A typical rural village, Mġarr lies among fertile farmland and is renowned for its agricultural produce. Admired for the picturesque country- side, this rustic little village is within a short walking distance of Skorba and Ħaġrat prehistoric temples, as well the ever-popular Ġnejna Bay.

We had visited Mġarr several times to indulge in its popular traditional ‘rabbit stews’ but had  never  attended a  “Lejla

Mġarrija”. On August 5th, we made time, and attended the agricultural show held annually at the village.

The “Lejla Mġarrija” was an eye opener. Agricultural produce of a high standard and grown in the area was displayed in great variety. There were nuts, herbs and other greeneries that we had never seen before. I loved the pop-corn and never knew that it grew in dark maroon and beige colours.

The variety of pumpkin on exhibition was amazing. Coming in various shapes and colours, some were the size of tennis balls while others weighed 300 kilo- grams and over.

Flower arrangements were on show in the nursery corner and I was particularly impressed by the Maltese Orchid.

There was also something for admirers of vintage cars as well and these were all smiles at seeing antique Austins, Triumphs, Dodges and other  collectible vehicles, brought in to further enhance the evening. Modern and vintage farming equipment, machinery and trucks were some of the exhibits and there were also demonstrations.

In the Fishermen corner, traditional fishing boats and accessories were on display and here we learned about “nasses” (bamboo cages) which are made in different designs to trap different kinds of fish and the triangular bamboo float for trapping “Lampuki”.

Various kinds of vegetables and succulent fruits were tastefully arranged on traditional Maltese Carts, while cooking utensils from granny’s time, such as the stone turning “kenur”, oil lamps, ladles, wooden cup measurements “kejla”, metal containers “tomna” and weighing scales, gave us a close look at a bygone era.