Upcoming county fairs to present baking contests
Bakers, get your aprons and whisks ready because time is drawing near for the annual baking contest at the Jacktown and Greene County fairs.
Cash prizes will be awarded for the best apple pie, chocolate and angel food cakes, and cookies, brownies and bars.
Blue Ribbon Apple Pie Contest
The 30th annual Blue Ribbon Apple Pie baking contests will be held on Tuesday, July 18, at the Jacktown Fair and Monday, Aug. 7, at the Greene County Fair. The contest is sponsored by the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs.
More than 100 fairs across Pennsylvania will offer cash prizes for the best pie. These two fairs’ contests are preliminary competitions that lead to the selection of the final Blue Ribbon Apple Pie winner held each January at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show. The first-place winner at the Farm Show will be awarded a cash prize of $500 for their winning entry. Other cash prizes will also be available for the top five entries.
The Blue Ribbon Apple Pie Contest is open to any Pennsylvania resident; only one entry per person. Entrants may not have won first place in this contest at any other fair in 2017.
For the contest, pies must include at least 60 percent apples in the filling. It does not need to be a traditional two-crusted apple pie, and it can have a variety of fillings.
The entire pie must be submitted for judging in a disposable pie pan. No pans, plates and dishes will be returned.
The recipe for the pie and pie crust must be submitted with the entry. It should be submitted on an 8 1/2-inch by 11-inch sheet of paper. The recipe must list all ingredients, quantities and preparation instructions. The entrant’s name, address and phone number must be printed on the back side of all the pages. All recipes and pies will become the property of the fairs and PA Farm Show and will not be returned.
Refrigeration is not available at the fairs or PA Farm Show. Entries that require refrigeration after baking must indicate so on the recipe. Those entries will not be sold, auctioned or otherwise distributed for consumption after judging for food safety reasons.
The pies will be judged on the following point system:
n 30 points for flavor;
n 25 points for filling (consistency, doneness, moistness and flavor);
n 20 points for crust (color, flavor, texture, doneness);
n 15 points for overall appearance; and
n 10 points for creativity.
For more information on entry requirements, call Melody Burns, Jacktown Fair, at 724-428-3617 or Jan Scott, Greene County Fair, at 724-627-9756.
The entry deadline for the Greene County Fir is Friday, June 30.
Homemade Chocolate Cake
The 2017 Homemade Chocolate Cake contest will be held on Tuesday, July 18, at the Jacktown Fair and Monday, Aug. 7, at the Greene County Fair. The contest is sponsored by the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs (PSACF).
PSACF has been in existence since 1912. Over 100 member fairs, associations or societies hold annual events that showcase the Commonwealth’s top industries – agriculture and tourism.
An estimated 5.5 million people visit Pennsylvania fairs each year to enjoy amusements, food, entertainment, judged competitions and the rich Pennsylvania agricultural heritage. Visit pafairs.org to learn more about a PSACF Fair near you.
For the Homemade Chocolate Cake contest, participants must be an individual amateur baker and a resident of Pennsylvania. The entry must be a layered chocolate cake made from “scratch.” The entry must be frosted and the frosting must also be made from “scratch.” The cake recipe must feature chocolate or cocoa as a main ingredient.
More than 100 fairs across Pennsylvania will offer cash prizes for the best Homemade Chocolate Cake contest. These two local fairs’ contests are preliminary competitions that lead to the selection of the final Homemade Chocolate Cake blue ribbon winner each January at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg. The first place winner at the Farm Show will be awarded a cash grand prize of $500 for the winning chocolate cake recipe.
For a complete list of rules, contact Melody Burns at 724-428-3617 for the Jacktown Fair and Jean Scott at 724-627-9756 for the Greene County Fair. The entry deadline for the Greene County Fair contest is Friday, June 30.
Angel Food Cake Contest
The 14th annual INCREDIBLE Angel Food Cake contest is returning to the competitive exhibit lineup at the fairs this year. The contest, sponsored by Pennsylvania Egg Farmers and the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs, will be held on Tuesday, July 18, at the Jacktown Fair and Monday, Aug. 7, at the Greene County Fair.
Baking a cake is a very rewarding area of home cookery. There are two main types of cakes, butter and foam (egg-leavened). Angel food is the classic example of a foam cake. The cake is 100 percent fat free and, because of the eggs, is a good source of the highest quality protein, as well as a source of choline, which is essential to memory and brain development.
Entrants may not have won first place in this Angel Food Cake contest at any other fair in 2017.
Prizes awarded at both fairs will be first place, $25; second place, $15; and third place, $10. The winning cake will be eligible for competition at the Pa. Farm Show in January 2017, where the winner will receive $500 for first place.
When entering your cake, you must also submit the recipe.
Cakes will be judged on the following point system:
n 30 points for flavor (smell, taste and flavoring);
n 25 points for inside characteristics (texture and lightness);
n 20 points for overall appearance (surface, size and color);
n 15 points for creativity; and
n 10 points for topping, icing or decoration.
If you have any questions, contact Melody Burns at 724-428-3617 for the Jacktown Fair and Jean Scott at 724-627-9756 for the Greene County Fair. The entry deadline for the Greene County Fair contest is Friday, June 30.
PA Preferred Junior Baking Cookies, Brownies and Bars
The 2017 PA Preferred Junior Baking Cookies-Brownies-Bars contest will be held on Tuesday, July 18, at the Jacktown Fair and Monday, Aug. 7, at the Greene County Fair.
The contest is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s PA Preferred program and coordinated by the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs.
The goal of this NEW PA Preferred Junior Baking Contest is to highlight Pennsylvania agriculture by featuring locally grown grains, fruit and vegetables, as well as locally produced dairy products and eggs in the contest entries.
Contest participants must be an individual amateur baker age 8 through and including 18 years old and a resident of Pennsylvania. The cookies, brownies or bars entry must include three out of the five PA Preferred featured ingredient categories. A comprehensive list of products is available on the PA Preferred website.
More than 100 fairs across Pennsylvania will offer cash prizes for the best PA Preferred cookies, brownies or bars in the Junior Baking Contest.
These two fairs’ contests are preliminary competitions that lead to the selection of the final PA Preferred Junior Baking Contest Cookies, Brownies and Bars blue ribbon winners each January at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg. First place winners at the Farm Show will be awarded a cash grand prize of $500 for the winning PA Preferred cookie, brownie or bar recipe.
For a complete list of rules, contact Melody Burns at 724-428-3617 for the Jacktown Fair and Jean Scott at 724-627-9756 for the Greene County Fair. The entry deadline for the Greene County Fair contest is Friday, June 30.