Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - 88
SINGING IN THE GARDEN
Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.
-William Shakespeare
The Queen of Beets
Text and art by GINNY NEIL
hen the harvest season is almost over,
it is time for the show-off season. I am
speaking about our local county fair
which is the longest running small
county fair in Virginia. It's always held
the week before Labor Day, and it is such
an important tradition that our School
Board cancels school for the duration so kids can show
the farm animals they have spent months prepping
and primping.
W
But animals aren't the only things we like
to show-off. There are categories for almost
anything you can grow or create. The awards
chairperson, Cindy Vrugtman, orders about
1,500 prizes each year. That's a lot of ribbons for a
county of just over 2,000 residents.
I am the reigning Beet Queen, and I
take defending my crown seriously. Well, if
88 BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
there was actually a crown, I would defend it. But, I am
proud to have found my niche, so on the day before the
fair I begin my search. My dog is an excellent digger, and
he is happy to help. Perhaps, he is too happy. Thirty minutes
later he has enthusiastically uncovered every beet,
a half a row of potatoes, and an old bone he buried last
year.
I rescue five perfect beets from the carnage. Then
it's off to the kitchen for a bath, a polish and a coat of
car wax. I am talking about the beets, here. My bath
will come later and will not involve wax of any
kind. On the other hand, using car wax on my
beets is a surefire formula for success. When I
finish, they are as shiny and sexy as Arnold Schwarzenegger
in a bikini.
The rest of the vegetables get an equal
amount of attention, but no matter how
hard I try, the only tomatoes I ever win
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Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - 3
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - 4
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - 5
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - 6
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - 7
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - 8
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Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - 21
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Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - 24
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Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - 37
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Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - Cover4
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