Garlic festival set to engulf Ste. Anne

The Ste. Anne farmer’s market, now in its seventh season, is hosting its first garlic festival at its location on the boardwalk across from town hall, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

La ferme cooperative Tourne-Sol and the ferme du fort Senneville will be selling organic garlic bulbs as well offering free bilingual workshops. At 9:30 a.m., they will discuss different garlic varieties, followed at 10:30 a.m. with garlic braiding and at 11:30 a.m., you can learn how to grow garlic in your home garden.

While vendors, all regional farmers and producers, will be stocked with garlic-themed wares, from garlic goat cheese to garlic sausages, they will still have their usual offerings, from meat to vegetables.

“We were looking to bring extra life to the market and we have a few growers who have garlic,” said festival organizer Daniel Brisebois from Tourne-Sol. “There’s also a huge difference between the garlic you can buy in grocery stores. It’s based on the variety a bit but mainly it’s that it’s grown locally, it’s really juicy and the flavour is really pronounced.”

The local garlic is typically planted in October, with bulbs placed in the earth like you might do with tulips. It’s harvested in July and then it is cured in a barn for a few weeks before going to market, Brisebois said.

Alison Hackney, from the ferme du fort Senneville, will be taking part in the garlic-braiding workshop. She said she offers the ‘music’ variety of garlic at her stand. “It keeps very well and tastes superb,” she said. “Anyone who has ever tasted it is ecstatic about it.”

Hackney said she often uses garlic in cooking and for salads she rubs a clove around the bowl.

As for the market in general, Brisebois said it is going very well, with about a dozen vendors there on a regular basis. He added the market could be a one-stop place for

shoppers as they can buy everything from vegetables, dairy products, meats to bread from the various vendors. “They’re not all organic (farmers) but it’s all local,” he said.

Garlic, known for its pungent odour after being chopped up or crushed and used as an aromatic seasoning in many international cuisines, has been ascribed healing powers over the years, from lowering blood pressure, reducing the risk of some cancers to being used as an antibiotic. 翿