A collection of delicious recipes features the best of American cuisine from the prize-winning cooks of the nation's state fairs and includes a listing of blue ribbon winners, a metric measurement conversion chart, and much more.

Blue Ribbon Preserves features the award-winning recipes, canning tips, and methods for making preserves that have made Linda J. Amendt one of the top prize-winning cooks in the nation. This handy and helpful volume explains how to make the finest jams, jellies, marmalades, preserves, conserves, butters, curds, fruit, vegetables, juices, sauces, pickles, vinegars, syrups, and specialty preserves. Plus, it has a complete canning guide with the latest methods and safety precautions.

Imagine walking to the same place every day, to meet your best friend. Imagine watching hundreds of people pass by every morning and every afternoon. Imagine waiting, and waiting, and waiting. For ten years. This is what Hachiko did. Hachiko was a real dog who lived in Tokyo, a dog who faithfully waited for his owner at the Shibuya train station long after his owner could not come to meet him. He became famous for his loyalty and was adored by scores of people who passed through the station every day. This is Hachiko’s story through the eyes of Kentaro, a young boy whose life is changed forever by his friendship with this very special dog. Simply told, and illustrated with Yan Nascimbene’s lush watercolors, the legend of Hachiko will touch your heart and inspire you as it has inspired thousands all over the world.

Each of the 40 extraordinary hand-crocheted afghans displayed here in magnificent photos is a blue-ribbon winner, and you can recreate these wonderful items at home, thanks to the patterns, detail shots, and instructions provided in "Blue Ribbon Afghans from America's State Fairs." Scattered throughout the text are fun facts about the fairs, along with new and vintage photos

Collects more than one hundred prize-winning recipes for jams, preserves, pickles, vegetables, fruit, and more, that celebrate the American traditions of preserved food and state fairs, and includes information on canning techniques and equipment.

Good food is always cause for celebration, and Red, White & Blue Ribbon 2004 offers over you 230 crowd-pleasing reasons to celebrate. Prize-winning dishes from simple to sophisticated make this cookbook a must-have for everyone from novice cooks to seasoned chefs. Discover why cooking across America has never been so much fun! Book jacket.

* Showcases close to 80 Blue Ribbon-winning recipes from across America's state and county fairs, covering all manner of homemade pies and cakes, jams and jellies, pickles, preserves, and sweets, from the classic apple pie to the unique wild foraged preserve, the chokecherry jelly* Lists the ingredients that should be in every pantry, a set of standard recipes, plus a state-by-state breakdown* Lush full-color photography by Liza Gershman, showcasing the county fair culture and atmosphere, the people with whom she interviewed, and some of the vintage ephemera unique to each regionThe all-American state and county fair tradition is not all carnies, corn dogs, cotton candy, and apple pie. The fair is a place for communities to come together and share some of the most meaningful moments in life. It's an important institution that evokes affection and nostalgia and has helped to define many of the great American ideals for small towns and rural life, the purebred and homegrown. Liza Gershman's book is a visual feast -- it's jam-packed with the images, stories, and voices of the folk and tight-knit communities who celebrate this unique slice of Americana each year. These pages are beautifully illustrated throughout with stunning color photographs of vintage and retro ephemera, and showcased here are close to 80 nostalgic classic Blue Ribbon-winning recipes from across America's heartland. What's not to love about homemade pies and cakes, jams and jellies, pickles, preserves, and sweets! The County Fair weaves together a celebration of classic, prize-winning regional specialties, secret tips for stocking your pantry, and the legacy of an American institution.