When you think of magical foods in fairy tales, you probably don’t think of cabbages. And while you may associate garlic with vampires, did you know that corn helped fuel the vampire craze? Or that turnips are surprisingly controversial. Take a stroll with folklorist and author Varla Ventura through the kitchen garden as we discover the remarkable history and lore behind common vegetables.

Varla Ventura is the author of Enchanted Plants: A Treasury of Botanical Folklore and Magic (New Page: April 2025) as well as Varla Ventura’s Paranormal Parlor and Fairies, Pookas & Changelings along with several other books on folklore, magic and strange history. When not poking around her poison garden or hunched over her writing desk, she can be found wandering the woods and cemeteries near St. Paul, Minnesota.

This program will take place at 19 Carter (19 Carter St. Berlin, MA 01503).