This festival in celebration of an alum know by some as the stinking rose, avoided by those who seek to kiss their sweetheart, and banned from those on a sattvic diet because of its disruption of meditation practices and invigoration of the central nervous system occurs every October in Orange, Massachussets.

The Garlic and Arts fest is one of my favorite times of the year.  Occurring in the fall right around the time of the garlic harvest and replanting for the following year, this festival is jam packed with local foods, arts, music, handicrafts, and stinky breath.

Why does supporting local businesses at the Garlic fest matter?  Well without the numerous vendors peppered all over the lawn, the garlic and arts festival would not likely happen.  Many come to get maple sugar cotton candy – for which the line is always long – art, locally grown foods to bring home, and handicrafts.

While I was expecting the garlic ice cream to taste like garlic my first bite into the pungent coldness still shocked me.  ‘It tastes like garlic!’ I exclaimed causing my friends around me to crack up. For me, this novelty item was great to try once and certainly left me with the flavor of the event rolling around my tongue.

It is festivals like this that allow for a region to develop and celebrate its own flavor and feel at the end of a successful season.  Not only can fairs like this help people to feel more tied to their community, they give people something to look forward to every year, they also have the potential to increase tourism and local revenue in a way that an amusement park can’t touch because the ownership is local and spread out amongst many beneficiaries.

So if you are ever in Western Massachusetts in October, make it a point to visit Orange for the North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival and check out part of what makes us special.

The market at Monterci in Tuscany introduced me to a new gastronomic passion, porchetta.  Porchetta is a whole sucking pig, de-boned and stuffed with garlic, rosemary, fennel and liver.  This juicy and delicious meat is a regional favorite which makes for a delicious and inexpensive lunch at the market when topped with a crunchy piece of skin and stuffed in a crispy roll, its exact flavors varying based on the chef.

It was here in Tuscany that I was made aware that not only were the restaurant menu items, and market items locally grown, but that they are also seasonally available.  What this means is that should I go back to Tuscany in July the foods available would be what is ripe at that time.  Fortunately for me ‘in season’ during December is cingale (wild boar), black truffles, chestnuts, porchini mushrooms and persimmon.

In the Caprese Michelangelo area, locals who harvest the mushrooms, truffles, and chestnuts from the forest are able to bring the fruits of their labor to market with the assistance of a local Co-op.  Sounds like an easy and exotic way to get those truffles that you love?  It isn’t.  Each of the trees in the forest is ‘owned’ by someone and you would very literally be taking their livelihood.

Overall I have really enjoyed the regional flavors and the lessons that are evident when a locale seems to have  a more sustainable food system.

Learn more about the foods of Tuscany from our hostess.

I’m sitting in a kitchen in Caprese Michelangelo in the hills of Tuscany with a glass of a local white wine.  There s a fire going to keep the room toasty warm.  Jay is busy in our hostess’ kitchen preparing a tomato and fennel fish stew with ingredients that we picked up from the market that day, all of which were locally grown or brought in from the coast.

Is ‘local’ a theme here?  So far, it is and not just because it is a passion of mine.

Let’s start from the beginning:

In Sorrento, where I spent my first few days, the streets are lined with orange trees.  Small orchards of a few trees, herbs, and grape vines seemed to occupy all available space in backyards and on balconies.

Limoncello, a lemon based liquor, is not only regionally unique but also varies by producer.  One variety I tasted on a whim was far better, in my opinion, than others to the point that I might have though it was a different drink all together.

At night while enjoying a stroll down Sorrento’s small side streets, I caught a glimpses of the day’s catch – frutta di mare – in display cases visible from the outside of the restaurants.  No doubt this is meant to entice you in, and also to let you know what the fresh catch is for the day.  Fresh meaning that it was caught that day and brought up from the harbour.

Once seated at the restaurant for the evening I was pleasantly surprised with a local and superior in quality bottle of vino rosso – red wine.  This left no need to spend money on the otherwise pricey wine list, a pleasant occurrence which repeated itself throughout the trip until Rome.

Sorrento’s ability to not only feed me, but to do so locally and with great flavor was definitely appreciated.  I appreciated knowing that the locally produced and harvested foods comprised the entire menu.

Would this be repeated?  Find out about Tuscany in Italian Food Part 2: Tuscany.

Cheesy 80′s pop fills the air. That is why I first noticed Lovebakken’s existence. 

The fairly simple, boring menu of Christiana (on the map) drove me to check out this place next door (off the map).  Initially the prices almost scared me off.  In the end what made me walk through the front door was the pan-fried Monkfish with citrus risotto and pickled red onion.  I just couldn’t walk away from a treat like that, despite the nearly $40 price tag. 

I went in.  A clean atmosphere that bustled in a busy yet low-key way, greeted me inside the door.  Next came the hostess who sadly informed me that they had a special function going on that evening and that I could only get the 12+ tapas they had out for free, there was no access to the regular menu.  Seriously?  Yes.  I walked in thinking I would be spending at least $50 on dinner and it actually was more like zero.  I was out of luck with the wine menu as well.  The were only offering one special (which tasted like a Merlot) that was cheaper than my previous glass by several dollars and tasted good. 

American Pie ends and now ‘What a feelin’ comes on. 

Among the tasty treats set out for guests (customers isn’t the right word when it’s free) 
- Watermelon, feta and cucumber salad with red onion
- Tomato, olive and rosemary Focaccia
- Piles of soft smoked salmon
- Pork with either a slice of bacon or a strip of its own fat- either way it was delicious!

‘Take your passion.  Make it happen…’

I am so happily full right now.  Feeling tired, as well, as the lack of sleep catches up with me.

In the end I paid for two glasses of discounted wine and left with my belly full.

Someone I know was recently sitting on a bus in the Pioneer Valley and two college-aged women were nearby. One of the women pulled out a carrot and started to eat it.

“Where’d you get that old fashioned carrot?” the other girl asked.

That comment shows us the disconnect that many people have to the food that they eat and where it comes from. It also tell me that education is important so that people know what vegetables look like out of the ground and before they are processed.