goes with Locally Grown Eggplant’ and the check in is just like the Dairy Delicious. The other one is “Bursting with Blueberries” on Friday, July 29 and the check-in time is the same as the others.

The last Saturday, July 30, there are three contest, ‘The Great Homemade Ice Cream Crank-Off’, ‘Best of Michiana Ribs’, and the ‘Byler Lienhart Cook-Off.’ For the ice cream contest, the check-in is from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. with judging being at noon. The ribs and the beef, lamb, pork grilling contests are held by the lamb barn with check-in at 9 a.m. and the judging beginning at 11:30 a.m. Ground meats are judged first followed by the cuts.

 To participate you really need a copy of the rules so use the information in the first part of the column to locate them. Sure hope you participate. I look forward to seeing you at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair.