Food & Nutrition

(GENERAL FOODS, COOKING 101-401, FAST FOODS, FOOD PRESERVATION, CAKE DECORATING)

The purpose of the Food & Nutrition exhibits is to encourage knowledge about healthy eating and safe cooking practices. This category has multiple projects that allow 4-H’ers to progress over numerous years. In addition, 4-H members will learn different types of cooking methods to improve their knowledge of cuisine.

GENERAL FOODS, COOKING & FAST FOODS

GENERAL INFORMATION & EXHIBITING RULES

1. ENTRIES- Entries are allowed in only one level at a time (i.e., Beginning, Intermediate, or Advanced). 4-Hers having exhibited in an intermediate or advanced unit may not exhibit in a less advanced unit. Baked products entered in the county fair cannot be entered at the State Fair. Products for State Fair should be baked the day before entry day or as designated by the county.
2. ALL FOOD PRODUCTS- Each exhibit must include the recipe (including frosting for cake decorating). The recipe may be handwritten, photocopied, or typed. Use disposable materials for displaying food project. Place food on the appropriately sized disposable paper plate or container, and put it in a plastic self-sealing bag. Attach the entry tag and recipe to the corner of the bag on the outside. The Extension Office & Nemaha County Ag Society & State Fair are not responsible for damage or loss of non-disposable containers, lost bread boards, China, or glassware.

• NON-FOOD ENTRIES - Please attach the entry tag to the upper right-hand corner of the entry.
• GENERAL LABELING INFORMATION - Additional information, including recipes and supplemental information, should be labeled with the 4-H member’s name and county.
• SUPPORTING INFORMATION – Read each class description carefully. Some classes require additional information. Be sure to follow instructions and answer any questions included in the class description.

3. CRITERIA FOR JUDGING - Exhibits will be judged according to score sheets available at the Extension Office or at
   https://go.unl.edu/ne4hfood-nutrition. Make sure to follow all entry instructions required for your exhibit. Incomplete exhibits will be lowered a ribbon placement. Commercially prepared mixes are ONLY allowed in the Cooking 201 Creative Mixes Class. Prepared baking mixes, biscuit mixes, commercially prepared seasoning mixes for food preservation, and other pre-made mixes entered in other categories will be lowered a ribbon place.
4. INGREDIENTS- that the 4-H uses must be able to be purchased by the 4-H’er. Ingredients such as beer, whiskey, rum, etc., may NOT be used in any recipe file or food exhibit. Exhibits that include alcohol will be disqualified. Sourdough is categorized differently from standard yeast breads due to its unique leavening agent and fermentation process, and may ONLY be entered in Cooking 201 Baking with Whole Grains, Cooking 401 Family Food Traditions, or Cooking 401 Ethnic Food Exhibit.
5. FOOD SAFETY- Exhibits are on display for several days. Please think FOOD SAFETY! Items that require refrigeration will not be accepted, judged, or displayed as exhibits, and must be safe to eat when entered, whether they are tasted or not. Glazes, frostings, and other sugar-based toppings are considered safe due to their high sugar content. Egg glazes on yeast breads and pie crusts BEFORE baking are acceptable. Eggs incorporated into baked goods and crusts are considered safe. The following food ingredients are considered unsafe for fair exhibits and will be disqualified:

• Egg or cream fillings and cream cheese frostings
• Any meat item, including meat jerky, imitation meat bits (bacon bits, pepperoni, etc.)
• Melted cheese on top of food exhibits (cheese mixed into baked goods is considered safe and will be accepted)
• Uncooked fruit toppings (i.e., fresh fruit tart)

6. Any bread item prepared or baked using a bread machine should be entered under the Cooking 201 Non-Traditional Baked Product. All exhibits made in the Cooking 301 or Cooking 401 projects must have been prepared without the assistance of a bread machine for mixing, raising, or baking of the food item.

DEPARTMENT E - DIVISION 350 - GENERAL FOODS & NUTRITION
Division 350                Classes 001–004, 901–903                   Pay Category L
Any 4-H member enrolled in a 4-H Foods project is eligible to exhibit in any or all of the following general categories.

BEGINNING FOODS PROJECT

DEPARTMENT E - DIVISION 401 – COOKING 101
Division 401           Classes 901–907                   Pay Category L

INTERMEDIATE FOODS PROJECT

DEPARTMENT E - DIVISION 402 - FAST FOODS
Division 402               Classes 901–908               Pay Category L

DEPARTMENT E - DIVISION 410 – COOKING 201
Division 410               Classes 001-007, 902                Pay Category L

DEPARTMENT E - DIVISION 411 – COOKING 301
Division 411           Classes 001-006                Pay Category L

Any bread item prepared or baked using a bread machine should be entered under the Cooking 201, Non-Traditional Baked Product. All exhibits made in the Cooking 301 or Cooking 401 projects must have been prepared without the assistance of a bread machine for mixing, raising, or baking of the food item.

ADVANCED FOODS PROJECT

DEPARTMENT E - DIVISION 412 – COOKING 401
Division 412              Classes 001-006              Pay Category L

Any bread item prepared or baked using a bread machine should be entered under Cooking 201, Non-Traditional Baked Product. All exhibits made in the Cooking 301 or Cooking 401 projects must have been prepared without the assistance of a bread machine for mixing, raising, or baking of the food item.

FOOD PRESERVATION

GENERAL INFORMATION & EXHIBITING RULES – FOOD PRESERVATION

1. Processing Methods: Current USDA processing methods and altitude adjustments must be followed for all food preservation. Jam, preserves and marmalades, syrup, fruit, tomatoes, and pickled products must be processed in a boiling water bath. Tomatoes may be processed in a pressure canner. All non-acid vegetables and meats must be processed in a pressure canner. Improperly canned or potentially hazardous food items will be disqualified. A spoiled or unsealed container disqualifies entry.
2. Jars and Lids: Do not need to be the same brand. Half-pint jars may be used for jellies and preserves. The jars are not to be decorated by the exhibitor in any way. Canning jars must be used - others will be disqualified. No one-fourth pint jars allowed. Leave jar rings on for fair display; it helps protect the seal. Two-piece lids consisting of a flat metal disk and a ring should be used. No zinc lids or one-piece lids.
3. Current Project: Exhibits must have been preserved since the member’s previous year’s county fair and not been exhibited at the previous State Fair.
4. Criteria for Judging: Exhibits will be judged according to score sheets available at your local Extension office or the State Fairbook at https://4hfairbook.unl.edu/fairbookview/php/rules. Incomplete exhibits will be lowered a ribbon class. Canned food items not processed according to altitude in the county will be lowered one class ribbon. Check with your local extension office for your county’s altitude and how that affects food processing times and pounds of pressure.
5. Labeling: Jars should be labeled with the name of the food item, the name of the 4-H’er, county, and the date of processing on the bottom of each jar. Print labels found at the online fairbook or pick up a copy in the Extension Office. Exhibits containing multiple jars, such as a “3-jar exhibit,” should be placed in a container to keep jars together. Each bag containing dried foods should also be labeled with the name of the food item, the name of the 4-H’er, the county, and the drying date. Multiple dried food exhibits should be secured by a rubber band or “twisty” to keep the exhibit containing the 3 self-sealing bags together.
6. Recipe/Supporting Information: Recipe must be included, and may be handwritten, photocopied, or typed.
   Commercially prepared seasoning mixes are not allowed. Current USDA guidelines for food preservation methods MUST be followed. Suggested sources of recipes include:

• 4-H Food Preservation Manuals (Freezing, Drying, Boiling Water Bath Canning, Pressure Canning
• USDA Guide to Home Canning https://nchfp.uga.edu/
• Nebraska Extension’s Food Website https://food.unl.edu/food-preservation or Extension publications from other states
• Ball Blue Book (published after 2009) or online

7. All exhibits must include the 4-H Food Preservation Card attached to the project as the required supporting information, or include the following information with the exhibit:

• Name of product
• Date preserved
• Method of preservation (pressure canner, water bath canner, or dried)
• Type of pack (raw pack or hot pack)
• Altitude (and altitude adjustment, if needed)
• Processing time
• Number of pounds of pressure (if pressure canner used)
• Drying method and drying time (for dried food exhibits)
• Recipe and source of recipe (if a publication, include name and date)

DEPARTMENT E - DIVISION 406 - FREEZING
Division 406            Classes 001           Pay Category L

DEPARTMENT E - DIVISION 407 - DRYING
Division 407              Classes 001-006              Pay Category L

DEPARTMENT E - DIVISION 408 – BOILING WATER CANNING
Division 408                  Classes 001-008                  Pay Category L

DEPARTMENT E - DIVISION 414 – PRESSURE CANNING
Division 414               Classes 001-006                Pay Category L

CAKE DECORATING

GENERAL INFORMATION & EXHIBITING RULES – CAKE DECORATING

1. Special Note - Cakes used for cake decorating entries may be made from scratch or from a commercial mix. Decorated cakes will not be tasted during judging.
2. Note about raw eggs- Due to food safety issues, raw eggs cannot be used in food exhibits like a frosting/glaze that is not cooked or baked. You can use powdered eggs or meringue powder in place of raw eggs. If the raw eggs are cooked or baked in a recipe, they can be used for exhibits at the Nemaha County Fair. After they are cooked/baked, they are no longer raw eggs. Please keep this in mind when preparing your food exhibits.
3. Cupcakes and Cookies-May be home-baked or purchased. May use tip/s and/or candy decorations, etc. Exhibit 4 cookies or cupcakes unless otherwise indicated. Do NOT cover the exhibit.
4. Cake- Baked cake or styrofoam may be decorated. Cake should be exhibited on a sturdy base (plywood, breadboard, etc.), which may be covered with paper, plastic doilies, or ruffles. Non-edible decorations should not be used on the cake unless specified. Details outlined in the Cake Decorating Manual. It is recommended that frosting be made with shortening rather than butter. Fondant may be used in any level exhibit/s.
5. Recipe-Each exhibit must include a recipe for the frosting. If homemade fondant is used, the exhibit must include the fondant recipe. Recipes may be handwritten, photocopied, or typed.
6. For Clarity-Layers refer to the inside of a cake, and tiers refer to the number of cakes of increasing size stacked on top of each other. Cakes may have as many layers as the exhibitor wants. Classes are determined by the number of tiers.

DEPARTMENT E - DIVISION 415 - CAKE DECORATING 1 (4-H age: 8-11 year olds)
Division 415                 Class 901- 909                    Pay Category L

DEPARTMENT E - DIVISION 416 - CAKE DECORATING 2 (4-H age: 12-18 year olds)
Division 416                    Class 901-912                     Pay Category A

Leadership, Citizenship & Personal Development