Gilroy, in southern Santa Clara County, California is, of course, the location for the famous Gilroy Garlic Festival, an annual event that has transformed this little town into the Garlic Capital of the World. Millions and millions and millions of pounds of garlic are produced every year in this lovely farming area. Though garlic is not the only thing grown in Gilroy, it really put Gilroy on the map — so to speak. (Among many other varieties of produce, Gilroy produces a considerable amount of mushrooms too, another favorite of mine.)

Each year, since 1979, the garlic festival has been held and has been a fundraiser for local charities. Individual groups and charities also run booths at the festival, raising additional funds for their causes. Held the last full weekend in July (the last Friday, Saturday and Sunday), it is one of the largest food festivals held in the United States and considered by most to be the best garlic festival in the world.

Like most festivals, there is always something for everyone in the family — from food to entertainment to shopping. For the children, there is a world of fun activities waiting, including rides, face painting, bouncy houses, games, magic, arts and crafts. For the rest of the crowd, there is garlic inspired food of every imaginable kind. Yes, it is true there is even garlic ice cream. There are garlic recipe contests and cook-offs, celebrity cooking demonstrations, live entertainment, arts and crafts and so much, much more, even appearances by Miss Gilroy Garlic and her court. One of the highlights are the fun promotional products.

Um, now about that garlic ice cream, I am told the samples are free and free is for me; however, the basil and garlic stuffed sea scallops wrapped in prosciutto and served with a citrus beurre blanc sauce (one of the 2008 recipe/cook-off winners) has me absolutely drooling.

Garlic, in all its gastronomic glory, is also very good for you and has been used medicinally for thousands of years. It is claimed to help prevent heart disease, including atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and cancer. Now if I can get help fighting off all those things with a few bowls of Garlic Seafood Soup, count me in.

Now if all this information has not convinced you to put this festival on your “bucket list”, then consider the following:

Garlic is known to repel mosquitoes and ticks. They despise or are overwhelmed by the scent of garlic and exposure to a high level of the toxins found in garlic can be deadly to them. So if garlic keeps away the mosquitoes and ticks, it goes without saying that it would make a suitable repellant against those other frightening, blood-sucking creatures of the night — VAMPIRES!

So go to the Gilroy Garlic Festival, stock up on lots and lots of garlic, and you can take it with you on your next trip to Transylvania. Oh, be sure to tell Vlad I spoke well of him.