Ames Residents Cooking at the Fair

Two Ames women won prizes in multiple categories at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines as of Tuesday.

 Ames residents looking for a good relish or preserve should ask Cathy Stahlman what she's been cooking.

Cathy Stahlman won first and third places overall in the Famous Dave's Canned Relishes competition for her India and sweet corn relishes and took a number of other places in multiple categories in various contests as of Tuesday, according to new releases from the Iowa State Fair.

Stahlman entered her relishes, a mixture of chopped vegetables and fruits cooked in vinegar and seasonings in a number of categories and seemed to win most of them. She also won categories in a C&H Canned Fruit Butters, Famous Dave's Canned Pickles contests, Dahl's Canned Savory Sauces, C&H Canned Conserves contest and the C&H Canned Preserves contest.

Another Ames resident, Cheryl Rogers, took second place in a Bring Home the Bacon competition. Entrants had to use bacon as the main ingredient in an appetizer and a main dish. Rogers took second place in the main dish competition.

In the Famous Dave's Canned Relishes competition, Stahlman took first place for her chili sauce, corn, end of the garden, india, onion, dill, pickle sweet, rummage and beet relishes. She took second place for her bell pepper, hot pepper and green tomato relishes and third place for her chow-chow and a relish in a miscellaneous category. Stahlman also claimed the Sweepstakes Award.

In the fruit butters contest, Stahlman won second place in both the apple and pear butter contest.

In the Famous Dave's Canned Pickles contest, Stahlman took second place in the mild to medium peppers category and in the miscellaneous category. She took third in the dill green or yellow wax beans category.

In the Dahl's Canned Savory Sauces competition, Stahlman took second place for her seasoned tomato sauce.

In the C&H Canned Conserves contest, Stahlman took first place in the rhubarb combo category. Her entries won second place in the apple, pear and peach combo categories.

In the C&H Canned Preserves contest, Stahlman took second place in the strawberry, tomato and miscellaneous categories.

Entries in all of the competitions Stahlman took prizes in were judged for their flavor, consistency, appearance and food safety before the start of the fair.

Entries in the bacon contest Rogers entered were judged based on taste, appearance and bacon prominence on Aug. 9, before the start of the fair.

The Iowa State Fair Food Department is the largest of any state fair in the country, according to the release. There are many classes so food judging begins before the start of the fair in the recently-renovated Elwell Family Food Center sponsored by Blue Bunny.