Garlic and Honey Seminar

I thought I was back at my very first Slowfood event. It was 5 years ago that I went to Gary and Mimi Verhaeghe 's Coffee Creek Ranch. Did that day change my life forever! I met Jasper and the Slowfood group there. If I had not gone there, I would have never met Christine. I remember the spinach with garlic that Jasper cooked in Gary's kitchen, topped with Gary's honey. Then there was this mason jar that Jasper brought, it was cherries to go over his gelato ice cream, only they had been soaking for a month in amaretto. WOW!!!

On the 5th of November this year, I got to share with Christine the taste of heirloom garlic. It was a evening at Jasper's. Hilary Cooley and Donna Cook and her son were at our table.

We started with a garlic tasting. We had to rate 7 heirloom garlics and some of them were hot and some were mild. Sitting at a table with people tasting garlic is a real quick way to get to know someone!!! Ha, Ha!

Gary gave us the history of his family in garlic. The Aime varity is the one his Grandfather Alphonse Verhaeghe started in 1919. It was named after his uncle Aime Verhaeghe, who passed the garlic on to Gary. This one originated in Europe. The taste is hot and zingy.

We tasted the garlic pieces.they hit your mouth in different bursts. The Russian Red was my favorite. Sixteen years ago I did a report in Culinary school on garlic . It is so interesting, I try to eat it in most foods.

We also had a great dinner prepared by Jasper. He served Riccota and olives with honey drizzled over the top. Then we had a carrot, potato, and garlic soup; which Christine still needs the recipe. A pasta dish with lots of garlic came next. That was followed by 40 clove garlic chicken. Wow! Then to finish it off, garlic gelato, just like we had at the first event. Lonnie Williams set this event up as the first time. Lonnie was the very first Slowfood member in Kansas City. http://www.slowfoodkc.org/

Gary's e-mail is gmpv@aol.com His company is the Coffee Creek Ranch in Stilwell, KS. He did a great job telling us all about garlic; he gave out recipes and also instructions on how to grow garlic.
Read of the small producers and their products, we need to support them.

Mike