There’s a garlic show this weekend near Traverse City. It will include a “best in show” award and there will be an auction.
Northern Michigan is not a garlic-growing region, but the cousin of the onion is important to chefs, who will judge the entries.
Nicolas Theisen from Loma Farm will be one of the contestants. He grows garlic from around the world, including varieties that originated in France and the nation of Georgia, but Theisen says they all kind of taste the same to him, even if some are a bit hotter than others.
“There are people that would swear up and down that there is a huge difference,” he says. “That may be true but the way that I eat garlic, generally cooked, I don’t tell a huge difference.”
Theisen has tried a dozen different garlic varieties on his farm in Leelanau County. He says the sandy soil that’s common up north is good for garlic.
When he came to the area, he was told to grow stiff-necked varieties because they could handle the cold better. But he’s found the soft neck varieties do just as well. (Those are the kind you are likely to find at a grocery store.)
In fact, he says this winter didn’t harm his garlic at all.
“It came up later in spring,” he recalls. “But I saw no kill of the garlic. I saw no smaller bulb size.”
His entry in the show Saturday is called Inchelium Red, originally from Washington State. He says it’s a pretty common garlic with a nice appearance that is “uniform.”
Uniformity will matter in the show. Contestants have to submit a number of garlic bulbs for the judges.
Amanda Kik is one of the directors of the group sponsoring the event, the Institute for Sustainable Living, Art & Natural Design, or ISLAND. She says in addition to flavor, the judges will consider appearance and consistency.
“We want to show that if you grow great garlic you can grow a lot of great garlic,” Kik says. “And do it every time.”
The Northwest Michigan Garlic Show and Auction starts at 3:00 Saturday at Maple Bay Farms south of Elk Rapids.
