culture@dailylobo.com
Three contestants downed raw garlic cloves with increasing intensity. The two male contestants began to grow red in the face, sweat dripping from their brows, while the lone female contestant remained completely unfazed. Debbie Costen was named the victor, having eaten a whopping nine cloves, and was awarded a trophy filled with breath mints and Tums.
“I’m Italian, so I’m used to eating a lot of garlic,” Costen said.
The garlic-eating contest was just one of the highlights of the Stinking Rose Garlic Fest at Idalia Road Marketplace in Rio Rancho last Saturday. The small festival featured dishes laced with garlic, home-canned preserves, fresh produce and accordion music.
Market owners Marc and Phyllis Calderwood said they’re passionate about supporting local artisans and businesses, and that this event was a way to provide those artisans a place to build a client base. They built the open air market about three years ago and periodically hold themed events like this; in June they had a lavender festival, and they have Christmas-themed booths every October.
The festival promoted local vendors and businesses, some of which appear at the market regularly while others set up shop for the first time. Newcomers and retirees Karen and Henry Vallo said they sold handmade jewelry and traditional Acoma bread on Saturday to promote their culture.
“(We) like to do this, if nothing else to tell people about the old traditions,” Karen said.
The Vallos said they want to use the market as a jumping-off point to share Acoma culture with the general public. Karen said that she and her husband would like to become a part of the New Mexico festival scene and eventually want to build an horno to teach younger generations about Acoma bread baking.
“Go back to the old ways — sustenance kind of living,” she said.
The Vallos weren’t the only people at the festival who said they wanted to go back to a more self-sufficient way of living. Lisa Lombari, a seed vendor, also stressed the importance of knowing how to make and grow your own food. Lombari said she began to garden so her children would know where their food came from and how much work it really takes to produce.
“I know exactly where my food is coming from,” she said. “I know that I didn’t treat it with any chemicals. I know what seeds I plant because I save my own seeds and replant (them).”
Lombari sells seeds and vegetables at the Idalia Road Marketplace weekly, but also has higher ambitions: she and her family want to open a tree nursery on their property. She said selling at the market and at events like the garlic fest will hopefully help her drum up future business.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
