Glorious Garlicklandia

I’ve only missed one or two Hudson Valley Garlic Fests since 1997. Rain or shine, it’s a wonderful celebration of all things Garlic, along with varied and foot-tapping music on several stages, creative crafts, lectures and demos, kid-friendly fun, and great food. Arm of the Sea Theater is always a highlight, even in the driving rain:

Native Americans plant seeds thanks to the stupendous puppets of Arm of the Sea Theater.

One of our first stops is always Gary’s Pickles, killer and not to be missed. We can never decide between sour and half-sour; both are crunchy and wonderful. So we buy a bucket of each. Here my daughter discovers a hybrid to please those who can’t decide, like us:

How do they make a pickle that's half sour and half half-sour?

Some of the most scrumptious, sweet-tangy, pulled pork I’ve had north of North Carolina is from Tim’s, a bit tricky to find but worth the search, available on a bun or a plate, with sauce or without, with coleslaw or without, for seven bucks. It’s truly heavenly even on a stomach already full of pierogies, soft pretzels, and a less wonderful pulled pork specimen; trust me. It is ecstacy-making stuff. We go for the bun, the sauce and coleslaw, all stellar.

Tim's pulled pork is the only thing they sell, and what more could you want in life? Perfect balance of sweet and tang, moist and tender and smoky--heaven on a bun.

In spite of a rainy day and a relatively short visit, we left satisfied with having found everything we sought, which included many heads of garlic in varied varieties: Spanish roja (my personal fave), German red and white, and Italian purple skin. Tasting it raw, whether minced, chunked, or sliced, is de rigeur before making your choices. And soon you feel thoroughly and happily infused with it. Some folks go for other purification or detoxification strategies, whether medical or spiritual, but for me there’s is nothing as cleansing, and pleasing, as tasting crunchy, spicy, bold, raw garlic and having it run through your veins.