The jubilee 40th \u201cDays of Pumpkins\u201d in Kikinda did not set records in measuring the heaviest or longest gourds, but it will remain remembered for several rarities. The first is the fifth consecutive victory of competitor from Hungary, Tibor Kokai, who once again brought an enormously heavy pumpkin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He and his wife Melinda, from the town of Szent M\u00e1rton, brought the heaviest pumpkins to northern Banat and deservedly won the first two places. Tibor became the champion with a pumpkin weighing 832 kilograms, while Melinda secured the runner-up position with a pumpkin weighing 779.5 kg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne we grew from seeds from Denmark, and the other from our champion pumpkins from previous years. One grew under a plastic cover, and the other we moved outside, into the garden. She took care of one, and I took care of the other. For the first two months they grew equally fast, gaining up to 25 kilograms a day, but then my pumpkin started progressing better, so we were even competing against each other a little. In the end, my pumpkin won. It wasn\u2019t easy to maintain them, because the one under the cover \u2018drank\u2019 up to 1,200 liters of water a day, while the one under the open sky needed between 600 and 800 liters,\u201d revealed Tibor Kokai, who also holds the record of this event with a pumpkin of 865.5 kilograms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Third place, with a pumpkin weighing 333.5 kilograms, went to the students of the Agricultural School from Ba\u010dka Topola, who won the hearts of the hosts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPumpkins are watered not only with water but with sweat and tears, because it is very hard to raise them to be big, heavy, or long. It takes a lot of work, effort, dedication, and it\u2019s hard to protect them from disease, heat, cracking, or rotting,\u201d said Gordana Lazi\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Kikinda Tourist Organization and the City of Kikinda awarded the winners with 120,000 dinars each, the runners-up received 80,000, and the third-placed 60,000 dinars. At the 40th \u201cDays of Pumpkins,\u201d the sweetest pumpkin was also chosen. Precise measurement showed that it belonged to Radovan Zaki\u0107 from Kikinda, who grows tamburica-type pumpkins. The meter showed his pumpkins had 13 brix, which expresses sweetness, i.e. sugar content. Second place went to Dragi\u0161a \u0160trbac, whose pumpkin had 10.2 brix, and third place to Goran Lazi\u0107 with 10.1 brix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n