Come one, come all! Preservers of all ages are invited to enter Hollywood Farmers Market’s first annual Preserves Contest! Entries will be accepted at the farmers market Information Booth (corner of 44th and Hancock) on the following dates: September 17th and 24th, and October 1st and 8th. Winning preserves will be judged by a panel of experts from the local food community, and announced at the farmers market on Saturday, October 15th.
How to Enter:
The categories are:
Sweet Preserves: Jams, chutneys, fruit butters, canned fruits, pie fillings, etc. If it satisfies the sweet tooth, it belongs in this category.
Savory Preserves: Everything else! Pickles, salsas, sauces, and much more!
Professional Preserves: A category for farmers market vendors and other professional preservers. Submit your best water-bath-style preserve (no meats or low-acid preparations, please) to this category. Your submission may be a product you sell at the market or elsewhere, or something from your home kitchen. Note: market vendors and professional preservers may enter a preserve in this category only.
Please include a registration form with your entry. You can print it from here and fill it out in advance, or pick up a copy at the information booth.
Requirements:
– Water-bath preserves only. We are not able to store or display products that require refrigeration or freezing, so all entries must be shelf-stable and unopened. Entries must conform to USDA home-canning recommendations.
– Each entry must include two identical, standard-shaped glass jars of the preserve, half-pint sized or larger. One of these jars will be opened and sampled by the judges. The other jar will be displayed at the market on October 15th, and you are welcome to come by and pick it up at the end of the market day (between 12 noon and 1pm).
– All entries must be labeled on the side of the jar (not the lid) with the name of the preserve. Please do not put your name on the jar; we will identify your jars with a number when you submit them.
– All entries must include a copy of the recipe (including processing method) and an entry form. You can pick up the entry form at the farmers market information booth.
– Limit of two entries per person, per category.
– Anyone is eligible to enter the Preserves Contest, with the exception of Hollywood Farmers Market staff, and Contest judges. Farmers market vendors and other professional preservers must enter in the Professional Preserves category.
A panel of judges selected by the Hollywood Farmers Market will evaluate preserves entered into the showcase and award winners. All entries will be evaluated at the judges’ discretion with special attention to:
Appearance: The unopened jar has a pleasing appearance, including but not limited to: bright colors, visually interesting shapes and textures, clarity of brine, and artistic placement of the ingredients in the jar.
Flavor: The entry exhibits balanced flavors that highlight and complement the preserve’s main fruit or vegetable ingredient(s). It is not overly cooked or excessively spiced, salted, or sweetened.
Texture: The entry exhibits a pleasing and appropriate texture that is consistent throughout the product (all the pickled vegetables in the jar are crunchy) or skillfully combines contrasting textures (a berry jam with some whole fruit and some mashed fruit).
Overall Quality: The entry and accompanying recipe exhibit a clean physical appearance (no suspended bubbles, scum, cloudiness, or off colors) and displays knowledge of good canning technique (outside of jar and rim are clean, proper headspace observed, appropriate use of acidic and non-acidic ingredients).
