Besides being (over) used in all types of foods since the inception of time, garlic also has a variety of other uses — medicinally for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and boosting the immune system; warding off vampires and even ensuring your date doesn't kiss you at the end of the night.
To continue championing this versatile herb we've all been blessed with, the Toronto Garlic Festival is returning to the city on Sunday. It will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Artscape Wychwood Barns. Tickets cost a little over $5 and are available for purchase online. It's free for children under the age of 12.
The attendees will not only be able to buy fresh Ontario garlic but will also get a chance to indulge in the interesting garlic-themed concoctions prepared by local chefs paired with craft beer and garlic cocktails. Other products include, but are not limited to, garlic-infused chocolates and cookies, garlic ice cream, jellies, pesto and other types of condiments and treats made locally in Ontario. Is your curiosity piqued yet? We'd certainly hope so.
The cost of admission includes access to talks, presentations, live music and various activities like The Garlic Breath Contest and the Garlic Shot Station. Also included are live cooking demos, art workshops, film screenings and even a VR farm tour.
The Toronto Garlic Festival, which was started in 2011 by Peter McClusky, aimed to develop markets for Ontario garlic farmers and included value adds such as the local food producers. The event might have ballooned into something larger than what McClusky expected, with over 4,000 attendees on average, but its core tenets remain the same.
The festival's mission is to "provide economic opportunities for Ontario-based farmers, chefs, and food producers and, through curated programming, to promote Canadian cultural diversity," according to its website.
The festival acts as a bridging mechanism for the diversity that Toronto has to offer. People from various ethnic and religious communities around the city come together every year to indulge in one major common theme in all of their cultures — garlic. The pungent herb ends up acting as a binder that strengthens the ties between people who might differ geographically and even ideologically.
Toronto Garlic Festival's previous occurrence in 2019 resulted in a sizeable amount of waste generated, according to its website. To counteract that, this year's event will feature reusable instead of disposables in an attempt to scale back the ecological footprint. The event's partnership with Toronto-based Dream Zero will provide reusable dishware which will drastically reduce the amount of waste accumulated by the end of the festival. So not only is the festival championing garlic, but it is also championing the planet and its limited resources.
So if you're someone who loves garlic, doesn't have anything planned for Sunday and, most importantly, is not a vampire, consider popping into the garlic festival and getting your stink on!
The Toronto Garlic Festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 25 at Artscape Wychwood Barns located at 601 Christie St. All information regarding the festival is available on its website and tickets can be purchased online here.
