In The Mat-Su, you’d better eat your vegetables before they eat YOU!
The Alaska State Fair occurs annually in The Mat-Su. In addition to tractor pulls, live concerts, carnival rides, traditional dance performances and costume contests, this favorite event hosts the annual Giant Cabbage Weigh-off. Revered by many Alaska growers as the super bowl for gardening gurus, this competition has seen some unbelievably impressive cabbages over the years. In 2012, Scott Robb delivered a 138.25 pound cabbage, setting a new world record! That’s a ton of coleslaw!
So, how on earth do these veggies get so big?
Because Alaska is so far north, the summer season sees longer daylight hours. Sunsets on the June 21 summer solstice occur just before midnight! This adds up to a lot of extra growing hours for Mat-Su grown cabbages and Alaska’s other popular produce. Our carrots get pretty hefty up here, too, but more impressive than their size is their sweet flavor! With less time to convert their sugars to starches during the night hours, fresh carrots offer some stiff competition for the cotton candy sales at the Alaska State Fair!
Catch the weigh-off this year!
If you’re in southcentral Alaska (Anchorage or The Mat-Su) during the two weeks leading up to Labor Day, you can attend the Giant Cabbage Weigh-off yourself. Find dates and details for this and other Alaska State Fair attractions on our Alaska State Fair page and our event calendar.
