Locals have fun at pumpkin festival in Pomona
Participants of the pumpkin cook-off competition were required to make a dish that contained pumpkin as the main ingredient.
Rent a Greenhouse held its annual pumpkin festival in Pomona on April 6.
The venue hosts formal markets on the first Saturday of each month and this year decided to combine the annual pumpkin festival with the formal market.
The pumpkin festival organiser, Andri Verwey, said the organising committee wanted the community to see the enormous pumpkins on display while they enjoyed some locally made treats at the market.
Photo: Masego Mashilo
“We try to help community members run their businesses by offering reasonably priced stalls. It was a perfect time for the local businesses because many people arrived to see the giant pumpkins,” said Andri.
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She added that visitors browsed the stalls while marvelling at the pumpkins.
Communities from Pomona and surrounds came out in their numbers for the pumpkin festival.
Businesswoman Demi-Lee Vorster said the festival was her first time attending the market.
“We are raising funds to relocate overseas,” she said.
Other pumpkin-related activities on the day included a pumpkin cook-off.
Guests also had the opportunity to guess the weight of the giant pumpkin for a prize.
Leon Fraster guessed the closest weight of the pumpkin and was rewarded with an organic liquid fertilizer from Agri-Boost.
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“It feels great to win because I hardly win anything. I rent a place, and I will use it for the lawn,” Fraster remarked.
Participants of the pumpkin cook-off competition were required to make a dish that contained pumpkin as the main ingredient.
Elize Schoeman made pumpkin soup, Eddie Van Deventer made pumpkin bread, Fran Nyman made pumpkin curry and Peter Nyman made a pumpkin butternut bake.
Judges Renette Sanders and Lesley Haw tasted all the dishes and decided that the pumpkin curry by Fran Nyman was the winning dish.
Nyman was elated at winning the best dish of the festival.
The fun didn’t stop there, as contestants were also invited to bring along their own pumpkins.
Jairos Mhondera won a prize for bringing along the biggest pumpkin while Pieter Claassens walked away with a prize for the biggest Hubbard squash.
Ozoaniekwu Benny Ikechukwu was awarded for bringing along the biggest boerpampoen.
The last item on the agenda was to cut the giant pumpkin and share it with those who attended.
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