Winter strawberries and black garlic are just some of the locally grown produce being judged as part of the 2015 FMNZ Producers Awards.

Tauranga is the host market this year for the national awards with a conference to be held on the weekend of July 25.

Judges Karena and Kasey Bird trying out vegetables with Tauranga Boys' College hospitality and catering students Liam Ross-McAlpine, 17, and Caven Lane, 17. Photos: Tracy Hardy.

FMNZ chairperson Maggie Asplet with the bread from Flaveur from Mount Maunganu.

Judging for the awards began today in a commercial kitchen of one of the Tauranga Farmers Market stallholders.

Judges Karena and Kasey Bird are in Tauranga today sampling the locally grown produce.

Karena says today is going great and they have already judge three categories. 'They are just getting better and better. You can just taste the love and care the farmers have put into their produce and we love reading about the stories that go along with the produce.

'We are really enjoying ourselves, but we do need to pace ourselves because we have a lot more tasting to do.”

Karena is excited to try all the produce available, including carrots, broccoli, the cheeses and the different breads.

'I want to try everything. I just had a beetroot that blew my mind. It's the unexpected things like that.”

Karena says she buys a lot of her produce from farmers markets because it's better quality.

'It's really inspiring. They have different stuff all the time and you never know what is going to be there.”

FMNZ chairperson Maggie Asplet says the judging will take place over two days because there is too much produce to do it all in one day.

There are four sections which include product packaging, product story and product taste.

Judges will be using a points system and the winners are expected to be announced tomorrow.