When you have just pulled almost 2,000 lovely fat garlic bulbs from the fertile soil, when the barn is filled with bunches of garlic drying and the air is redolent with that sweetly pungent scent, there is only one thing you can do in response — eat it!
Chef Joseph Forest and medical herbalist Chanchal Cabrera will do just that Aug. 28 — cooking, eating and celebrating the humble bulb in all its glory — and you are invited to join the fun.
Freshly picked at Innisfree Farm in Royston and prepared in delicious and surprising ways, this hands-on Garlic Lover’s workshop will have you chopping, cooking and tasting garlic as you never have before.
While you experience its pleasures first-hand, Chanchal and Joseph will share the rich history and myriad of uses, both culinary and medicinal, of this powerhouse plant. You will even discover the secret of how to eat garlic and keep your friends (apart from feeding them all garlic as well).
Revered as a great aphrodisiac by the Romans and as a powerful medicine by herbalists today, garlic is also reviled as the ‘stinking rose’ and in India is considered to lower one’s meditative state. Though arguably best known for its reputed anti-vampire qualities, garlic also passes scientific scrutiny.
Repeated studies confirm that it is a potent anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal and it shows promise in treating swine flu and other influenzas as well as infections, including antibiotic–resistant infections and septicemia. Additionally, it has been shown to lower blood cholesterol and reduce risk from atheroma (clogged arteries) strokes. Garlic can even reduce incidence and severity of clotting and reduce risk of strokes.
Be at Innisfree Farm on Aug. 28 for a Garlic Lover's Feast from 6 to 9 p.m. For details, visit www.innisfreefarm.ca and www.chanchalcabrera.com or phone 250-336-8767.