It Was A Double Header Weekend

Oh yes... this past weekend was a full one. Not only did I spend a couple hours at the Park Ave Fest on Saturday, on Sunday, we packed a picnic, we rounded the (younger two) kids up in the car, and headed down to Fox Run Vineyard for this year's Garlic Fest. Route 14 on Seneca Lake is a place where you can usually find us in the Fall and this was our first summer visit to the lake. We have been wanting to catch this festival for a few years now. Ever since I was visiting one of my aunts and she had me smell a head of garlic that, I kid you not, smelled just like pepperoni. Garlic is one of our garden staples. Ron just loves it! Loves to grow it, loves to cook with it, and loves to gift it to visitors that admire the garden. Every year though, we seem to remember we want to go to the festival a week or two after it happens. Not this year though. Ron was determined.




The festival itself is rather small. Just a few of those big tents with vendors selling all manner of types of garlic and garlic what nots. Just a few minutes after arriving, the skies opened up and it poured on us. So, we headed inside the vineyard to enjoy a wine tasting. Oh how big Lauren felt getting to sip some water out of a real wine glass. And then later it was fresh popped kettle corn (with or without garlic) and homemade ice creams (a scoop of vanilla and chocolate, no garlic flavor available). The Corning Museum of Glass was there giving demos, there was live music, and lots and lots of people. Those big crowds had us heading out after just about an hour of garlic tastings. We had a few bulbs each of German White, French Red, Music, and Bogatyr garlics, so we were all set.

But, naturally, driving over an hour to get there, we didn't head straight home. We headed further down the lake than we ever have before! We stopped at a few new wineries that seemed to pop up on the lake over night. Er, I mean, over the winter. Me made plans to come back to the wine trail soon with friends (no kids, and a designated driver) so that we can take some time to really enjoy the new finds. And we will be sure to take those friends to the little jewel we stumbled upon just past the famous Watkin's Glen Gorge... but more on that tomorrow.