- Author: Ariel Clay
San Joaquin 4-H will be partnering with the San Joaquin Asparagus Festival again this year to offer the Asparagus Recipe Contest on April 23rd!
The contest is open to everyone of all ages, so share this opportunity throughout your community. Participants are welcome to enter any dish as long as it contains fresh, frozen, or canned asparagus.
Participants must register for the contest by April 7th. To enter, download the Asparagus Recipe Contest form and submit a completed copy to the County 4-H Office by the deadline. Entries must be delivered to the Livestock Pavilion between 11:00am-12:00pm on the 23rd; judging will begin promptly at noon. Participants will receive free entry into the Festival on the day of the contest so that they can drop off their entries and then enjoy the Festival.
There are four categories that recipes may be entered under: main dish, side dish, dessert, and preserves. Each category will offer three age divisions: 12 or under, 13-18, 19 & over. Best of Show will receive a $50 award, and each category will award $20 to 1st Place, $10 to 2nd Place, and $5 to 3rd place in each age division.
Please make sure you read the rules and procedures thoroughly; entries that do not follow the contest guidelines may be disqualified.
- All food contest recipes must use asparagus - fresh, frozen, or canned.
- On the day of the event, food entries must be brought to the Livestock Pavilion of the San Joaquin Fairgrounds between 11:00am and 12:00pm. Late food entries may be disqualified!
- Food entries and containers will become the property of the Festival; items will NOT be returned.
- The finished product must be accompanied by 1 copy of your recipe on standard 3x5 or 4x6 recipe cards. The Festival reserves the right to refuse any entry without the recipe attached. DO NOT write your name on the recipe cards!
- Exhibitors must have made their own food entries.
- An entry eligible for more than one class will be entered and judged only in the class for which it best qualifies. Entries not properly labeled for their class may be reassigned by Festival management, whose decision may be changed only by the judges.
- Exhibitors may enter more than one entry per class. No substitutions can be made after the registration deadline.
- The Festival management has the right to limit entries to facilities available and/or cancel any class in which there are not enough entries. Any return of entries under this rule will be done on a nondiscriminatory basis.
- The Festival management shall not be responsible for accidents or losses that may occur to any of the exhibitors of food entries at the Festival, and the exhibitors shall hold harmless and indemnify it against any legal proceedings arising from such accidents or loss. Enter at your own risk!
- All rights to recipes and photos become the property of the Festival and may be used for promotional purposes.
- Festival management has the right to remove any entry that is ineligible for competition, is not in the best interest of the Festival, endangers the public, or has violated Festival rules.
- The management is not responsible for any errors in entries. Exhibitors found guilty of any unethical practices related to the exhibitor or violating any of these rules will forfeit all premiums awarded and other privileges as determined appropriate by Festival management.
- The Festival management shall withhold awards for any entries determined ineligible.
- The awards ceremony will take place at 3:00pm on Sunday.
- All home canned entries (jams, pickles, etc.) MUST follow correct USDA or UC canning procedures for safety and be sealed in properly processed canning jars. No paraffin is to be used as a seal. All processed entries SHALL be labeled with exhibitor's canning method, contents used in the container, and date processed. Recipe cards must accompany each canned product and must list the exact amount of ingredients.
- Enter appetizers, desserts, cakes, muffins, breads, etc. on paper or Styrofoam plates. Enter pies on disposable aluminum plates.
- ALL FOODS MUST BE COVERED WITH APPROPRIATE WRAP! Food safety is extremely important! Refrigeration and hot plates are available at the Festival; ovens ARE NOT available. If a food item needs to be warmed, place in containers suitable for a stove top. Instructions for warming or refrigeration must accompany the food entry. (For more information about food safety, check out the CA 4-H online training "Make it Safe, Keep it Safe".
If you have any questions, please contact Ariel Clay at amclay@ucanr.edu.