BAKED BREAD ODOR SLICE OF JUDGE'S LIFE

The smell of freshly baked banana bread floats through the air as the loaves are sliced for judging.

Grace Hoover has the difficult, but enjoyable, task of judging each baked good entry for the SEMO District Fair.

Judging for the 4-H exhibits began Tuesday morning. Livestock judging begins today.

"I look for symmetry in shape and uniformity of grains," Hoover explained as she sliced the loaves. "They come in all shapes, sizes and textures."

Although shape and texture are important qualities when baking, taste is also a big factor in selecting ribbon winners.

Hoover, who taught food preparation classes at Southeast Missouri State University for 25 years, said it's easy to spot the best breads.

"You can tell when you cut into them," she said, while sampling from several fruit and nut breads. And after testing several dozen sweet rolls and quick breads, Hoover resorted to just tasting and not eating.

Virginia Dickson of Marble Hill watched patiently as Hoover commented on the flavor and texture of the bread she had entered.

"What am I doing wrong?" she asked Hoover who offered her a taste of the winning bread. "I enter every year and try for a blue ribbon."

For the second year in a row, Dickson's banana bread received second place.

Dickson also entered grape and red plum jellies and three relishes in the home economics division hoping to win one blue ribbon.

Selecting ribbon winners isn't an easy task, particularly when it comes to finding a best-of-show award.

Julie King looked for bad spots and blemishes on the fruits and vegetables she judged in the horticulture division.

And King judged everything from apples to zucchini, including some oddly shaped sweet potatoes, gourds and shallots.

The largest vegetable entered was a pumpkin that weighed 101 pounds. It won first place for its class, but didn't beat the record.

"Last year we had one that weighed 200 pounds and we weighed it on a bathroom scale," said event superintendent Donna Koenig.

"We check to make sure nothing has gone bad," she said, adding that the ripest vegetables sometimes have to be discarded before the end of the week.

But canned goods keep, so judges are a little more particular. Patti Jones tested relishes, pickled beets, jams and jellies.

"It's been fun," she said. "I've tasted corncob jelly and cantaloupe jelly."

But the traditional berry jams and jellies had the most entries. "I've seen almost every berry there is," she said, adding that there weren't any dewberry or gooseberry jellies.

Craft and food exhibits were registered as they arrived Sunday and Monday, said Marilyn Schott, fair board secretary. Only one class entry per person was accepted.