You would probably not believe me if I told you that there is a town right in the heart of the Berkshires that runs a festival every year solely dedicated to a mid size green vegetable that you most likely have in your fridge right now. If you read to the end of this post we might even help you out and share some of our favorites that we’ve recently experimented with.
Zucchini which could be either dark or light green are treated as a vegetable in a culinary context and like all squash, originated in the Americas, specifically Mesoamerica in the early 16th century.
Each year in August the event organizers in the town of West Stockbridge, Massachusetts coordinate a huge festival that celebrates summer squash with games, tastings and all sorts of crafts involving the vegetable as the center peace of the day. The main street starts buzzing with hundreds of people that come to take a part in the happenings rolling in in golf cards proudly wearing their big inflatable or hand sawed Zucchini hats.
Friends of ours recently told us over a plate of Crispy Parmesan Roasted Zucchini Wedges that because of the massive amount of people attending the event the coordinators of the event are planing on shutting it down as it’s become to big for it’s own good and there are not enough volunteers to make the festivities go smoothly. We felt compelled to make a mention of the Festival here on our blog as a remembrance of the good times that were had here and in hopes that this tradition continues on and we get to enjoy it for many more years to come.
Each year for over a decade the town people and visitors alike look forward to getting together, enjoying each others company, making new friends and creating memories with their families while celebrating the Zucchini.
There are vendors with the most mouth watering food on side and each one of them has to have a dish that includes the vegetable. There is a contest for the best decorated zucchini (and let me tell you some of them are so creative and impressive you wouldn’t believe that a kid did it *wink*). There are craft tables with home made items for sale, jewelries, hand made sweaters, hand knitted wool scarfs, T-shirts with Zucchini Fest signs on them so you can take something home to remember the lovely day you just spent here, breweries and ice cream tents and even a healthy option stops if you are looking to pass on the delicious barbecue that has been cooking just down the street from here since the night before.
But if you think that that’s all they’ve got you are not even close. The fun doesn’t stop here! There is live music where kids can take a part in and sing and dance with the artist, craft tables for the littles where they can let their wild imagination fly, Zucchini toss and Zucchini catapult, Zucchini weight off, make your own Zucchini car and race it with a friend on the race track to see which one goes down the ramp faster and the best of all: get dunked in the Zucchini juice, which is our favorite to watch. There are always balloon artist and face painter on side that are so talented and always extremely kind and patient with the kiddos.
But most of all you’ll be sure to have a day to remember here and food you wish you can have every day on top of memories you can cherish forever, and would leave you dreaming that next August comes faster than a Zucchini can grow.
As promised if you got this far here are few of our favorite Zucchini recipes that help us past the year before we can go back and enjoy some really appetizing and authentic Zucchini dishes in The Berkshires.
Backed Parmesan Zucchini Rounds
Burst Tomato and Zucchini Spaghetti with Avocado Sauce