After a very successful garlic harvest last year (2024), I was told that we should enter our garlic in the Saanich Fair. Really? I mean everyone who saw the garlic was super impressed, but was it really Saanich Fair material?
There was only one way to find out, so I picked the two best of the best bulbs from this year's harvest and decided to enter them into the garlic competition at the fair.
On the Friday night before the fair, I took the bulbs down to the Saanich fairgrounds and wandered around looking lost until a fair organizer asked if I needed help. She guided me to where I should put the garlic and that was that.
On Sunday, my wife and daughter went to the fair and lo and behold, the garlic had won second place! That was exciting! But, clearly the public disagreed with the judges because one of the garlic bulbs had been stolen and no one had stolen a first prize bulb.
On Monday when I went to pick up the remaining garlic, I was shocked to discover the second bulb had been stolen as well. The organizers were shocked too, indicating, "this is not a common occurrence." Apparently a number of other entries had also gone missing.
As a first-time participant it is pretty discouraging to have your prize-winning garlic stolen. Some people have said I should be flattered. Maybe I should, but this garlic was seed garlic for the next season, and while it does not impact how much garlic will be planted for next year (we are planning to plant 900), you really want to use your best bulbs for seed and these were the best of the best.
We will see how the 2026 harvest turns out. Maybe it will be another good year and encourage us to enter again.
— VVF