Celebrating Eastham's Iconic Eastham Turnip

A full house attended Eastham's icon root vegetable at the 20th annual Turnip Festival. More than 700 visitors and local entrepreneurs engaged in activities at the Eastham Library's Turn Up For Fun Day

"No one even knows where the original started. What's special about it? It's very unusual in the turnip world ... It grows very large and very sweet. There's kind of a mystique behind it of being a rare breed that's produced everywhere."

– Bob Wells

Owner Redberry Farm

What is the turnip festival in Eastham?

This year, celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Eastham Library organized the turnip festival in a handful different venues around the town. The main building, the library, housed around 750 celebrators participating in activities such as weight guess a giant turnip, art crafts, henna tattoos and a magic show. Thirty restaurants were adding turnip dishes to their menus for the day, and hungry turnip devotees could enjoy turnip croissants, turnip hummus and turnip ice cream.

What is the Eastham Turnip?

The Eastham turnip is a local variety especially known for its particularly sweet and mild flavor, as well as for its versatility. It has been grown in Eastham since the 1800s and is surrounded by a sense of mystique, according to turnip farmer Bob Wells who had brought a jar of turnip seeds directly descending from the original Eastham turnip. Where the heirloom's first seeds came from is still a mystery.

For more information:

Eastham Turnip Festival 2023

Turnips' nutritional value