Oh My Gulay


The inaugural Upo Festival presented by 204 Filipino Forum and Marketplace was a huge success with amazing entries by backyard gardeners growing the longest and heaviest upo (bottle gourd). Brix del Carme walked away with the bragging rights for the longest upo measuring 1.867m (74in).The festival also highlighted many homebound green thumbs turning to backyard gardening in the midst of a global pandemic. Upo is a popular vegetable in Filipino cuisine and normally sauteed with ground beef to make ginisang upo.

Organized for the first time by 204 Filipino Forum and Marketplace, the First UPO Festival was an instant success with ten participants to contest the longest, the heaviest upo. Add-on to this contest is to find the longest oriental bean (sitaw) and loveliest veggie garden.

Don Fernandez handled the promotion while Rhodel and Rhommel Climacosa used their backyard as the venue for this 1st festival.

Prizes were awarded from the many sponsors, together, the winners received some Upo seeds from Noel Borja and Obet Cielos Tang.

Brix Del Carmen: Longest upo 1.867 meters

John Cabang: Longest sitaw .936 meter

Elvira Acapulco: Heaviest upo 8.64 kg.

Roy Agustin: Loveliest vegetable garden

Backyard

 

Photos by Rhodel Climacosa