The fair, held for the 27th time, showcased giant and unusual vegetables, while growers reported a mixed year shaped by weather and cheap imports. and fair drew 20,000 people to Palamuse, population around 550.

The most interesting exhibits were the unusual, strange or giant vegetables. The 53-kilogram giant pumpkin was on display at the Palamuse cuteness contest. According to its owner, growing a winter squash of these proportions requires not only rich soil but also a lot of love.

"You still have to go and pet it, water it. It won't grow weeds, because the pumpkin is so big. But especially cabbage, because cabbage worms are so industrious," said Toomas Puusepp, cultivator of the giant pumpkin.

His giant fruits — a 53-kilogram and a 42-kilogram pumpkin and a 14-kilogram cabbage — arrived at the exhibition on a lawn tractor. The oversized produce found new homes at the fair's auction.

While some real giants could be seen in the "cute tent" (Nunnutelk), this year's vegetable harvest offered mixed feelings for gardeners.

"You can't complain. Compared to last year, we had quite a harvest this year. Everything grew. I could complain about today's sale, there aren't as many people as there have been in previous years," said vegetable grower Tatjana.

However, cool and rainy spring weather almost completely ruined the open-field cucumber and tomato harvest, while the marketing of domestic vegetables is being made more difficult by cheaper imported goods.

"The year was not very productive. There are half as many cucumbers as last year. While we used to pick 300 kilos of cucumbers in the spring, now we only take a total of 300 kilos to Tartu stores. Previously, we took 300 kilos to one store and 300 kilos to another," said vegetable grower Igor.

Meanwhile, a more exotic fruit managed to defy the local cold. Southern Estonian watermelon grower Raimo harvested a whopping four tons of watermelon.

"We grow them in the open field, so that we have them under plastic and in the spring you bury them beautifully with a covering and keep them warm and under a blanket like you would yourself, and that's how they grow," he said.

The Paunvere exhibition was held for the 27th time.

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