Posted on 05/07/2015 6:50:46 PM PDT by nickcarraway
While we love Outside Lands, and the Folsom Street Fair, and maybe even the Ramen Festival for the sheer horror of watching famished people wait three hours for soup, the best fests are the unique ones that only happen once. (Before anybody bristles about how Folsom is totes unique, there’s also Up Your Alley and Folsom East.)
Castroville Artichoke Festival The last weekend in May — which is not Memorial Day weekend, but the one after — Castroville throws its Artichoke Food & Wine Festival, which has been running for well over half a century to showcase the Pajaro Valley’s signature crop. While familiar enough, artichokes aren’t exactly the most common agricultural product in California (and the US produces less of them than Peru or Morocco). What’s up with that? They’re really good
To rectify this, the festival is bigger than ever. Beyond children dressed in artichoke costumes and a music stage with country acts, there will be wine tastings and micro-brew pairings, “ARTY-tinis” made from something called ARTY Water, an artichoke eating contest, vendors, celebrity chefs doing demos, and more. Entrance is only $10 for adults.
Sadly, we don’t live in a corn-and-soybean region where State Fairs routinely feature life-sized Michael Jacksons sculpted out of butter, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have, um, art o’choke. Among the many rules in the curiously named “Agro Art Contest” (sounds so angry!) is a stipulation that three-dimensional pieces must contain at least 60 percent produce and 10 percent artichokes. Sponsor Ocean Mist Farms provides the latter, as well as the cauliflowers and the broccoli. Entrants can also use brush or grasses, but not flowers.
And if artichokes have always left you scratching your head, wondering why anybody likes these sharp-edged thistles that take more work to eat than crab does, disabuse yourself of any preconceived notions with this handy artichoke fact sheet. But in case you're too curious to click around for the etymology of this unusual word, it comes from the Arabic al-karsufa, which got mutilated into articiocco ("high stump") by the time it reached Italy, who made up for the error by creating the artichoke liqueur Cynar.
Silly nomenclature aside, artichokes are delicious and you'll definitely come away with a deeper understanding of their culinary possibilities after attending this only-in-California festival.
Castroville Artichoke Food & Wine Festival, Saturday and Sunday, May 30-31, at the Monterey County Fairgrounds, 2004 Fairground Rd., Monterey.
God invented the artichoke because, in His infinite omniscience, He knew that someday, someone would invent Best Food’s Mayonnaise (known as Hellman’s east of the Rockies).
Lived in Monterey for 18 months and loved all the festivals: strawberry, squid, broccoli, garlic, etc. nothing like seeing someone drunk on garlic wine. Grew up in the Bay Area but never went until we lived there....
But now, no water, no festivals, right?
Try Duke’s mayo (in the south)....the best!
Meh, and the native language is Spanish these days.....
Maybe thats the reason why.
I used to smell the garlic all the way up in San Jose. You’re so right that the smell hasn’t been as strong in recent years. And the number of days has been reduced.....
I’m in your same position.
I miss my Grand parents too.
Hence my pic.
She was the 1st Miss Artichoke.
Have no idea if there was ever another...
Is the Central Texas bab still open?
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