Celebrate the state’s veggie at festival

WARDSBORO- On Saturday, October 27, from 10 am to 3 pm, people will come from all over New England to celebrate Vermont’s state vegetable at the Gilfeather Turnip Festival.
Craft and farmers’market vendors will arrive early on festival day to set up shop inside and outside of town hall and under big and small tents on Main Street and the turnip cart will be filled with multiple bushels of freshly dug turnips, many grown on neighboring farms  or in local gardens. Turnips are sold by the pound, along with Gilfeather seed packets. Over 40 vendors will be  set up inside town hall and outdoors under the several big and small tents selling goods such as pottery, cheese boards, folk art and, of course, food.
A featured part of the festival is the annual turnip contest, free for all to enter. Contestants may register Gilfeather turnips in one or more categories from 10 am to noon, upstairs in the town hall. Contest categories are: largest grown in Wardsboro; largest grown outside Wardsboro; best turnip name; and best strange and funny turnip. The largest turnip, measured by total weight with greens, will be awarded grand champion of the festival.
Winners are announced and ribbons awarded immediately after the judging. All children age 12 and younger who enter a turnip will receive an honorable-mention award ribbon.
The turnip soup cart outside town hall serves homemade turnip donuts and coffee beginning at 10 am, followed by Gilfeather turnip soup for take out beginning at 11 am, and inside the town hall, the turnip café opens for lunch.
Recipes for all food served at the festival are published in the third edition of the Gilfeather Turnip Cookbook, on sale at the Turnip Patch Boutique in the town hall.
The cookbook exclusively features all categories of turnip recipes, many old favorites and many brand new to this third edition.
Jimmy Knapp will serenade visitors throughout the festival with his original Gilfeather turnip ballads and many more of his original guitar compositions.
Marvin Bentley will perform outside on Main Street.
This free event takes place rain, snow or shine. A $3 donation is suggested for parking. For more information visit www.friendsofwardsborolibrary.org.