Exhibiting in a fair or gardening club competition can teach
you how to make a
picture-perfect display of your garden vegetables.
Whether you plan to exhibit or just make the best impression
at your table, here are
some tips on making your veggies look their best.
Asparagus.
Select straight,
dark green spears at least 1/2 inch diameter at the butt end.
Trim to a uniform length of
7 to 8 inches. Display in water to prevent wilting.
Beets.
Roots should be
well-colored, smooth, tender and well-shaped according to
variety. Select roots 1-1/2 to
2-1/2 inches in diameter. Allow most of tap root to remain.
Trim tops 1 to 1-1/2 inches.
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Broccoli. Select heads that are
fresh, firm, tender, tight and crisp. Color should be dark
green with a bluish cast, with
no yellow florets. The head should be at least 3 inches, with
the stalk 6 to 8 inches
long. Remove all leaves below the head.
Brussels
sprouts.
Sprouts should not be less than 1 inch in diameter. They should
be round, fresh and firm.
Stems should be smoothly trimmed to about 1/4 inch.
Cabbage. Heads should be firm,
crisp and heavy for their size. Don’t trim excessively, but
remove loose leaves, keeping
the last two to three wrapper leaves that show the field color
rather than the shaded
undercolor. Cut the stem squarely at the base of the outermost
leaf.
Cantaloupe or
Muskmelon.
Most melons will be of the netted type. These separate from
their stems when ripe and
should be shown without stem attached. Crenshaw melons should
be represented in a separate
class and shown with about an inch of stem attached. Select
well-formed, round fruits with
slightly sunken stem scar. Netting should be well-defined with
the rind showing a grayish
or yellowish tinge. Clean with a soft brush rather than
washing.
Carrots. Select straight roots
typical of the variety, free from cracks, knots and greening of
the shoulders. Cut tops
squarely about 1 inch long. Remove stumps of dead leaves. Wash
free of soil carefully, but
don’t scrub.
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Cauliflower. Select heads
that are firm, crisp, white and free of graininess and
roughness. The head should be 5 or
more inches in diameter. It should not be granular or ricy.
Remove lower wrapper leaves.
Chinese
cabbage. Heads
should be thick, firm and crisp. Allow two to four outer leaves
to remain. Heads may be
washed and dried before showing.
Cucumbers. Cut from vine with
about 1/4 inch of stem. Wipe gently to clean and remove spines.
Wash only if necessary.
Select smooth, straight, crisp, dark green fruit. Yellowing or
softening indicate
overripeness. Cucumbers should have at least two classes:
picklers and slicers. Picklers
should not be more than about 1-1/2 inches in diameter and 5
inches long. Slicers should
not be more than 2-1/2 inches in diameter and generally range
between 6 to 9 inches.
Longer types are OK if characteristic of the variety.
Dry
Beans. Unshelled dry beans
are harvested, selected and displayed in the same way as fresh
beans. They may not be
washed, but trash will have to be removed by careful
brushing.
Eggplant. Select normal-sized
fruit, well-colored without greening or bronzing. Color should
be deep purple, nearly
black. The calyx or "cap" should be bright green with
about 1/2 inch of stem
remaining. Don’t oil fruits to increase shine, but polish
lightly with a soft cloth.
Endive. Select full crisp, fresh
plants. Wash roots and exhibit with roots in water.
English
Peas. Select large,
plump, bright green pods well-filled with seeds at the eating
stage. Don’t wash, and
handle carefully to preserve the waxy "bloom" on the
pods.
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Garlic. Select plump,
well-colored bulbs with dry necks. Trim top to 1/2 to 1 inch
and roots to 1/4 inch.
Kale.
Select plants with bright
stems and dark green, crisp leaves. Wash roots and exhibit
whole plant with roots in
water. Lower leaves may be removed if discolored.
Kohlrabi. Select firm, tender
stems 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 inches in diameter. If dirty, they should
be washed and dried. Trim
tops to allow only 1 to 2 inches remaining, and trim bottoms to
1/2 inch.
Lettuce. Select full, crisp
plants with well-colored leaves typical of variety. Wash roots
and exhibit one entire
plant with roots in water. Lower, discolored leaves may be
removed.
Lima
Beans. Select
full-size, dark green pods that are still tender and fresh.
Beans inside should be
well-developed. Don’t use pods that have begun to yellow.
Arrange neatly as described for
snap beans.
Okra.
Select fresh, green, fairly
straight pods no longer than 4 inches with about 1/2 inch of
stem attached. Clean by
gently brushing, but do not wash pods.
Onions. May be classed by type as
flat (Bermuda), round, top shape (Grano or Granex) and torpedo,
with further breakdowns by
color (red, yellow, white). Select large, smooth, clean bulbs.
The neck should be dry and
trimmed to 1/2 to 1 inch. Brush clean and remove extremely
loose outer dry skins. Leave on
dry skin that is clean and fairly tight to the bulb. Don’t peel
onions beyond dry, mature
skins. Roots should be clean and left on the bulb, although
they may be trimmed back to no
less than 1/2 inch for a neater display. Never cut them off
entirely.
Parsnips. Select medium-sized,
smooth, straight roots, free of side roots. Roots may be washed
and dried. Trim tops to 1
to 2 inches.
Peas (southern,
blackeye, crowder). These are actually beans and
should be displayed as
described in the section on dried beans.
Peppers
(hot). Select for
uniform color, shape and size. Leave about 1/2 inch of stem. A
class of dried hot peppers
is sometimes included.
Peppers
(sweet). Colors
(green, red, yellow) should be displayed as separate classes.
Green peppers should not be
streaked with red. Select large, deeply colored, heavy fruits.
Cut stem squarely 1/2 to 1
inch long. Select for uniform number of lobes. Wipe clean if
necessary.
Potatoes. White, red, russet.
Select carefully for uniform shape and size. Don’t display any
tubers with greening in the
skins. Wash gently if necessary, but if they’re fairly clean,
brush with a soft brush for
best results. Skin should be mature and not flake up easily
when rubbed or handled.
Potatoes should not appear scrubbed.
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Pumpkin. Select only symmetrical
round or oval fruits. Each pumpkin should stand upright and
have a uniform color typical
of the variety. Cut stems 2 to 3 inches long, depending on the
size of the pumpkin. Wash
or wipe clean, but don’t polish away the natural wax on the
surface.
Pumpkin
(Cushaw).
This plant is a member of a small, intermediate species of
pumpkins and squash and is
sometimes listed as a crookneck squash. It is distinctive
enough to be shown separately
and should not compete with other pumpkins. It should have hard
skin and prominent white
and green streaking. The curve of the neck on all fruit in a
display should be similar.
Radish. Select smooth, brightly
colored or pure-white roots characteristic of variety. Wash and
dry roots, and remove
discolored leaves. Exhibit with leaves in a bunch or
bunches.
Rhubarb. Rhubarb should have
uniform color. Stalks should be about 1 inch or more across the
flat face at the center of
the stalk. Stalks should be straight, not curved or twisted.
Tops should be neatly
trimmed, leaving 1 to 2 inches of leaves and prongs. Remove
basal husks. Bundle stalks for
exhibit.
Snap
Beans. Green or yellow,
pole or bush. Display whole with about 1/4 inch of stem,
cleaned and free of trash or
spent blossoms. Pods should be plump and fleshy with small
seeds from 1/4 to 1/8 inch in
diameter. Select pods the same degree of curvature and arrange
with stems and curves
facing the same way.
Spinach. Select thick, crisp,
deeply colored plants. Wash roots and remove any lower,
discolored leaves. Exhibit with
roots in water.
Squash
(Summer).
Straightneck, crookneck, zucchini, etc. Harvest close to time
of exhibit and hold in
refrigeration. Summer squash should be young and tender. Brush
gently to clean, or wash if
necessary. Largest sizes are undesirable in this crop. Best
eating-stage size is as
follows: Crookneck, 4 to 5 inches long; Zucchini, 6 to 7 inches
long; Scallop, 2 inches
diameter. Trim stems to 1/4 to 1/2 inch.
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Squash
(Winter). (Acorn,
butternut, buttercup, Hubbard, etc.) Harvest when well
matured with hard rinds.
Color should be fully developed and typical of variety. Brush
gently to clean, or wash if
essential, but don’t remove any waxy natural covering that may
be present in some
varieties. Leave about 1 inch of stem. Select sizes typical of
the type or variety.
Sweet
corn. Select fully
filled ears with kernels at "milky" stage. Top end
may be opened neatly and
carefully to check for maturity and earworms. Check for
complete filling of ears by firmly
grasping ears in several positions. Husk should feel tight over
entire surface. It’s best
to carve "window" in side of husk to expose several
rows of kernels. Dry silks
that are firmly attached need not be removed, or may be trimmed
back to about 1 inch.
Neatly cut off shank about 1 inch below cob. "Roasting
ears" of field corn
should not be entered in sweet corn class. Brush any dirt off
ears, and sprinkle with
water occasionally before exhibiting to preserve freshness.
Sweet
potatoes. Select
and clean as for Irish potatoes. Avoid breaking stems and
"tail" roots back into
the main flesh. Avoid crooked potatoes or those with corky
patches. Well-shaped roots of
medium size are better than extremely large roots of poor
shape. Very slender roots also
are not desirable.
Swiss
chard. Select crisp,
well-colored leaves with bright, tender stems. Leaves and stems
should be 8 to 10 inches
long. Wash if necessary, and exhibit with stems in water.
Tomatoes. Tomatoes should be
shown in separate classes by color or form: red, pink, yellow,
cherry, pear, etc. They
should be full-colored and at peak maturity, but not overripe.
Varieties without cracking
or green shoulders are best. Show with stem end down and stem
and calyx removed. Clean
carefully — don’t wash unless you absolutely must. Don’t cover
with film or other
moisture-proof material. Size should be typical of variety.
Blossom end scar should be
minimal although the accepted size may vary with variety.
Turnips.
Select smooth, firm
roots with good color and no side roots. Roots should be 2 to 4
inches in diameter, but
uniform in size within display. Cut tops back to about 1 inch.
You don’t have to cut back
the tap root, but may remove as much of the very thin end as
needed to make it look its
best.
Watermelon. Select large,
well-shaped, symmetrical melons with good color typical of
variety. Mature melons may have
creamy or yellow bottom. Don’t plug melon for exhibit, although
the judge may plug it if
competition is close and there is some question about maturity.
Overripe melons often look
dull and are somewhat springy when pressed. Melons at best
eating stage should look
velvety. When cleaning melons, don’t remove waxy covering.
Leave 1 to 1.5 inches of stem
on melon.
