Local lore has it that the Catskills was once Cauliflower Central having been first planted here in 1891. From 1900 to 1940, cauliflower became a thriving industry here and it’s one of our healthiest foods. The cauliflower originally came from Cyprus, and was introduced to France from Italy in the middle of the 16th century. Mark Twain called it “cabbage with a college education”. Delicious smothered in cheese and baked, or roasted in oil, it’s high in fiber, calcium and vitamin C; it’s also a good source of magnesium and potassium. The 12th Annual Cauliflower Festival will take place on Saturday, September 26th from 10am until 4pm at the Margaretville Village Park and Pavilion in Margaretville.
The famous Tractor Parade will begin at 11:30am and take two turns around the Festival grounds before settling in for all to get a close up and meet the farmers who use these trusty vehicles every day. The Catskill Mountain News will award the Best of Tractor at the Parade again this year.
Visit with farm animals; take a pony ride; have your face painted by the Margaretville Central School’s Art Club students; visit with teens from the Greater Roxbury Learning Initiative, better known as GRLIC to play some games with your kids; enjoy tasty Festival Food including many different cauliflower dishes; listen to live entertainment; enjoy a day browsing with neighbours, vendors, Pure Catskill farmers, artists and craftspeople gather to sell their wares and local food products.
Visit the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown’s tent where you can learn about how things were done yesteryear. See exhibits and talk with the old timers to learn about growing cauliflower. This year there will be farm equipment demos too.
The Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce has a table at the festival and they sell more than 24 bushels of the vegetable every year.
Freshtown Market Place and the Catskill Mountain News sponsor the festival. Find Cauliflower recipes here.
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Come and enjoy the turning leaves in this beautiful region of the central Catskills and have an old=fashioned ride on a hay-wagon courtesy of the Lazy Crazy Acres Farm. Travel back in time when cauliflower was king in Margaretville. Enjoy lots of tasty cauliflower dishes, kids can ride a pony, see farm animals up close and learn about the Pure Catskills – grow and buy locally produced foods and products.
Wander around the fair grounds and browse and shop, have an ice cream cone, taste some wine from the Blueberry Farm or buy some maple syrup, another well loved product of the Catskills glorious maple trees.