This weekend I had the opportunity to head over to the 29th annual Gilroy Garlic Festival for the first time. Although I've lived close enough to attend, I had never made it there before. However when faced with promises of "food laced with over two tons of fresh garlic," I knew I had to attend.
The overall vibe was like most county fairs - loud music, dusty makeshift stalls, funny shaped drink goblets, booths full of cute knick-knacks, etc. - however, unlike other county fairs, this one bombarded you with the potent smell of garlic. Everywhere you turned it was garlic, garlic, garlic - there were garlic fries, garlic bread, garlic chicken, garlic sausage and even garlic ice cream, shaved ice and chocolate! And maybe I'm crazy, but the food just wasn't garlicky enough. Also I was hoping to see garlic funnel cakes, garlic donuts, or garlic waffles, but no such luck. I did however, stumble upon some really fantastic pickled garlic. The sweet, salty and spicy combo pairs really well with the crunchy fresh garlic. You can purchase an 8 oz. jar for $5.98 or if you prefer, you can make your own!
My mom recently perfected her recipe, to check it out, read more
