David Murray

dmurray@greatfallstribune.com

There should be enough coleslaw in Missoula to feed a small army – or at least an entire fourth-grade class, its teachers, parents, siblings and extended family members on out to second cousins.

On Feb. 16, Bonnie Plants, a garden plant wholesaler based in Alabama, announced the state winners of its Third Grade Cabbage Program. In Montana, the 2016 award for “best” cabbage was Silas Savoia, now a fourth-grader at Hawthorne Elementary School in Missoula.

Savoia was randomly selected for the recognition by the Montana Department of Agriculture – but his achievement was no less impressive. The Missoula youngster harvested a cabbage weighing 43 pounds, 13 ounces. That’s just a baby compared to the world record holder.

Ask Amy: When to plant veggies for a fall harvest

The heaviest cabbage ever grown weighed in at 138 pounds, 4 ounces and was presented at the 2012 Alaska State Fair by Scott Robb of Palmer, Alaska. Robb also holds the world record for the largest turnip ever grown at 39 pounds, 3 ounces.

Shredded, the Missoula 10-year-old’s enormous cabbage would yield more than 13 gallons. Add carrots, mayonnaise and assorted seasonings and you’ve got a big enough side dish to satisfy 300 hungry cowboys at a Montana branding party.

For his efforts, Savoia received a $1,000 scholarship from Bonnie Plants.

Since 2002, Bonnie Plants has delivered millions of free two-inch cabbage seedlings to classrooms in 48 states. The plants are an oversized variety called an O.S. Cross. The plants’ care is frequently incorporated into lesson plans on biology, ecology and nutrition.

“Over the course of the past 13 years, the Bonnie Plants Cabbage Program has proved to be an exciting, worthwhile experience that children, teachers, parents and grandparents across the country have embraced,” Stan Cope, president of Bonnie Plants, said in a news release. “We’re pleased and proud of our Montana State Winner, Silas Savoia. We are grateful to have the opportunity to provide our youth with this enjoyable and enriching opportunity and engage their interest in the art and joy of gardening.”

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In 2015, Bonnie Plants delivered more than 3,600 cabbage seedlings to third-grade students in Montana at 72 schools. The program is free to any third-grade classroom in the country and teachers can register now for 2016 at www.bonnieplants.com.