This is the first time I've gone to a state fair in over a decade. My last one was in NY and I was about 10 weeks pregnant with Luca. I had a rough time then with all the smells, and walking in the heat all day, and wasn't interested in trying new foods. I just remember it being really exhausting.
This morning we went to the Maryland State Fair...and I'm so glad we did! It's not as big as NY's fair, and is only 10 minutes from our house. We went early, before the crowds. The kids milked a cow and then drank chocolate milk. We pet baby chicks. We learned that a cow eats 100 lbs of food and drinks 60 gallons of water per day. We ate this peach baked in layers of puff pastry and covered with soft serve vanilla ice cream. It was divine. We had a Dr. Pepper float and deep fried Oreos.
One of the main reasons we went is that I was talked into entering some jam in the home arts section. We entered a pear vanilla jam and a strawberry rhubarb jam (both were made by the kids with help). We loved walking around the home arts building and seeing all the works people entered from baked goods to photography.
We didn't win a ribbon for our jam, but I'm so glad we entered. It made us feel like more than spectators. We were a part of it all. They have big plans for next year.
