Celebrate May Day, Tuesday, May 1st at 7 PM with Wolf Peaches, Poisoned Peas and Madame Pompadour's Underwear: the Surprising History of Common Garden Vegetable, a talk by Rebecca Rup from the Vermont Humanities Council at the Memorial Building in Hardwick.

Common garden vegetables have long and fascinating histories. Science and history writer Rebecca Rupp will discuss the stories behind many of our favorites, among them the much-maligned tomato and potato, the (mostly) popular pumpkin, and Vermont's dynamic duo of kale and Gilfeather turnip. Find out why a lot of us don't like beets, how a 17th-century pirate named the bell pepper, how carrots won the Trojan War, and how George Washington was nearly assassinated with a plate of poisoned peas. What a great program to ring in May.

The presenter of this program is Rebecca Rupp. Ms. Rupp has a Ph.D. in cell biology and biochemistry from George Washington University and now works as a professional writer. She is the author of some 200 articles for national magazines, on topics ranging from the natural history of squirrels to the archaeology of privies, and nearly 20 books for both children and adults. She blogs on food science and history for National Geographic.

This program is sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council (vermonthumanities.org) and the Friends of the Jeudevine Library. For more information call the library at 472-5948. The Memorial Building is the Hardwick Town Office Building at 20 Church Street in Hardwick. There will be light refreshments.