BEELITZ, Germany (AP) — pumpkin He is the undisputed star of the show at the Kleistow farm near Berlin.
More than 100,000 pumpkins of all shapes and colors are lined up on shelves throughout the farm and along winding paths. Each of the 500 different varieties from around the world is labeled with its name and origin.
Massive pumpkin festival held on a farm 56 kilometers (35 miles) southwest capital of germanyNow in its 22nd year, the popular event attracts up to 12,000 visitors on weekends and more than 5,000 on weekdays.
15 works will appear this year Larger-than-life pumpkin carving and many kinds of sweet and savory foods providing food — all made with pumpkin.
Pumpkins are harvested from the farm’s own pumpkin patch and from around the world.
The festival began in 2004 as more and more Germans embraced this culture. traditional american halloween. Within just a few years, it became common for Germans to place carved pumpkins in their gardens. for kids to go trick-or-treating And young adults can have fun wearing gory costumes at parties.
Antje Winckelmann, co-owner of the family farm, said the theme of the first exhibit was how pumpkins came to Europe. “It was a great theme because they came from America to Europe,” he said.
“Christopher Columbus brought it to us. We reconstructed the ship that Christopher Columbus was on and told the whole story,” she said.
We’ve explored a variety of themes over the past 21 years, but this year it’s all about the power of women.
“We had sports, we had ancient Rome, we had the Alps and mountains, we had the world of stars and planets, and we really felt it was time for women to be talked about,” Winkelmann said.
She said they pored over a list of famous women and chose a few “based on what was easy to present and what was appealing to the eye.”
Winners include Mexican artists frida kahloa beloved Swedish fictional book character Pippi Longstocking, and ancient egypt cleopatra Of course, they’re all made from colorful pumpkins.
“We realized that there were and are so many amazing women out there,” Winkelman said.
On a recent day, families strolled through the vast farm and past the giant Marge Simpson. Her hair consisted of dozens of round brown winter pumpkins, and her dress was made of small orange pumpkins. What was nearby was Elsa from the movie “Frozen” which is very popular with children” wearing a pale yellow pumpkin.
Bertha benzThe famous German automobile pioneer drove an early model Mercedes, the wheels of which were decorated with the same kind of orange winter squash as her long skirt.
Gesine Stolpert, who visited the farm from the town of Wittenberg with her young daughter, said she was inspired by the carvings and wanted to make new pumpkin dishes at home.
“It’s pretty crazy,” she said.
What was being sold was 30 types of pumpkinsBoth edible and decorative. Lots of pumpkin delicacies.
“Of course, pumpkin is on the menu,” Winkelmann said. “We have pumpkin stuffing and chicken with pumpkin sauce. We have a variety of pumpkin dishes, such as pumpkin tarte flambée and pumpkin crème brûlée, so be sure to try them out. And of course, our bakery focuses on pumpkin, too, with pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seed bread, pumpkin cake, pumpkin cream slices, and more.”
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Fanny Brodersen contributed to this report.
