Every year for the past 19 years, on the second Saturday of August, Minnesota’s Garlic Festival (https://www.mngarlicfest.com/ ) kicks off a day of celebrating all things garlic. 

Hosted by the Crow River Chapter of the Minnesota Sustainable Farming Association, the festival includes Minnesota garlic producers, celebrity chefs, artisans and vendors selling a wide range of fun items, and of course, food flavored with garlic. For the more adventurous eater, garlic ice cream is often available. Chefs create garlic forward dishes and cooking demonstrations provide attendees with ideas for using the fresh garlic they have just purchased. Classes on growing garlic are often offered, too. 

The festival is held at the McLeod County Fairgrounds located in Hutchinson, Minnesota – a little over an hour west of the Twin Cities. This year, the festival is on Saturday, August 15 and runs from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. There is an admission charge – last year, it cost $10. There is onsite parking usually hosted by a local boy scout troop, and the parking fee has been about $1-$3. 

You may be surprised to learn that garlic has many varieties, and many people develop a preference for particular ones. Some of the common varieties are Music and Inchellium, but you might want to try the mild flavored Leah or Georgian Crystal, or those with a hotness like Romanian Red, Georgian Fire, and Lorz (Italian), or the hot peppery taste of Susan Marie. If you like a lingering flavor, you’ll want to try Chesnok Red. Other garlics grown in Minnesota and available at the Garlic Festival include Belarus, Korean Red, Krasnodar White, Chrysalis Purple, Purple Glazer, Red Grain, Polish, and Zemo, among others. 

Garlic is planted in the fall before the ground freezes. It emerges very early in the spring, produces ‘scapes in June, and is harvested in July. It has to dry for a couple of weeks to cure, which helps it last longer ‘Scapes are the curling top of the garlic and many people consider them a great delicacy. They are cut off the stalk of the garlic plant and can be fried in butter or chopped up and added to food for a nice mild garlic flavor. To learn more about growing garlic at home, the University of Minnesota Extension Gardening program has excellent information: Growing garlic in home gardens (https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/growing-garlic).

Photo credit: Mickey Scullard

The garlic purchased at the festival is not only excellent for eating, but also is a good way to get ‘seed’ garlic for planting in April/May. The garlic is grown by local Minnesota growers. While you could plant garlic from store bought bulbs, they may or may not grow in Minnesota. 

Garlic growers, it turns out, like to celebrate the garlic harvest and have a promenade twice a day. People in garlic costumes walk the short parade route along with Heart of the Beast puppeteers, musicians, and others creating a very quirky and unique parade. Numerous activities are geared toward kids. None of the fun intrudes on the main event – garlic for sale!