Blackberry culinary creations presented at the 33rd Sutherlin Blackberry Festival | New

And she has 20 years of first place ribbons to prove it.

It all started in her teenage years when she entered a blackberry cooking contest alongside her aunt.

“I learned a lot from her,” Congleton said. “She passed away, so I continue to do this every year in her memory.”

Congleton was joined on Saturday by other cooking enthusiasts on a blackberry kick ready to showcase their best creations at the 33rd annual Sutherlin Blackberry Festival.

A variety of sweet and savory dishes spread across the table as the judges carefully scrutinized the submissions, utensils in hand, ready to assess presentation, texture and flavor.

Andrea Schrock, of Sutherlin, volunteered as a judge for the competition.

“People can get really creative,” Schrock said. “Someone brought blackberry brisket last year.”

Linda Bruinsma, of Oakland, began actively cooking with blackberries after moving to the area in 1991.

“It’s just a fun adventure and it challenges me to do something different,” Bruinsma said.

She brought six creations, including blackberry cornbread.

Mistakes will be made during the recipe creation process, Congleton said.

“Sometimes I take two different recipes and combine them,” she said. “My cheesecake recipe took about 17 years to be perfect.”

Congleton released his signature blackberry salad, which won a first-place ribbon, along with other blackberry-friendly dishes.

Jo Barnes, of Sutherlin, who has helped organize the competition for the past 25 years, said she has never seen such low turnout.

Congleton said the pandemic could have had an impact.

“Normally the tables are filled with stuff,” Congleton said. “And so it’s a much more difficult competition.”

Festival organizers have canceled other events as a precaution as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the county. Event cancellations from Saturday include pancake breakfast at Sutherlin Senior Center, Mystical Oasis Belly Dancing, and karaoke. The diaper derby scheduled for Sunday has also been canceled.