Mission
The Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota supports the development and enhancement of sustainable farming systems through innovation, demonstration, education, and farmer-to-farmer networking.
Third Annual Minnesota Garlic Festival
The Minnesota Garlic Festival is the premier event for lovers of garlic and good times, promoting gourmet garlic farming in Minnesota. Family friendly, fun filled and fragrant, this festival features local foods, chefs, music, artisans, games, competitions, and lots of garlic - all in support of a healthy environment, sustainable farms and vital rural communities in Minnesota.
The Third Annual Minnesota Garlic Festival will be Saturday, August 16, 2008, from 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., at the Wright County Fairgrounds in Howard Lake, MN. Complete Minnesota Garlic Festival information is available at www.sfa-mn.org/garlicfest/index.html. The Crow River Chapter of the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota sponsors this event.
Some of the finest gourmet garlic in the country is grown in Minnesota, and the first bulbs of the 2008 crop will be available at the festival. Sustainable Farming Association uses this as a springboard to launch this event that’s all about small family farms, local food, vital rural communities and a healthy environment in Minnesota.
The “throwing out the first bulb” ceremony heralds the 10:00 a.m. opening of a fun filled and fragrant day. Admission is $5 for adults and kids under 12 is $3. Parking sponsored by the Winsted Boy Scouts is $1.
Highlights of the Garlic Festival…
CHEFS!
Here's the line-up of super chefs who will prepare the menu at the festival restaurant, THE GREAT SCAPE CAFE, and will present cooking demonstrations on the main performance stage throughout the day.
- Lucia Watson and Lori Valenziano, Lucia's Retaurant & Wine Bar
- Phillip Becht and Jim Grell, The Modern Cafe
- Danny Schwartzman and Phil Werst, Common Roots Cafe
- Jenny Breen, Good Life Catering
- Mike Phillips, The Craftsman Restaurant & Bar
- Tracy Singleton & Marshall Paulsen, Birchwood Cafe
Other attractions include old-fashioned kids' games, kite flying, a youth art competition, a wide range of stage performers, a cornucopia of fresh local foods, and a festival favorite: garlic ice cream from Cedar Summit Creamery.
A MAGIC GARLIC BUS TOUR
Two of our stalwart partners have put together a bus tour to MN Garlic Festival from Minneapolis. RENEWING THE COUNTRYSIDE (the Green Routes people) and U of M Extension have a bus that will leave from MILL CITY FARMERS MARKET (by the Guthrie) and travel to the festival -- and you can even take a side trip to a couple of farms if you wish. Read all about it and get tickets at: http://garlicfestbustour.eventbrite.com/. There's also a link at the festival website.
This is going to be a great stress-free way to get to the festival with a bus load of fellow adventurers, and save some gas (the kind you put in your car). The only possible problem we foresee is if the wind is from the West, Minneapolis might not allow the bus to enter the city limits if the fragrance gets there before the bus.
ALL WEATHER EVENT
Remember, MN Garlic Festival is an "All Weather Event." We can move indoors, and the performance tent is always dry and cozy. So, barring apocalyptic meteor storms, super-collider created black holes that suck in the whole planet, and the fact that the Alliumbrian calender ends the day of the festival - the show will go on!
AUTHOR CATHERINE FRIEND APPEARANCE
If you've read The Compassionate Carnivore and Hit by a Farm, of which Garrison Keillor wrote, "A sweet and funny book in the classic Hardy Girls Go Farming genre, elegantly told . . . It has dogs, sheep, a pickup truck, women's underwear, electric fences, the works,” Catherine Friend will be appearing on the ASK THE EXPERT stage at 2:30 p.m.
