The San Diego County Fair’s Home and Hobby exhibit included a Preserved Foods and Liqueurs contest in which Alpine’s Kathleen Downs obtained the Best of Division ribbon for the Pickles division.
Her bread and butter pickles took first place in the Cucumber, Dill or Sweet class as well as Best of Division for preserved pickles. The pickles were given a boiling water bath.
Downs added a first-place result in the Mixed Relish category of the Relishes and Sauces division. Her mixed cucumber relish utilized powdered pectin.
Four of Downs’ submissions received honorable mention ribbons. Two of those were in the Peach class of the Jams division and both were given a boiling water bath; one of those used liquid pectin while the other utilized powdered modified citrus pectin. The Jams division also gave Downs an honorable mention for her Plum submission; her plum jam utilized pectin with a boiling water bath. Her sticks gave her an honorable mention award in the Any Vegetable category of the Pickles division.
The Home and Hobby exhibit also has a Baked and Decorated Foods and Candy competition. Alpine baker Carol Vincelett received second place in the Drop, Other Than Listed, category of the Cookies division for her pecan powdered entry. Guatay’s Shannon Mackellar took third place in the Cookie class of the Gluten-Free division for her strawberry macaroons with chocolate. The Bar, Other Than Listed, judges of the Cookies division gave an honorable mention ribbon to Jamul’s Melissa Warren for her oatmeal fudge bars.
