2026 Richmond County Wild Foods Cooking Contest

Once again, it's time to show off your wild food cooking skills! The Sandhills Rod and Gun Club, Martha Faye Crafters Club (formerly Extension Homemakers), and Richmond County Cooperative Extension are sponsoring the twenty-fourth annual Wild Foods Cooking Contest, coming up on Tuesday, April 7, 2026.

Below are the categories:

1- Dishes prepared with Wild Meat

Big Game, Small Game, and Other Mammals, Wild Fowl and Fish and Reptiles & Amphibians

2- Dishes prepared with Wild Fruits, Nuts and Vegetation

3- Desserts prepared with wild ingredients

The contest will be held on Tuesday, April 7, at the Sandhills Rod and Gun Club, located at 149 O.G. Reynolds Road in Ellerbe. Entries must be registered from 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Judging will begin at 6:30. No dishes will be accepted after 6:30 pm. This year, a speaker will present on: Introduction to the new Sandhills Chapter of the NC Native Plant Society.

• Voting is through People’s Choice judging, where everyone who participates gets to vote on their favorite dish!!
• The dish with the most votes in each of the three categories will win a prize.
• The dish with the most Best In Show votes will win the overall Grand Prize.

Contest Rules:

● Anyone can participate.

● Game cannot be purchased. It must be obtained legally or received as a gift.

● Game may be from anywhere; NC or out-of-state.*

*If bringing a venison dish, ensure that the deer tested "not detected" for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) if it was harvested in a county with CWD. This is just a precaution since the venison is being shared with many folks. Here is the NC Wildlife Resources Commission website for Chronic Wasting Disease, which lists areas where CWD has been found: https://www.ncwildlife.gov/connect/have-wildlife-problem/wildlife-conflicts/common-wildlife-diseases/deer-diseases/chronic-wasting-disease. Richmond County has not had CWD detected, but a few other counties in the state have.

● The dish must be fully prepared abiding by food safety guidelines (see guidelines for details).

● Required! Bring two copies of your recipe with your name on the BACK; one is for display with the dish for judging and one for the cookbook. You may wish to bring extra copies for sharing with others who admire what you prepared!

● Dishes should be able to provide 8 or more servings, so everyone can have a taste.

● In the event of a tie, a coin toss will decide the winner.

● Please bring your utensils to serve the dish.

The prizes are sponsored by the Sandhills Rod and Gun Club. The number one vote getter in each category (Meat, Non-Meat and Dessert categories) will each receive a prize. Everyone may then vote for the overall “Best In Show”. For more information, please call the Richmond County Cooperative Extension Center at 910-997-8255 or email Anthony_Growe@ncsu.edu. Registration is not required.

If you are not preparing a dish but would like to attend this event as a Taster, the cost is $5.00 per person with children under 6 free. Everyone who brings a dish receives two free tickets for admission.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, NC State University will honor requests for reasonable accommodations made by individuals with disabilities. Please direct accommodation requests to: Paige Burns, lpburns@ncsu.edu, 910-997-8255. Requests can be served more effectively if notice is provided at least 10 days before the event.

NC Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity provider.