Garlic in Gilroy

Well, I finally gave in. I had to find out how garlic ice cream tasted. This was last spring, following a much-appreciated visit to relatives up North. I'd passed through the small town of Gilroy a few times but the urge to consume never really convinced me to make the stop at the little market right off the state road.

For one thing, you'd never see the farmer's market til you were passing it completely.... and then it would be a while before you could make a safe and legal U-turn.... so that's probably the dominant explanation for why I never stopped here. It's not hard to find at all.

What of Gilroy? I've never actually visited the major city areas. I've never been to the yearly garlic festival either. It's definitely an agricultural town - there are small farmer's markets and fruit stands all over the roadsides, and the pungent aroma of garlic totally pervades your nostrils as you drive through the city limits. It doesn't matter if the A/C is off or the windows are up. Garlic always wins.

My cousin would probably describe Gilroy as a "drive-by" or "drive-thru" town. And no, those aren't references to gang violence or fast food windows. Those phrases imply that you merely pass through this place on the way to your true destination.

But, like I said, garlic always wins. I needed to find out what garlic ice cream tasted like.

The little shop was cozy and sold all things garlic. There was garlic salsa, garlic candy, garlic bread, garlic butter spread.... you name it and they probably had it. I was only interested in the ice cream. They sold these harmless-looking 5 oz containers for about $1.50 -- available in both vanilla and chocolate variants. I chose vanilla, believing that I'd have a better opportunity to taste the garlic that way.

You got this little wooden spoon with your ice cream cup. It wasn't very convenient, but it worked. I didn't think it tasted half-bad! It was definitely a mix between garlic and vanilla flavors, with all the typical consistency you'd expect from ice cream.

I know many people think garlic ice cream is weird or disgusting. I'd call it offbeat.

Just the thing to eat when you're a little off the beaten path....