Glorious Garlic: Visiting Gilroy, the Garlic Capital

Gilroy and garlic are nearly synonymous in my neck of the woods.  Gilroy, located in Santa Clara County about 35 miles south of San Jose, is considered the garlic capital of the United States.  Before it was the garlic capital it was the prune capital (maybe this is how nearby Prunedale received its name?).  Those prune pickers didn’t make much money, however, and people turned to growing garlic instead.   During garlic season, from July through October, people can often smell Gilroy before they can see it.  Some people have reported smelling the garlic as far south as Salinas and as far north as San Jose.   Humorist Will Rogers described Gilroy as “the only town in America where you can marinate a steak by hanging it on the clothesline.”  Gilroy does not lead the world in garlic production, however.  It is called the garlic capital because Gilroy Foods processes more garlic than any factory in the world.  Almost all pickled, minced and powdered garlic found in grocery stores worldwide comes from Gilroy Foods.  Christopher Ranch is the largest commercial garlic producer here.

One of the most popular events in Gilroy is the annual Garlic Festival.  The three-day long festival, held the last weekend in July, features everything garlic, including garlic-laced sausage and calamari, garlic pasta, garlic fries, garlic bread, and even garlic ice cream!  The festival includes not only garlic delicacies but also beer and wine, arts & crafts, live entertainment, garlic-braiding workshops, and cooking competitions. Celebrity chefs such as Giada De Laurentiis have even made appearances.   The festival is held outdoors at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy, and draws more than 100,000 people.  It is a major fundraiser for local charities.  This year saw the initiation of Garlic Train service from San Francisco and San Jose to Gilroy for the festivities. 

Helpful Hints for the Garlic Festival:

• Friday is the least crowded day at the festival
• It can be extremely hot, make sure to stay hydrated and bring a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen
• The following items are prohibited from the event:  alcohol, bottles or cans, coolers, frisbees or water projecting devices, and pocketknives or weapons of any kind
• No pets are allowed except for service animals
• No RV parking is available

If you want to beat the heat and crowds at the Garlic Festival, there are still plenty of garlicky things to do in Gilroy the rest of the year. You can take a walking tour of the historic downtown area, which features dozens of amazing homes and buildings, including many structures designed by eminent California architect W. H. Weeks.  Walking tour maps are available at the Gilroy Welcome Center and also near public parking downtown.  You can visit the Garlic City Cafe, the Garlic City Casino, or Garlic World.  You can even get a garlic flavored beer at Golden State Brew & Grill and then head out to hit some golf balls at the Garlic Country Driving Range.  The possibilities are endless.  As is the bad breath.  Which is good if you want to ward off vampires, but not good if you are looking forward to kissing someone under the mistletoe!  Some studies have shown that drinking milk while you consume garlic can help neutralize this effect, and other studies have shown that consuming garlic with mushrooms and basil may also be effective.  I say the solution is to eat more pizza.  It has cheese which is made from milk, and who doesn’t like mushrooms, basil, and garlic on their pizza?  

If you enjoy wine, there are nearly two dozen wineries in the area including Stomping Ground, Heller Winery, Sarah’s Vineyard and more.  After a glass of wine, you can head eight miles northeast of Gilroy to the famous Victorian resort, Gilroy Yamato Hot Springs, a California Historical Landmark.  Other local fun spots include  Gilroy Outlet Center, Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park on CA State Route 152 and Mount Madonna County Park also on 152.

 Directions:  From San Francisco take Hwy 101 southeast approximately 84 miles.  From Monterey, take Hwy 156 northeast approximately 41 miles.

Helpful Links:

• Visit Gilroy
• Garlic Festival

Thank you for visiting my blog!  Wishing you peace, love, happiness, and beautiful vistas!