https://www.venturacountyfair.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2017-Home-Arts.pdf
IF you live in Ventura County, AND you love to bake and nourish those you love (including yourself,) then I would like to encourage you to enter as many gluten free baked goods as you’d can to the VENTURA COUNTY FAIR. Let’s show the county how delicious gluten free can be and how creative we are!
** You’ll have to bring your entries to the fair grounds in the Home Arts Building (on the right) on Monday July 31, anytime between 7:00 AM and 1:00 PM. You don’t need to register before hand, just show up with items in hand. Click on the attached link and and read the general rules (on page 77 & 78) and then the specific gluten free categories (page 95) to get a clearer idea of the whole process.
*Arnel McAtee is one of the main judges and she has some hints:
- They ask you to submit your recipe. Feel free to use a commercial gluten free All Purpose Flour blend (like Arnel’s Originals) in your baking. When they ask for ingredients list, “gluten free All Purpose Flour, (brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, sea salt, xanthin gum) as one of the ingredients and then list the rest. There are gazillions of items you can make from each flour blend so it is still your own creation.
- If you like to bake without cane sugar, please note that stevia has a strong after taste and many of the judges will not give it high marks in the taste category. Try using other low glycemic sweeteners (like agave syrup, coconut sugar, dates) or maple syrup, honey, etc. Feel free to use a combination of sweeteners to achieve the sweetness you want. Keep in mind that cane sugar does three things in baking (sweetens, browns, and moistens) so if you use a sugar substitute, make sure the result is still sweet, brown, and moist. We judge on TASTE (50%), APPEARANCE (25%), & TEXTURE (25%).
- If you’d like, you can enter one item in each category so you could possibly enter 9 items for judging. Hint: No one has ever entered a yeast bread. Feel free to use our Buckwheat Bread Mix and add your own creative flavors (cinnamon-raisin, garlic & onions, sun-dried tomatoes & basil, herbs, seeds, nuts, etc). If it looks and tastes good, you are sure to win 1st prize!
- You could also enter the cake and/or cupcake decorating contest (page 92), using gluten free cake flour. Arnel’s Originals has a flour blend (Make-a-Cake, your way) that can be made into
any flavor under the sun. Recipe and filling ideas are on our blog
GoodandGlutenFree.com (November 2012)
BOTTOM LINE: Entering gluten free baked goods at the Ventura County Fair is loads of fun, gives you a chance to share the food you love to bake, and encourages others to nourish themselves with delicious gluten free food!
