GrowFood Carolina Wants Best Photos of SC Food Eaters, Farms and Gardens for Photo Contest | Raskin Around

Since the beginning of the year, GrowFood Carolina has been posting photos of strawberries, radishes and oyster mushrooms on its Instagram account. But the most informative image for amateur photographers entering the local food center photo contest might be of a single squash.

“Dark days are the best for spotting unidentified Butternut trees!” read the caption under the january 22 photo of a beige, thick-bottomed fruit against a gray sky.

The post garnered hundreds of more “likes” than the images of kumquats; stacked apples and a bunch of bok choy. “Throw some Carolina food,” one approving follower joked.

The leaders of GrowFood Carolina rely on contest entrants to capture a similar joyful spirit with their submissions in three categories: Farms of South Carolina; Backyard Gardens of South Carolina and The Joy of Local Food.

“We wanted to open it up and have fun,” said Anthony Mirisciotta, CEO of GrowFood Carolina, of the big classifications. “We want to see the local food and farms and the kind of joy they bring to you.”

Each category winner will receive a GrowFood loot bag; four boxes of produce per week and two tickets to GrowFood’s tenth anniversary party in October. And according to Mirisciotta, photos don’t have to be silly to try to win an award.

“Showing some kind of story, whether it’s a family member in the plane beaming just with the bean harvest or the potato harvest, (is) always very powerful,” he said. -he declares.

Speaking about her experience shooting and sharing photos on the subject of local cuisine, Mirisciotta said images that showcase the colors and textures of locally grown fruits and vegetables are also popular.

“Maybe there is a little morning dew on the tomatoes that sparkle,” he said. “Maybe the insects or the bees are more active at some point. It’s a way of reminding us to slow down and sit with the plants and hang out in the garden and see what you are able to catch.

Mirisciotta said GrowFood has scheduled its competition for late spring, as there are many attractive crops now about to be ready for harvest. He suggested that potential contestants pay attention to the variegated undertones of ripening tomatoes and blooming okra flowers.

In other words, the competition is both about the food and how it grows. No kidding.

For a full list of rules and more information on how to enter the GrowFood Carolina 10th Anniversary Photo Contest, visit coastconservationleague.org/gfc-photo-contest. The deadline is July 1.

(Full disclosure: I am one of the contest judges, but I will not receive any compensation for my service, regardless of how many people enter. I just love looking at beautiful photos of Lowcountry food.)

Reach Hanna raskin at 843-937-5560 and follow her on Twitter @hannaraskin.