Archive for September, 2010

As the clock struck midnight on the evening of September 15, I drew the name of the winner(s) of the City Market Scavenger Hunt.  Congratulations to Rosa Robichaud and Gilbert Crevier!

It took them two trips to the Market, but they correctly identified all twelve of the images (including this one, which is a bowl of pewter keepsake tokens on the counter of Beckwith and Co.).  The two most difficult ones to find were the “warrior” pictured on a can of Irn Bru on the cooler at Pete’s Frootique, and the cover of the Big Cheese Book in the cooler at Dean’s Meats.

After picking up their $25 in City Market Gift Certificates, the intrepid team strolled the aisles of the market once more — this time trying to decide how to spend their hard-won prize.  At the time of my interview, they were planning on using it to purchase unique “Saint John gifts” to send as Christmas presents to friends far away.

Congratulations again on a job well done!   And keep your eyes peeled for another contest before the year is out.

Time is running out for the City Market Scavenger Hunt contest, but you still have time to enter.  Head on over to the Market (it’s open until 6 PM) and take a look around.  It could mean a $25 gift certificate in your pocket!

Remember: Descriptions of where to find the twelve pictured items must be emailed to me by midnight tomorrow night (September 15).  And if you haven’t found all twelve items, then send me what you do have.  If no one has found all twelve, but four people have found ten, then I will draw from those four people.

Good luck!  I’ll draw the winner’s name shortly after midnight tomorrow night!

When I first heard about this upcoming event, I was intrigued.  A garlic festival?  Featuring all things garlic?  Including things one normally wouldn’t associate with garlic?  Naturally, I had to check this out!

So I headed to the Market at lunchtime today to see what it was all about, and lucky for me (and the rest of the lunchtime crowd), I arrived just in time for the free samples!

The first garlic treat I tried was Garlic Chocolate Gelato.    (Regular readers of this blog know that I’ll try anything resembling ice cream at least once.) I was amazed — it was very good, with just a subtle garlic taste that really complemented the chocolate.  I was surprised at how well the two tastes went together.

Next, I headed to the popular Garlic Festival sample table, located between Sisters and the centre aisle.  Because of the crowd, it took a few minutes for me to reach the table, but  I thoroughly enjoyed watching the expressions on people’s faces.  Invariably, the looks went from disbelief, to hesitation, to consideration as they sampled, to smiles.

And finally it was my turn, and I didn’t know where to begin.  The offerings included the already-mentioned Garlic Chocolate Gelato, a very pretty Red Pepper and Garlic Jelly, Garlic Fudge, and Chocolate-Covered Garlic.  In the end, of course, I tried them all.

It would be hard to pick a favourite, but I really enjoyed the Red Pepper and Garlic Jelly — it was sweet and tasty and garlicky, all at the same time.  But my WOW! That’s garlicky! prize would have to go to the Chocolate-Covered Garlic Lollipops.  Definitely for grown-ups only — and the reason I was thankful for the little containers of mints on the table!

Besides the sample table, there’s all kinds of garlicky goodness to be found among the Market’s merchants, as well.  I just did a quick count and seventeen Market businesses have gotten into the spirit of the festival, featuring many tempting garlic treats!

The City Market’s Garlic Festival continues tomorrow, Saturday, September 11, with free samples (from 12:00 – 2:00 PM), and “Cooking with Garlic” demonstrations with Chef Frank Horvat.  And don’t worry — the brochure for the Garlic Festival also includes a handy article entitled “The Best Solution to Garlic Breath.”

————————————–

Don’t forget! The Saint John City Market Scavenger Hunt Contest ends at 11:59 PM ADT on September 15!  While checking out the Garlic Festival, why not keep your eyes on the look-out, too?