Branford's Jeanne Tahnk recently brought home a bumper crop of dozens of prize ribbons for her vegetables, produce, sauces and other entries at the 2017 Durham Fair. The fair took place Sept. 21 - 24, 2017.

Tahnk and her partner, P.G. Yu, enjoy growing all types of veggies, herbs, and other produce on about two acres of property at their home in the Hotchkiss Grove area, where they began planting about four years ago.  A few decades ago, Tahnk, a professional chef, was the owner/chef of popular Boston, MA Chinese cooking school and gourmet dining room (the former Pink House) and also appeared on Boston-area TV cooking shows with chefs including Julia Child.

As a Branford resident, Tahnk's growing relationship with Branford's The Stand (Roadside BBQ & Market) started blossoming over a year ago. Tahnk said she now supplies about 90 percent of the garden produce for The Stand's seasonal outdoor farm market and recently took on overseeing the farm market, as well.

Tahnk credits Yu, a scientist and engineer, for developing the couple's amazingly productive gardens. She said at first, Yu's goal was only to supply Tahnk with the freshest ingredients for her recipes.

"[He]is a genius," said Tahnk. "To him, this is his hobby; it's like his sandbox. He loves working outside in the garden. It's sort of a little talk in our neighborhood – we use every inch of space. We don't grow grass, we grow vegetables!"

Among the most garden's most prolific types of produce are its 1,000 tomato plants (Tahnk's also known locally as the "Tomato Queen," she said). In addition to generating-prize winning tomatoes and stand-outs such as the largest zucchini at this year's Durham Fair, she won yards of ribbons for vegetables of all varities, from peppers to eggplants and more. Tahnk also took home Best in Show second and third-place Rosettes, including second Best in Show, Vegetable Display. Her Vegetable Display alone required an impressive array of garden-grown produce, covering a 16 square-foot table and four foot high wall space matching the table length.

In all, Tahnk took home nearly 50 ribbons, including many blue (first place), as well as red (second place) and yellow (third place) for her many entries at the 2017 Durham Fair. She even won a blue ribbon for one of the couple's many Jade plants, which she entered in the fair's Potted Plants category.

In honor of Tahnk's winning ways, the folks at The Stand recently asked her to mount a "mini exhibit" with several of her blue ribbon winners on display. The temporary display comes down on Friday, Oct. 13.

Tahnk said she and Yu have been getting lots of encouragement from people who have enjoyed the fruits of their gardening labor through the years. She also appreciates the recognition received from the Durham Fair this year. This is the couple's third year entering contests at the Durham Fair. From the looks of things, the third time's the charm.

"The first year we entered, we got one blue ribbon," says Tahnk. "The second year, maybe three."

She also entered canning and sauces for the first time this year, taking home big prizes in those categories, as well. While she's pleased to have picked up so many ribbons this season, Tahnk said the real reward is when she's able to share a recipe or preparation tip to help people enjoy cooking with fresh vegetables of all varieties.

"Especially at the end of the season, there are so many vegetables, I give advice on what to do with cooking them. That makes people very, very happy. It's good to share what you know," said Tahnk.