Tamarack Time! draws a crowd
Mandi and Annmarie Edwards pose with their cookies -- the best in Bigfork -- during Tamarack Time Saturday, Oct. 12. Attendance was up for the event this year, as last season was the first since COVID. (Avery Howe/Bigfork Eagle)
Two hundred and twenty-seven people attended Tamarack Time! in downtown Bigfork this weekend, raising $1,135 for the upkeep of the Swan River Trail.
“Not bad for charging $5 per person!” organizer Toot Sward commented.
Local foodies brought their best game, with everything from pickles to pies. Judges ranked the best entries across multiple categories, listed below.
APPETIZERS
1st – Denise Lang “Cheddar Cheese Wafers;” 2nd – Devon Barkley “Chicken & Waffles with Maple Gravy;” 3rd -- Susan Franklin “Crack Corn Dip”
BREAD
1st -- Kali Tholen “Garlic & Herb Sourdough;” 2nd -- Lynn Kratochwill “Blueberry Muffins;” 3rd -- Shannon Knapp “Long Fermentation Sourdough”
JAMS & JELLY
1st- Lisa Phillips “Apple Jelly;” 2nd- Lisa Phillips – “Concord Grape;” 3rd -- Mark Mollica “Organic Blackberry Low-Sugar Jam”
CASSEROLES
1st- Liz Smith “Baked Penne Pasta;” 2nd -- Philippe Vailliard “Gratin Dauphinois;” 3rd- Shelley Gonzales “Aloha Hawaii”
CHILI
1st- Julie Whitney “Chicken Chili;” 2nd- Sheila Moulton “2-Bean Chili;” 3rd -- Chris Collett “Vigilante”
COOKIES
1st- Annmarie Edwards “Peanut Butter & Huck/Strawberry Preserves;” 2nd- Mandi Edwards “GF Nutter Butters w/creamed Huck Honey;” 3rd - Linda Hamland “Pumpkin Cookies”
COOKIE BARS
1st- Peggy Atchley in memory of Jan Krause “Choc Walnut Carmel;” 2nd – Kelley Paulson “Cowboy Brownies”
DESSERT- (Chocolate)
1st- Balann McKenzie “Chocolate Sheet Cake;” 2nd- Penny Stevens “A Wacky Cake!” 3rd- Linda Hamland “Rum Balls”
DESSERT – (Non-Chocolate)
1st- Ruth Galbraith – “Gram’s Bread Pudding”
2nd – Marie Brancaccio – “Pumpkin Crisp”
3rd – Emma Sanders – “Pumkin Bunt Cake”
ETHNIC
1st – Susan Patrick “Red Rice & Beans;” 2nd- Toot Sward “Hotsy-Totsy Salsa;” 3rd- Bahann McKenzie “Pork & Sauerkraut”
PICKLES – (Savory/Dill)
1st- Arin Lever “Beets;” 2nd- Arin Lever “Garlic Dill;” 3rd – Arin Lever “Asparagus”
PICKLES – (Sweet)
1st – Toot Sward “Pear Relish;” 2nd – Heather Sande“Bread & Butter”
PIES – (Fruit)
1st – Lisa Phillips “Apple Pie;” 2nd – Dawn Brown “Tomato Pie;” 3rd – Lily Hill “Pecan Pie”
PIES – (Non-Fruit/Cream)
1st- Annabel Petty “Chocolate Almond Silk;” 2nd- Megan Fritzpatrick “Peanut Butter Crème;” 3rd – Jo Ann Tanner “Banana Cream”
POTATOES
1st – Toot Sward “Sweet Potato Mash;” 2nd- Toot Sward – “Southern Tater Salad”
SOUPS
1st - Cheryl Nelson “Toscana;” 2nd- Shannon Brooks “Shepherd’s Pie;” 3rd- Rebekah King “Dill Pickle”