Advice on Entering Vegetables

Entering Vegetables: Division 1

Vegetables should be clean and presented tidily on a white paper plate. It is a good plan to water the plants well the day before harvesting.
• Runner, Dwarf, Broad or French Beans: choose 6 beans of a similar size and it is a good idea to have a few spares in case of accidents. Harvest them with scissors so that they have a similar amount of stalk and display on a plate all facing the same way.
• Carrots: make sure they are clean and foliage is cut to approximately 75mm and that they are all as similar in colour and size as possible.
• Lettuce: harvest with roots which should be washed and then wrapped in moist kitchen paper and tied in a plastic bag. Remove any unattractive leaves from the lettuce.
• Cabbage: remove any damaged outer leaves and stage with 50mm of stalk remaining. Always display with heads towards the front.
• Beetroot: the ideal specimen should be 60 to75mmand very carefully cleaned. Foliage cut to 75mm, leave single tap root but remove side shoots.
• Potatoes: wash very carefully with a sponge to avoid damaging the skin. Select matching sized tubers with shallow eyes and as few blemishes as possible. Display with rose end outward.
• Spring/Salad Onions: should be exhibited with root and foliage and carefully washed.
• Shallots: take off any loose or stained skins. Cut root back to the base and tie the tops. Ideally stage on a pile of sand on a paper plate.
• Marrow: should be no longer than 350mm and should be tender and edible. Wipe clean and display directly on the bench.
• Tomatoes: a matching set of firm fruit, stage on plate with calyx uppermost.
• Rhubarb: straight, long sticks of good colour. Cut off the foliage 75mm from start of leaf stalk. Wipe stalks clean and take off any bud scales at the bottom.
• Courgettes: ideally 150mm in length and about 35mm in diameter. Stage flat with or without the flower attached.

Entering Fruit:

Fruit should always be ripe and in the best condition possible, which can make transporting it to the show difficult. Pack it carefully and make sure that you have some spares.
• Berries: these look their best placed in lines with their stalks and calyces all pointing one way. The stalks and calyces should look green and fresh.
• Currants: the strings should be intact and laid parallel.