Calling all bakers (and fans of baked goods): it’s Tennessee State Fair time again, this year held Sept. 9-17 at the The Fairgrounds Nashville. Not only is the fair a great place to fill up on funnel cakes, pineapple whips, corn dogs and all your other favorite fair foods, but it is also a great time to dust off your mixer (or canner or whisk) and enter one of the many contests.
The premier contest is always the Apple Pie Contest, a rigorous competition to find the best pie in Tennessee with a top prize of $500 (as well as a cutting board and tons of recognition to go with the bragging rights to best apple pie in Tennessee). Second-place gets $150; third-place receives $75. Not too shabby! The competition will be held on Saturday, Sept. 16 (the submission deadlines are also Sept. 6 for mail and Sept. 12 online). Each baker must be 18 years or older and a resident of Tennessee.
A few tips for bakers (I served as a judge several years ago): Make sure your filling isn’t runny, your pie isn’t burnt, and that there’s something in there that makes it stand out and taste great. A special ingredient such as a spice, spirit or other add-in is more likely to get a pie to the final judge’s table, though apples must be the “predominant” fruit ingredient. Pies are judged on appearance and originality, but half the score comes from flavor. A pretty pie will catch the preliminary judges’ attention, but has to be a great-tasting pie to win at the final table.
Once again, there are two other marquee contests: the Goo Goo Cluster Baking Contest and the Loveless Cafe Biscuit Contest. Entries in both contests will be judged on creativity, taste and difficulty, so put on your thinking caps. The deadline to enter the contests (online) is Sept. 7. The contests will take place on Sunday, Sept.10. Contestants must be 12 years or older to compete, and prizes will be determined by the sponsors, who will also judge the contests.
Additionally, there will be the traditional competitions for cookies, cakes, quick breads and yeast breads. It’s always fun to browse through the winners of these competitions when you need a break from the heat while visiting the fair. Information about all the fair contests is available on the fair’s website.
Advance tickets for the fair are available online for a discounted rate ($6 per person). On Tuesday, Sept. 12, get fair admission for just $2 per person when each person brings a canned good for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee.
