GARDEN CITY, Idaho — The Western Idaho fair is wrapping up, and for many, the last ten days have been about fun rides, yummy fair food, and winning big in the expo hall, and that’s especially true for one Treasure Valley man.
Meet Farmer Ted and his Blue Ribbon-winning Armenian Cucumber:
“Holy cow! You won’t believe the size of this Armenian Cucumber I’ve been growing. This one is over 3 feet long and 13 pounds!” said Ted Kovarik in a home video.
“I might be a farmer, but I am also a veteran and I am proud to serve my country,” said the U.S. Air Force Veteran who received the first-ever Honored Veterans Award at this year’s Western Idaho Fair. “I’m super thrilled about it,” said Kovarik.
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It’s the piece of hardware he is most proud of, alongside his dozens of other First Place prizes and Blue Ribbon wins for the vegetables, herbs, and fruits he submitted.
“So right here we won first place for the largest beet. This is a Dark Detroit Red Beet,” said Kovarik.
He says that his passion for farming was planted during his deployments. “My last deployment was in Ethiopia, and I saw how skinny people can be if they’re completely malnourished.”
Now, Kovarik is rooted deep in the Gem County community, growing for his family and neighbors at his farm stand: Sonshine Acres. And for the last few years, the cream of the crop has been entered into competition at the fair.
This year, he took home the most Blue Ribbons in both the Vegetable and Herb divisions, earning him the overall award in the Agriculture Department.
“One of the biggest things is that I’m starting to head right now. I’m already growing crops, and I’m prepping my soils so that they’re gonna be good for growing stuff next year,” added Kovarik.
Fair directors are encouraging anyone with an interest to submit next year to start thinking about their crops now.
