The Enumclaw-based Cascade Home-Ec 4-H leader Jim Olson was bursting with pride as Enumclaw’s King County Fair closed its gates. As he was putting the final touches on a plate of beets, a judge from the Washington State Fair Commission handed him the black and white rosette for Best in Show.

“They give one out to the whole fair,” Olson said. “I was shocked. I know the award is handed out every year. I could hardly speak.”

Cascade Home-Ec 4-H earned the award for its organic vegetable and flower garden. The exhibit, which students started from seed in the spring, was planted along one side of a barn at the fair. During the fair, passers-by could read about the project as well as pick up gardening tips and examine the varieties.

On the fair’s last day, Olson and his members handed out samples of the harvest.

“Some people,” Olson said, “have never tasted fresh, crisp kohlrabi.”

There were also carrots to try, beets, several types of lettuce and mustard greens.

With the fair done for the year, Cascade Home-Ec 4-H will continue to maintain the garden, gathering produce as part of the learning process and also donating some of its harvest to local food banks.

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