Saturday 9 August 2014

Your mission,

should you choose to accept it… Actually there wasn’t a lot of “choosing” involved. The missus was away this weekend at a sister’s retreat and so wasn’t able to attend the Carp Fair’s annual Garlic Festival. My honey-do orders for Saturday were to go for a ride and come home with sufficient garlic to, augmenting what we have in our garden, get us a good way through the winter.

It was a beautiful day and I took the back roads where, even though it’s a long way from Oklahoma, “the corn is as high as an elephant’s eye”. Which made me wonder if an elephant’s eye really is 8 or 9 feet high. And another thing I just found out is that, at least in some parts of Europe, corn is a generic term for grain crops. So when a European refers to “corn”, it could be wheat, or rye in the fields. Perhaps European elephants are smaller, or have shorter legs.

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These were the thoughts that kept me occupied/amused as I headed to the fair. That and avoiding the potholes still not patched after the winter did its usual road damage. One that I did miss, hidden in the shadows of a large tree, was deep and sharp enough that I consider myself lucky not to have flattened my front tire. After that I paid more attention and made it to the fair without further incident.



I parked in a no parking zone (pretty lax parking controls on fair days as long as you don’t block a driveway) and went garlic hunting. IMG_20140809_101403723First I had to try the different varieties available. (I had orders for a specific type, but wanted to buy a few each of some different varieties just to try for a change.)

After much sampling (and heavy with garlic breath – phew) I made my purchases. I added a few ears of corn for dinner tonight, and I was done.
Mission accomplished.

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On the way home I came across the ultimate example of that much joked about Canadian penchant for politeness. I stopped at the Dairy Queen in Arnprior for an ice cream. It seems they had a problem with people stealing the decorative pebbles beside the patio (Why?). Instead of posting “Beware of Dog”, or “We shoot to kill” posters the owner took a most Canadian approach and asked nicely. And apparently it’s working. Go figure.

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All in all a great day, a nice ride, and I’ll be free from vampires for a few more hours yet.

15 comments:

  1. I never knew there were different types garlic. I thought it was pretty much one kind. Like the 'Canadian' sign. I planted garlic once and it took over the garden.

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    1. Dar - I used to think the same, but it's actually quite amazing the number of varieties, and the difference in taste between them.

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  2. I Did know just a bit about garlic varieties but had No idea that "corn" would be a generic name for what we consider normal field crops.

    The stones look attractive there beneath that red wall though I in no way feel the need to grab one. That sign is more than powerful enough to keep me honest.

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    1. Coop - I was watching a European movie and the hero was standing in a field of what looked like rye, but referred to it as corn. The spousal unit (who is European born) explained it to me. Never to old to learn something new.

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    2. I herewith confirm that Germans will refer to Kornfeld (corn field) to any crops that carry grains. Not sure about the elephants though, I have yet to spot one.

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    3. Sonja - The smaller European elephant can be hard to spot, even in a field a grain. Keep watching.

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  3. Canajun - I've learned two things today (thanks) but can't imagine, though I love garlic, tasting several and being able to tell the difference after the first bite. Must have been a good year for corn all around!

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    1. VSL - I was surprised at how different the flavours were - and even after a few I could still differentiate. Whether they retain their differences when cooked is yet to be seen.

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  4. Canajun:

    I love Garlic. I'm wondering how you use your Garlic. I like corn too. Saw lots of corn in Indiana. I thought Nebraska was the corn state

    bob: riding the wet coast

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    1. Bob - Garlic goes in soups, salads, hot pepper jellies, chile, spaghetti sauce, pretty much anything. Not sure which is the corn state, although Mitchell SD does have the Corn Palace.

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  5. Mmmm garlic - the other white meat.

    I use a lot of garlic in everything, maybe that is why we don't get sick. A recipe calls for 1 or 2 cloves and I'll put in at least 6-8. That is normal right?

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    1. Trobairitz - Sounds about right to me. :)

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    2. No such thing as too much garlic Brandy!

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  6. A new excuse to go for a ride..."Honey, I'm going out on a garlic run! Be back soon!"

    Isn't Iowa the "Corn State"? Dunno.

    Fun post! Glad you got the garlic you sought! :=)

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  7. Thanks Deb. Sorry it took a while to get this comment posted - got hung up in the spam filter and I only caught it today.

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