Hansen’s cabbages among the items

Kirt Manion
kmanion@cherryroad.com

Otoe County Fair exhibitors were busy on Wednesday morning, July 24, on the fairgrounds in Syracuse as they checked in various entries for this year’s event.

Among the throng of fair competitors was Duane Hansen, the man famous for growing a pumpkin big enough and tough enough to endure a 38-mile journey on the Missouri River back in 2022.

Hansen was, of course, entering impressive vegetables into the 2024 fair including incredibly large heads of cabbage. Despite their size, Hansen said the Wednesday entries did not represent the maximum size that a cabbage can be grown to reach.

With the size comes consumption longevity.

Kept in the refrigerator, Hansen’s cabbages could last for a couple of months.

So, one could make quite a few cabbage-based dishes from soup to sandwiches.

Before getting into the giant cabbage growing game, one should be aware of at least some danger in the process.

Hansen said he begins to grow his cabbages from seed in a lengthy project from beginning to end.

During the growing of the cabbages, Hansen said particular care should be taken with irrigation of the plants. If the cabbages get dry and then rain supplies a quick dose of moisture, Hansen said the plants could explode.

What kind of explosion?

Hansen said it’s enough to startle someone and compared the boom to the sound made by a 22-caliber rifle.

Check out all the entries at the fair in the Exhibition Hall on the fairgrounds in Syracuse during this year’s event, which will go from Thursday through Sunday.