Backyard gardeners dig Winnipeg’s Upo Festival

Dozens of submissions were entered in contests for the heaviest ,longest, weirdest-looking and smallest upo. All entries had to be from a backyard garden. HANDOUT

This year’s Upo Festival in Winnipeg, a kitchen-garden vegetable exhibition-party, drew a large crowd Sept. 2 at the Maples Community Centre.

The upo or bottle gourd, grown in many backyards in the Philippines, is included in several Filipino soups and sautes.

Leila Castro, founder of 204 Volunteers and the Upo Festival, said growing upo and other vegetables in Filipino Canadian kitchen gardens is good for both mental health and the family budget.

Upo Festival organizer Leila Castro. FACEBOOK

This year, the third annual Upo fest, included karaoke singing, dance presentations, a painting workshop for children and seniors, and a giant community pot of ”pakbet” (mixed vegetable stew).

Dozens of submissions were entered in contests for the heaviest ,longest, weirdest-looking and smallest upo. All entries had to be from a backyard garden.

Richard Mojado, won the prize for longest Upo, with an eight-foot gourd. Zacarias Cadiz had the heaviest upo weighing 15.6 kilos.