By Marci Lutsky
Has anyone ever said that you make the best peach pie or the best salsa? If so, you should consider entering one of the many food contests happening this summer at area farmers markets. It’s a really fun experience, especially to do so with kids and who knows, you might just win a really cool prize! Many summers ago my kids and I won second place in the Margate Community Farmers Market peach pie contest and it was an experience we will never forget.
If you are a pie baker, there are two peach pie contests coming up for you to enter. The Margate Community Farmers Market contest will be held on Thursday, July 18th. Pies need to be registered by 9:30 and judging will begin at 10:00. If you only think of blueberries when you think of Hammonton, you will be pleasantly surprised to know that the 7th Annual Hammonton Peach Party will take place on Saturday, July 27th which includes a peach pie contest. If baking isn’t your thing, no worries. The Ventnor City Farmers Market will host their annual salsa contest again this year, with judging taking place on Friday, July 26th. There are different categories to win and awards will be $50 market certificates. Salsa recipes are endless so this is a really fun one. I’m thinking of entering a peach salsa for this one.
So how do you go about preparing to enter one of these contests? The first thing you need to do is find out the rules. You want to make sure you follow all instructions so you don’t spend hours preparing only to find out you skipped an important step. Next you need to test out recipes. You want your recipe to stand out but not be too far outside the box. When my kids and I won second place in the peach pie contest, we went with a recipe that we had been making for years with apples, just swapping out the fruit. The secret to our recipe was the most delicious and flaky homemade crust. You also want to consider presentation. Most farmers market days over the summer are extremely hot so make sure your recipe is visually appealing and will stand up to the heat. Find out what time your dish needs to be on the table for judging and don’t be late! Most importantly, if you decide to enter one of these contests, have fun with it! Winning is always great especially when it involves a gift certificate but it’s the experience that you will remember.
So dust off those cookbooks (or browse the internet) to find the best of best pie or salsa recipe. Recipe testing is highly recommended. Don’t just make something for the first time on contest day and enter it. Recipe tasters are easy to find and let them know you would like honest feedback. If you enter one of these contests,, good luck and I would love to hear how it went!
Marci Lutsky is a food blogger at Vegging at the Shore, www.veggingattheshore.com and can be reached at veggingattheshore@gmail.com.
