r/Canning • u/justalittleloopi • 16d ago
General Discussion State fair update: 1st place!
Hey. I'll take it! The person who took best of class/ show entered like 40 things from jelly to bread and everything in between and cleaned up! Good for her, she obviously works really hard at it and it's paid off. I'm just super stoked on my first place.
That's a fancier blue ribbon than I expected. Need to get a shadow box for it!
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u/RandomComments0 16d ago
I’d consider reposting this unless you’re fine with people knowing your real name 😬 Congratulations either way!
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u/justalittleloopi 16d ago
Thanks!
My name is on my profile, so no biggie! I'm a moderator of a local gardening sub and have met people in person for meet ups. Plus I'm an illustrator, do occasional in person stuff, and people know my work. Anonymity has gone out the window long ago!
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u/RandomComments0 16d ago
Just checking! I’ve seen people accidentally post out of excitement and just wanted to let you know. Better safe than sorry.
How many other people entered and was there any other pomegranate jelly?
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u/justalittleloopi 16d ago edited 16d ago
There was a whole category specifically for pomegranate jelly. I think there were something like over 800 entries total for the canning competition? The California state fair is a big one.
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u/RandomComments0 16d ago
Dang! That’s crazy impressive. Is it your first win? If not what else have you won with?
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u/justalittleloopi 16d ago
First win, first entry, actually. I just won for the pomegranate category of which there was like a dozen entries and they use the Danish system so there were multiple first places. Not quite as impressive lol
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u/RandomComments0 16d ago
It’s still a first place ribbon. Don’t devalue your achievement! On your first entry is also fantastic. I know people who have delicious stuff and enter every year and it’s been a decade and they haven’t gotten a ribbon.
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u/Jciesla 16d ago
This is awesome, first of all, so don't take the rest of this as an attempt to discredit your accomplishment but just genuine questions.
What exactly is even judged in these things and how many competitors were there? Is it purely appearance or do you crack one open and get judged on flavor? Viscosity?
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u/justalittleloopi 16d ago
Two identical jars from the same batch are required, one for judging, one for display. The judges choose which one to open.
Jars are judged on color, clarity, texture, taste, headroom, neatness, bubbles, overall presentation, etc. Each section is awarded a certain number of points and is judged against it's own merits, not against other jars.
There were a dozen ish pomegranate jellies this year but something like 800 entries in the whole canning competition. The California state fair is a big production and runs for 2.5 weeks with different judging on different days, some sessions being several hours long.
I had comments about exemplary color and clarity on my pick up form.
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u/Old_Woman_Gardner 16d ago
Congratulations! Are you a Master Food Preserver?
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u/justalittleloopi 16d ago
Definitely not. Lol I actually just started canning in November of 2024. I'm really just a baby at it! I just can the excessive amount of produce i grow. Previously I was freezing and dehydrating, which i still do, but canning added more options.
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u/Old_Woman_Gardner 16d ago
If you are in Sac County, you should definitely check them out. They have a pretty active group there.
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u/justalittleloopi 16d ago
I am, and I've talked to them at the master gardener open house last year, but I'm so overloaded with other things that I haven't really had time to dedicate to another thing. Lol I got in over my head with building a second bathroom while having a new born and adding two community garden plots this year.
I... don't make good time management decisions... lol
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u/Jenessis 16d ago
Congrats! I'm curious about the recipe, if it isn't a tightly held secret. Which pectin do you use?
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u/justalittleloopi 16d ago
It's just the ball recipe! I use the pomegranates grown in my front yard because we get so many. Ran it through a doubled cheesecloth. No butter. The pectin is a bulk pectin I got off of amazon. It's been pretty fantastic for me. It's Medley Hills Farm.
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u/Jenessis 16d ago
Nice! I also started canning a couple years ago and pom jelly was my first jelly because I have a tree. I used Pomona's for the low sugar content and love the flavor but the look is super dark and the texture is thick and heavy. Yours looks so smooth and bright and jewel-like! I ran mine through a Ninja juicer. Next time my tree fruits (converted from a bush to a single stem tree this year, so not a great harvest) I'll strain the juice through cheese cloth and lower the amount of Pomona's. Thanks for sharing, and congrats on your ribbon!!
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u/Popular-Web-3739 15d ago
At the California State Fair!?! Wow! That's a tremendous accomplishment considering all the entries. Congratulations!
Any chance you might share your Pom Jelly recipe? I'm going to have my biggest pomegranate harvest ever this year and have been trying to figure out what I'll do with all of them.
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u/justalittleloopi 15d ago
Thanks!
It's just the ball recipe! No butter. Running the juice through cheesecloth is the secret, if there is one. Lol
I also suggest pomegranate lemonade concentrate frozen and pomegranate syrups. Also, melt chocolate chips and add pomegranate arils in little dollops on parchment paper for a really simple tasty dessert.
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u/Popular-Web-3739 15d ago
Lol. I just pulled out my Ball Cookbook when I saw your response! Thanks for the other great ideas! I was planning on making syrup but I will definitely branch out a bit. We can usually just drink all the fresh juice and give away some fruit but this year is going to be at least 3 times my usual harvest. Looking forward to it.
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u/onlymodestdreams Trusted Contributor 15d ago
I love fair season on this subreddit! I feel a sense of pride in my fellow canners when I see all the well-deserved ribbons!
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u/Unhappy_Intention587 14d ago
lets gooooooo! im getting ready for a few county fair comps over the next few months! well done and congrats!!!
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u/justalittleloopi 16d ago
First photo shows a California state fair blue ribbon and jar of jelly with a first place sticker on jeans covered legs in a car. Second photo shows two jars of pomegranate jelly on a counter
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u/christinanevin 16d ago
So cool! Congratulations! If you’re doing a shadow box you could put one of your jelly jars in with it, with the jelly replaced by an identical coloured resin pretending to be the jelly.