Annual Autumn Garlic Festival in Milford Details

The Milford Recreation Department’s Benson-Crump Memorial Community Gardens Program is holding its annual Autumn Garlic Festival Fund Raiser at the Gazebo on the Milford Green in downtown Milford on Saturday, September 24th , from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The rain date is Sunday, September 25th.

It has been another amazing year for garlic and eight delicious organic varieties which include Music, German Hardy, Siberian, Italian Red, Polish Jenn and Elephant will be available for sale. Garlic enthusiasts will also love the large recipe section which contains over 30 garlicky, delicious, free recipes. Also on hand, will be Mr. Garlic – Bill Domeracki, who’s available in the gazebo, to answer all your questions on growing garlic organically and what varieties do best in this region.

All attendees are invited to stop by the Huge Gourmet Basket Drawing Canopy which includes twelve beautiful themed baskets such as Family Fun Movie Night, Wine and Cheese Lovers, All About Chocolate, Italian Pasta Delight, Gardening, Beauty and Relaxation, Jackpot Lottery, Tea and Coffee Lovers, Gluten Free Goodies, Boys and Girls Toys, Barbecue Lovers, and Everything Honey. Local beekeeper, Ralph Harrison, will be selling his amazing honey and beeswax candles, seasonal vegetables from Robert Treat Farm and Shamrock Farm and hot apple cider and coffee with muffins and donuts will be for sale along with fun and festive hand decorated organic garlic braids, perfect for gift giving. Don’t miss the juicy local apples from Fawn Meadow Orchards or the colorful chrysanthemums from Filanowski Farm. Stop by the Kids Korner for candy, Halloween pencils and tattoos and a free balloon. At 11:00 am and 1:00 pm canners Christine and Carolyn will be doing a talk and demo on basic canning and preserving so stop by their canopy to pick up useful tips, important info and tasty recipes to try at home.

All proceeds from the fund raiser event will benefit the Benson-Crump Memorial Community Gardens Program which is a practicing organic community garden in its 48th year of operation. It encompasses 135 plots on the North Street side of Eisenhower Park and over 250 participants including several local community groups. It is the oldest community garden in southern Connecticut and has been an active supporter of Connecticut’s PAR (Plant a Row for the Hungry) Program for the past seven years, which works in conjunction with the Connecticut Food Bank.

The Benson-Crump Community Gardens Program maintains three active PAR plots on site with the help of very dedicated volunteers. Each year the Benson-Crump Program donates an average of 2,000 pounds of fresh vegetables to several local food pantries which include St. Gabe’s Church, St. Ann’s, Home for the Brave, Milford Senior Center, Beth-El Shelter, New Haven Soup Kitchen and the Grace Baptist Church. In 2013, 2014, and 2015, it received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Connecticut Food Bank for its support and dedication in the fight against hunger.

Individual monetary donations can be made out to the Milford Recreation Department with Benson-Crump Community Gardens Autumn Garlic Fest written on the check memo, and mailed to the Milford Recreation Department at 70 West River Street in Milford, Connecticut, 06460 - Attention: Linda Ball on the envelope. For more information please call Mrs. Ball at 203 214-3407 or Mr. Rusanowsky at 203 464-4196.