Jam-Packed With Good Taste

The air is starting to cool, the leaves are turning hues of yellow and red, and the irresistible smell of fair food is right around the corner. Every October, the North Carolina State Fair brings North Carolinians together for a celebration like no other. But behind the ribbon-winning jams and prize pickles lies a story many fairgoers don’t know: the vital role played by NC State University’s Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences and NC State Extension.

The department’s Safe Plates food safety team leads the official North Carolina State Fair Culinary Competition in Preserved Foods. Open exclusively to North Carolina residents, the competition spans 16 divisions with numerous sub-classes — ranging from youth preserved foods, relishes and chutneys to fruit juices, syrups, dried fruits and more.

Candice Christian, an Extension associate in consumer and retail food safety with the Safe Plates program, is among the group that samples the submissions. The judging takes place behind closed doors in the days leading up to the fair’s public opening, which this year is on Oct. 15. Evaluating home-canned entries requires judges with specialized training in food preservation science who know exactly what a prize-winning jar should look and taste like.

“From tangy salsas and crisp pickles to sweet strawberry jams and spicy hot pepper jellies, the variety of flavors we get to evaluate is incredible,” Christian says.

Science First: Protecting the Judges and the Standards

From the start of the judging process, Christian says, the top priority is upholding safety and quality standards. Bright and early on the Monday before the fair opens, the Safe Plates team arrives at the fairgrounds to review hundreds of jars submitted by exhibitors over the weekend.

Before any judge uncaps a jar, Christian says the team works to verify that every entry was prepared and processed according to current U.S. Department of Agriculture and N.C. Cooperative Extension guidelines. Extension food safety personnel meticulously review each submitted recipe to confirm it is either a validated recipe or closely aligns with one, ensuring proper ingredients, processing methods and cooking times.

Any entries flagged for risk — particularly borderline pH foods like figs or those featuring uncommon ingredients like bananas, melons, elderberries, beautyberries, or redbud flowers — are set aside for pH testing.

“To ensure complete safety, judges do not taste-test low-acid entries,” Christian says. “Fortunately, there are always still plenty of safe, delicious creations to sample!”

A Firsthand Perspective: A Decade of Judging

Christian joined the Safe Plates team nearly 10 years ago and has spent almost a decade evaluating the broad variety of preserved foods submitted to the fair. And it’s a tasty, if not sometimes overly filling, role.

“My very first day judging preserved foods at the fair was a whirlwind of excitement, sensory overload, and — admittedly — a bit of an upset stomach by late afternoon,” she recalls. “The energy in the room was contagious. I was mesmerized by the behind-the-scenes science, the rigorous recipe evaluations, and the row after row of beautifully displayed jars.”

Over the past 10 years, Christian has picked up a few insider tricks to judging preserved foods:

• Eat the palate cleansers: “The sliced carrots and unsalted crackers on the judging tables aren’t decorations — they are essential tools for resetting your taste buds between categories (or between dozens of jars of jam)!”
• Spotting perfection: “I’ve learned how to identify the single best strawberry jam in the state out of a field of 40 entries, and exactly what processing techniques give a pickle its signature crisp.”
• Appreciating the community: “Above all, I’ve gained a deep appreciation for North Carolina’s home canners, whose passion and craftsmanship shine through in every single jar.”

The experience is one Christian is grateful for.

“Those two judging days each October at the fairgrounds have easily become my favorite days of the entire year as an Extension associate in food safety,” she says. “The next time you stroll through the exhibit halls at the fair, take a closer look at those preserved food ribbon winners — there’s a whole lot of science and heart sealed under those lids.”