A veteran county-fair judge reveals what makes a blue-ribbon vegetable.
For nearly 40 years , Charles O’Dell has been judging vegetable competition , move around the fair electric circuit in Virginia , Tennessee , and North Carolina . He enounce he still finds the employment fascinating .
“ It ’s just nice to see people really work hard to devise decent entries , especially in a tough season like ’ 98 , ” said O’Dell , a horticulture scientist for commercial vegetable at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg . “ There was well-nigh no rainwater . ”
As to what he look for , O’Dell said that never change . He say a manual of arms he found in 1961 is valid now and “ will be in the year 2300 . You ’re looking for tone and uniformness . ”
While fresh variety are always arriving on the garden scene , an unblemished tomato that ’s on-key to type will always trump out one with a crock up hide . But even flawlessness does n’t guarantee blue ribbons . There ’s more to it than that .
adept excuses to confine the field add up from contestants failing to follow the reasonable rule book . “ If it call off for three tomatoes and they posit five , you switch that one out , ” said Robert Cox , a horticulture extension federal agent at Colorado State University . “ If they ca n’t even read the fair book , why should they get a palm . You ’d be astonished at how many hoi polloi get disqualified because of that . ”
Criteria can be very fussy . Take the sweet-flavored corn touchstone put out by the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension in Jefferson County : “ 6 ear , husked , with shanks lop even with the cob . . . a easygoing brush may be used to polish off the silk . . . the silking oddment should not be cut to hide any lack of fill . ”
standard and recitation have n’t been codified throughout the body politic . That ’s why knowing the rules of the fair you ’re shooting for is critical . Generally , entries should be true to type and devoid from damage by pests , disease , and manipulation . Is it the sort of specimen that someone going through the bins at a food market would put in his bag or push by ?
The Colorado State Extension office offers a class for draw a bead on judges that draws 10 to 15 mass a yr . “ Most of all , it takes a willingness to fox yourself into the position of judgement , ” Cox said . While judges are occasionally gainsay on their decisions , it ’s rare .
Craig Andersen , University of Arkansas Extension gardening specialist , said he eff why his rulings have n’t been questioned . “ I ’ve stayed away from flowers , ” he pronounce . “ The most contentious groups are the ones who do flowers . ” – J.B.
— John Bray is an associate editor at Kitchen Gardener .
April 1999
fromKitchen Gardening#20
Fine Gardening recommend merchandise
A.M. Leonard Deluxe Soil Knife & Leather Sheath Combo
Fine horticulture receives a commission for items purchased through link on this web site , include Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertizing programs .
Get our latest steer , how - to article , and instructional video send off to your inbox .
Signing you up …
Related Articles
Be a Blue Ribbon Vegetable Winner
When to Harvest Vegetables
New Fruits and Vegetables for 2014
Vegetables Can Break Your Heart
Join ok horticulture for a gratuitous mesh live webinar sport Dr. Janna Beckerman , a famed plant pathologist as well as professor emerita at Purdue University and the ornamentals technical managing director …
When I spotted a particular backbone dollar cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few months ago , I lie with I was in trouble . With a delicious color design …
When we only prioritize plants we need over plants our landscape needs , each season is satisfy with a never - terminate list of chores : pruning , nobble , watering , treating , repair , and fertilizing , with …
Subscribe today and save up to 47%
Video
Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat
You must be careful when you enter the backyard of garden designer Jeff Epping — not because you ’re potential to trip on something , but because you might be dive - bombed by a brace …
4 Midsummer Favorites From a Plant Breeder’s Garden
Episode 181: Plants You Can’t Kill
Episode 180: Plants with Big, Bold Foliage
4 Steps to Remove Invasive Plants in Your Yard
All Access members get more
contract up for afree trialand get access to ALL our regional content , plus the rest of the extremity - only content library .
bug out Free Trial
Veteran vegetable judge Charles O’Dell, a horticulturalist at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, gets started on a full day of reviewing North Carolina’s finest produce.Photo: John Bray. Veteran vegetable judge: Charles.For nearly 40 years, Charles O’Dell has been judging vegetable contests, traveling the fair circuit in Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. He says he still finds the work fascinating.“It’s just nice to see people really work hard to prepare nice entries, especially in a tough season like ’98,” said O’Dell, a horticulture scientist for commercial vegetables at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. “There was virtually no rain.”As to what he looks for, O’Dell said that never changes. He said a manual he found in 1961 is valid now and “will be in the year 2300. You’re looking for quality and uniformity.”While new varieties are always arriving on the garden scene, an unblemished tomato that’s true to type will always trump one with a cracked skin. But even perfection doesn’t guarantee blue ribbons. There’s more to it than that.Good excuses to limit the field come from contestants failing to follow the fair rule book. “If it calls for three tomatoes and they submit five, you throw that one out,” said Robert Cox, a horticulture extension agent at Colorado State University. “If they can’t even read the fair book, why should they get a ribbon. You’d be amazed at how many people get disqualified because of that.”Criteria can be very particular. Take the sweet corn standard put out by the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension in Jefferson County: “6 ears, husked, with shanks trimmed even with the cob . . . a soft brush may be used to remove the silk . . . the silking end should not be cut to hide any lack of filling.”Standards and practices haven’t been codified throughout the country. That’s why knowing the rules of the fair you’re shooting for is critical. Generally, entries should be true to type and free from damage by pests, disease, and handling. Is it the kind of specimen that someone going through the bins at a grocery would put in his bag or push aside?The Colorado State Extension office offers a class for aspiring judges that draws 10 to 15 people a year. “Most of all, it takes a willingness to throw yourself into the position of judging,” Cox said. While judges are occasionally challenged on their decisions, it’s rare.Craig Andersen, University of Arkansas Extension horticulture specialist, said he knows why his rulings haven’t been questioned. “I’ve stayed away from flowers,” he said. “The most contentious groups are the ones who do flowers.” – J.B.—John Bray is an associate editor at Kitchen Gardener.April 1999fromKitchen Gardening#20Fine Gardening Recommended ProductsA.M. Leonard Deluxe Soil Knife & Leather Sheath ComboFine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.MULTITASKING DUAL EDGES: a deep serrated edge and a tapered slicing edge ideal for tough or delicate cuts. DURABLE 6-inch stainless steel blade withstands 300 lbs of pressure. TWINE CUTTING NOTCH, DEPTH GAUGE MARKINGS & spear point - no need to switch tools when using this garden knife. LEATHER SHEATH: heavy duty, protective, clip on sheath to keep your knife convenient and secure. LIFETIME WARRANTY.Buy at AmazonGet our latest tips, how-to articles, and instructional videos sent to your inbox.Newsletter SignupSign UpSigning you up…This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the GooglePrivacy PolicyandTerms of Serviceapply.See all newsletters
Get complete site access to expert advice , regional content , and more , plus the print magazine .
startle your FREE trial
Already a member?sign in
