Page 24 - Simply Vegetables Spring 2022

Tips for Showing Vegetables
RAYMOND HIGGINS FNVS
Showing vegetables can be very enjoyable and the purpose of these tips is to help any member who might like
to try exhibiting for the first time you never know you might get hooked!. Read the class schedule and “Rules for competitors” carefully. Where a quantity or measurement is specified, make sure you comply.
POTATOES
Potatoes should be as far as possible of the same shape and size, with eyes that are shallow. They ought to be carefully washed so as not to damage the skins, but with all traces of earth removed. They ought to be of a good size, not too large and not too small (around 170g to 225g is a good guide, just right to fit onto the palm of your hand). The exhibit will be marked down if they
are misshaped, damage by slugs, worm or blight. The presence of green colouring as a result of exposure to light is also defective.
CARROTS
When taken from the soil one should be careful to try and maintain a long tap root. This can be achieved by watering them well and easing them from the soil. The carrots should be carefully washed with a soft cloth to ensure they are free of earth especially around the top of the shoulders. The skins should be undamaged, and they should be of similar size and shape - try to keep a long tap root. The leaf stalks should be cut to a length of about 75mm. They will be marked down if they display damage by carrot root fly grubs and green colouring around the shoulders owing to exposure to light.
ONIONS
Onions should be uniform in shape and size. Be careful to ensure that they conform to any weight restrictions. The onions
should be well ripened, firm and with a dry, unbroken, unblemished and ripe skin. The onions should not be over skinned and green. The roots should be trimmed neatly and the top of the onion (the neck), which ought to be thin, should be tied neatly with raffia. The onions should be staged on a plate with dry sand or rings so that they sit upright on the show bench. (One can use cardboard tubes from used kitchen roll etc. cut to size)
RUNNER BEANS
The beans should be exhibited with some stalk (the handle) attached. They should be straight and of equal length and uniform size. They should also be fresh and not coarse and stringy. The seeds should
not be overly prominent in the pod (the judge will snap one of your beans when judging to check that they are fresh and not stringy). They should be of a good even colour and free from blemishes.
TOMATOES
The tomatoes should be regular in shape and size and firm but fully ripe (showing the true colour of the variety). They should be unblemished and have a fresh green calyx (top) attached. Ensure you enter the right class cherry, normal or beefsteak.
LEEKS
Leeks should be thoroughly washed with the soil teased from the roots which should not be cut off. The flags (leaves) should
Southern Branch Fun Virtual Show 2022
Following the cancellation of the New Forest and Hampshire County Show in 2021, the Southern Branch decided to hold an on-line Virtual Show in its place.
A key requirement was that the judging replicate as close as possible to judging that would have taken place at a live show. In order to achieve this the Schedule stipulated that three photos of each exhibit be submitted, set alongside a one-pound coin, and where required, a tape measure also to be placed in the photos. We received a fair number of entries with over
173 photos sent in from 17 entrants across 80 Class entries. Not exactly the numbers that we wanted but given the lateness of our intention to hold it plus the reluctance of some members to take three photos of each entry, we felt that it was successful. Comments that I received from some entrants were along the lines of “thank you, I cannot get to a show due to distance/ work commitments/family commitments/ other reasons” This was the impetus that we needed to hold another virtual show
in 2022, but with live shows more than
likely to be held, it would be a “fun event”. Keith Hine and I sat down over a pub lunch (and jolly decent it was to) to decide on
the classes that should be included and to firm up the rules. From the beginning we decided that we wanted to include classes for novices, who we classified as “any entrant who has NOT won a place card at any NVS National Championship or any NVS Branch Championship.
Arriving at the non-novice classes was not too difficult, these were pretty much similar to the 2021 virtual show, but in
24 Simply Vegetables