Ainslie home grown horticulturalist Dave Joyce won first prize at the Royal Canberra Show for his eggplants yesterday.
In a narrow decision and agonising deliberation he came second and missed the champion's ribbon for his vegie collection.
The judges marked his chutney down because they needed 1cm more in the jar. However apparently the chutney was offered around and sampled with gusto. I may be able to get the recipe from Dave just for you but then again it could be a secret.
The categories for horticulture produce are:
cookery
garden produce
horticulture
jams, spreads and preserves
apiculture
lavender
olives
The sponsors include the lavender growers' association who promote the use of lavender as a herb or spice.
Entries need to be in around the first week of February (for 2012 future reference).
If you like the idea of culinary lavender, kids can enter the following sections:
Your favourite cake with lavender iced or un-iced
chocolate brownies with lavender iced or un-iced
Fancy biscuit or slice with lavender
Muffin with lavender
In the School student section for horticultural produce you can enter:
Collection of any vegetables of four kinds
three zucchini not more than 200mm
3 button squash not more than 75mm
3 potatoes
3 carrots
3 tomatoes
3 cobs of sweet corn (not to be husked)
1 pumpkin
any other vegetable not mentioned
six plums
Any other fruit not mentioned
1 dozen hen eggs
Novelty vegetables or fruit.
There are also categories for fruit or vegetable sculptures for 10 years and under.
I'm very impressed with everyone we know who entered the show produce section - well done! Can't wait to see the entries.
Hi Jemima
ReplyDeleteI just read your comment about the possums. According to my Gardener's Perpetual Almanack you can rid your garden of moles with red herrings. I wonder if red herrings deter possums?
Mel
Lovely!! Red herrings would deter possums and people and...well...just about everything after they'd rotted down a goodly while. They must be a deliberate technique to divert attention. So the Gardener's Perpetual Almanac eh? That sounds like the Mrs Beeton's of the gardening world. You might have to share some more of these tips.
ReplyDeleteJust checked on the origin of the idiom red herring and it sounds like it is a 'red herring' in itself:
'The use of herring to throw off pursuing scent hounds was tested in a 2010 episode of the Discovery Channel series MythBusters. Although the hound used in the test stopped to eat the fish and lost the fugitive's scent for a while, he eventually backtracked and located his target, resulting in the myth being classified as "Busted."'
Jemima