Apple Bake-Off a Hit at Kingfield Farmers Market

As Sunday morning started to heat up, volunteers faced a hungry crowd as they waited anxiously for the sixth entrant to arrive at their apple bake-off. Eyeing the five other contestants' goods, amateur judges of all ages were getting impatient for their first bite. 

As soon as people saw Kingfield volunteers cutting up the baked goods they moved in, pressing closer to the booth. By 10:30, the designated start time for eating and judging, a line had formed. Each person's $5 judging fees were burning holes in their pockets.

The bake-off fundraiser for the market happens every second Sunday. The key ingredient is chosen by seasonality, making apple an obvious choice for September.

The rules for bakers are simple: use the featured ingredient and make enough to give 60 amateur judges and one celebrity judge a taste of what you baked. The winner(s) gets bragging rights and a gift certificate .

As the anticipated plates of apple desserts were handed out to the eager crowd, families and groups of friends enjoyed the last days of summer sun and debated the vote for best dessert.

“The Market is like a town square for food,” David Brauer, a market organizer, remarked to a customer.

The bake-off is a fitting fundraiser for Kingfield Farmers Market, whose motto is “nourishing our neighborhoods." All proceeds from the fundraiser go towards the operating costs of the Kingfield Market.

By 12:30 the baking competition votes for the People’s Choice Award were collected and tallied. This week’s celebrity judge was food writer Rachel Hutton. Hutton’s vote was for Lindsey Yue’s classic apple pie, an endorsement she shared with the general public.

Bakers interested in Kingfield’s bake-off competition can try their hand at the next event on October 9th where the featured ingredient is pumpkin.