By Matt Silverman | Staff Intern
Growing a cabbage weighing 20.8 pounds is not something many third-graders can say they have won a prize for. However, Angelo Rametta, a student at Bailey Elementary School, has done just that.
Angelo’s teacher, Hillary Duncan, signed up her class to participate in the National Bonnie Plants Cabbage Program. Bonnie Plants is the largest producer of vegetable and herb plants in North America, and the program is designed to teach students the importance of understanding agriculture through hands-on experience.
“I think it’s valuable for all students to learn about farming and the benefits to growing our own food free of preservatives and all the bad stuff they can find in processed food,” Duncan said.
Last year, third-graders at Bailey Elementary were given a baby O.S. Cross, or oversized, cabbage to care for courtesy of Bonnie Plants. The students learned how to care for the plant as a part of their class curriculum. After lessons, they took their plants home to take care of them.
Teachers from each class then voted on the best cabbage based upon size and appearance.
After the cabbages were grown, the student with the best cabbage was entered into the statewide competition, where the prize is a $1,000 scholarship toward educational pursuits. Angelo is this year’s Florida winner.
He was given his plant in October 2015 and turned in a photo of it fully grown in March. Bonnie Plants announced him as a winner this fall.
“I’m glad that I won,” Angelo said. “I’m going to use the $1,000 to go to college.”
Described as “extremely hard-working” by his teacher, Angelo took diligent care in watering, fertilizing and trimming the cabbage as it grew beyond expectation. Upon being documented, the giant cabbage was put to good culinary use.
“We made different recipes: boiled cabbage, cabbage rolls and fried cabbage,” Angelo said.
More than 1.5 million third-graders in 48 states participate in the program. Each year, students’ cabbages can grow bigger than a basketball, and some have weighed over 40 pounds. The program launched in 2002.
State winners are randomly selected by the Commission of Agriculture in each of the 48 participating states.
Teachers can sign up for the program at BonniePlants.com.