alpaca

It’s often difficult to remember that the fair is about more than just food. Because, well, we quite like the food. Local, ethnically diverse and deep-fried qualities notwithstanding, we simply love the food at the state fair. And we all justify our indulgence with the knowledge that it’s just a one-time-a-year fling. Yet, there’s more to the fair than just food. So, what if we wanted to enjoy the fair more than just once a year?

Short of winning yourself a blue ribbon for a baked good or a prize hog, what else can you take home from the fair? Better yet, what kinds of gifts can you find that can deliver the essence of the fair to someone you love? I decided to poke around and find out. Here are my favorite food and food-related gifts to find at the Minnesota State Fair:

In yesterday's post, I highlighted local foods I ate this week at the MN State Fair. I'll admit it from the start - the list of foods I ate is much longer than the list of foods I didn't. This is a point of pride in my house - I'm not ashamed. That said, there were a few locally produced foods that didn't make it into my belly this week. For example: