Late summer is harvest time for garlic and each year it’s a celebration at Richmond’s Garlic Festival. This year is its 10th anniversary. I was pretty excited to check out this fair, which promised garlic ice cream.

So that Sunday morning, we took a family trip out to Richmond to see what kinds of garlic varieties were on sale and what foods were on offer. I’m not so up on the different garlic though we do use a fair amount in our cooking. Simply roasting them in the oven is delicious.

Many consider garlic to have a long list of health benefits although in Ayurveda, Jain cuisine, and Buddhism, both garlic and onion are avoided for different reasons. The Jain believe that pulling root vegetables from the earth disrupts and harms microorganisms. Ayurveda philosophy consider onion and garlic tamasic and rajasic, and increase heat and bile in the body. This overstimulation is why yogis follow a more sattvic diet, leading to lightness and purity.

Admission to the event is by donation and the proceeds go to supporting The Sharing Farm, a community-based farm that is run by part-time staff and volunteers. Over a decade-plus, this organization has produced and shared thousands of pounds of vegetables and fruits each year. This bounty is part of community meals as the goal of The Sharing Farm is to provide for those with food needs.

Garlic Fest
Sunday August 19, 2018 (festival is around this time each year
10AM – 3PM
Terra Nova Rural Park at The Sharing Farm
2771 Westminster Hwy, Richmond

info: Garlic Fest