Page 33 - Simply Vegetables Spring 2024

Judges Corner
This quarter we are focussing on judging of collections. There are lots of different types of collections throughout the various shows, from the large collections at the National Championships, collections of specific veg types eg onion collections or legume collections, collections based on how many points a veg is out of. (eg 20 points veg collection or 15 points and under) through to a small trug.
Here’s a few extracts from the NVS Judges guide to consider, along with a few pointers as food for thought, whether you are thinking of entering one of these classes or judging them.
Rule number one; “ALWAYS READ THE SCHEDULE”. Sounds basic, but many have fallen foul of not doing this at some stage on our veg exhibiting life. And remember to read them every year as rules and descriptions can change. Whether it’s points, quantity’s, types (e.g. cherry tomato rather than plum shaped), space allocated (including height), details regarding cloths, boards, dishes, garnishes e.g. use of parsley. There’s a lot to consider.
Collections, as a rule, should not contain two of the same kind of vegetable, for example long carrots and stump rooted carrots should not both be in a collection together, likewise, neither should 250g onions and large exhibition onions, unless its’s actually asked for in your schedule, for example in a specific “Onion collection” or the Tap Root Collection.
Trug - Harrogate 2017
The number of each veg type should be listed within your schedule (eg 6 pea pods, 6 tomatoes or 3 carrots etc), so check, count and double check (especially when at the show if you have taken
a few spares, then you forget
and display them all!).
Pointing / points make
prizes
The different veg within
each collection is pointed to
enable the judge to compare
and help provide a fair
assessment. This means that
in a collection, the judge will
judge each specific veg type
based on the points listed in
the NVS Judges guide. To attract the maximum points exhibitors should seek to exhibit vegetables with the highest points value. For example, if there is a “15 points or under” collection that requires 4 veg types, you ideally want to go for four x 15 point veg types if you can. If you went for four x 12 point veg types, you would already potentially be behind by 12 points (3 points reduction for each veg type) before you started. It is always wise to judge your
own veg though when considering what to choose, because a high quality 12-point vegetable may be worth far more than a very poor quality 15-point vegetable.
Presentation
Always try your best to present your vegetables to show them off in the best
way possible and to try and create an aesthetically pleasing, well – balanced display. There’s no point
having wonderful high quality veg that you have nurtured
all year, just to throw them
down on the bench, so give yourself time to present them well. After all, as well as having
to impress the judges, it’s a display for the public too. A well-presented collection can catch the judge’s eye, but more importantly, it’s always good to note, if the judge had a tie for 1st and 2nd place (based on points they had allocated), then there is an extra
5 points available to be used by the judge, purely for presentation alone to enable them to differentiate between the two.
Ref; the judges guide, page 118 “Note the presentation of each exhibit; a maximum of 5 points can be awarded for presentation in the case of a tie.”
Trugs or baskets?
The composition of trugs or basket displays can be wonderful to view and may come
in various shapes, sizes, and ideas. Careful consideration of the schedule is essential not only for content but the size of the container.
Unless otherwise stated in the schedule, pointing will be on the following basis; Quality 20 points, Variety 20 points and Presentation 20 points, so this is where your artistry comes into play, so think of different varieties, veg colours, size and balance, but like all, quality/condition has to be up there.
6 veg Collection John Branham
Class 27 - 15 points and under -1st Sherie Plumb
Simply Vegetables 33