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Korena in the Kitchen

The weekend before last, there was a fair in the area. It reminded me a lot of the Fall Fair in my hometown: baking, canning, fruit, and vegetable exhibits, livestock, sheep dog demos, horse shows, a midway, and all kinds of fair food. When I was a kid I used to enter stuff in the Fall Fair baking contests all the time. Once I entered a cake decorated like a locomotive, and didn’t get a prize because the judge suspected that I’d had an adult help me with it. (I hadn’t, I was just that good. Haha. 😉 ) Seeing all the baking entries made me wish I’d had the time to enter something this year, but being that it was only the week after we moved into our new house, that’s just crazy talk. But I’m already planning what to enter next year!! And I picked up an entry form for a pie contest later this month…

man cakes — Cakes entered by men (that was actually the category!)

cinnamon buns — Cinnamon and sticky buns

Here’s a few shots that aren’t baking (it’s obvious where my priorities are…):

mini horses — There were a lot of miniature horses

The theme of the fair was “tractors pushing agriculture forward”, so there were a whole bunch of antique tractors on display:

I’ve only ever seen sheep dogs herding sheep, but apparently they can also herd ducks, which has got to be one of the one of the funniest, most ridiculous things ever! You know the phrase “herding cats”, meaning that something is particularly frustrating and futile? I think the phrase “herding ducks” should be used when something is equally frustrating and futile but also hilarious.

The best part was when the ducks had enough and decided to hide under the trailer, and both the farmer and the dogs tried for about 10 minutes to get them to come out so they could be herded through a tunnel… Ahhhh, so funny!

Is there a fall/harvest/county fair in your area? What’s your favorite part? This is mine:

13 responses to “The Fair”

Barbara Bamber | justasmidgen

September 5, 2012

This looks like tons of fun and I have no doubt you’ll end up with a first place ribbon next year! How do these sorts of things work? I see ribbons but no missing slices.. do you submit two.. one for the judges to taste and one for the ribbon?? I haven’t been to a fair like this before, but I sure want to now.. it looks like so much fun!!

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1. Korena in the Kitchen
  
  September 5, 2012
  
  I think the judges just took a tiny sliver to taste, rather than a whole slice. I’m surprised you haven’t been to a fair like this – I thought it was fairly standard, but maybe it’s just a small town thing?
  
  Reply
  1. Barbara Bamber | justasmidgen
    
    September 5, 2012
    
    The Stampede is so huge.. I’d have to hit a small town fair.. and never have thought to do this! It’s on my list now!
    
    Reply
    1. Korena in the Kitchen
      
      September 5, 2012
      
      Yes, the Stampede is definitely in another category all together!
      
      Reply
Tanya Hokanson

September 5, 2012

Lol are those wine gums on a cake? You will take ALL THE RIBBONS NEXT YEAR YEAH!

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1. Korena in the Kitchen
  
  September 5, 2012
  
  Ahaha, your confidence is inspiring 😉
  
  Reply
Rhianna

September 5, 2012

When the little of potential working dogs is born, they take the pups (around four weeks of age) one by one to a flock of three ducks. The puppies that attack or play with the ducks are sold off as pets. The puppies that attempt to analysis and herd the ducks are kept and trained to be working dogs. Because sheep are precious to farmers (and would take no notice of a puppy), the pups are trained to work ducks before they ever leave the home yard.

You should have entered something into the fair, Korena. You are well skilled in the arts of all things baked and gorgeous.

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1. Korena in the Kitchen
  
  September 5, 2012
  
  How interesting! Makes a lot of sense but it sure was hilarious to watch 😀
  
  Thank you very much – next year I certainly plan on entering lots of things, but there was just no time this year!
  
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ms. modiste

September 6, 2012

Ha! I had the exact same thing happen (lost a ribbon because of suspected cheating). Only in my case it was the crafty, non-edible part of the cake that was suspect, and they thought I bought it! (I handcrafted bullrushes to surround a lake… I figured out that pencil crayon lead would melt in airplane glue, so made very awesome storebought-looking bullrushes out of painted green toothpicks with their tips rolled in the gooey brown concoction and dried… then made paper leaves, tied them to the toothpicks with thread and sunk them into the cake. And then I made a little doll and sat him in a toothpick chair with a hat over his face like he was asleep while fishing in the lake. I think I was 11? It was epic and I’m still mad I lost, haha.)

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1. Korena in the Kitchen
  
  September 6, 2012
  
  Heh, I would be mad too 😉
  
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My Italian Smörgåsbord (Aka Barbara)

September 7, 2012

this is so cool! we have nothing like this either in Sweden or Italy. thank you for sharing!

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Kathryn and Ross

September 9, 2012

Love the decorations on the “Cakes by Men.” Oh, those poor old ladies aren’t going to know what hit them when you enter next year. They may have to make a whole new category for you, not unlike the “Cakes for Men.” Fall Fairs, they are the best, always seems like a step back in time. Bet you didn’t know Nate won some ribbons for his cake decorating when he was a young lad at the Salt Spring Fall Fair. Yes, hidden talents!

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1. Korena in the Kitchen
  
  September 9, 2012
  
  Heh, he can enter the “Cakes by Men” category next year 😉
  
  Reply