Plenty of Garlic in Gilroy, but not farmers

There will be plenty of garlic at this weekend's Gilroy Garlic Festival, but in keeping with recent trends, even less of it will be local. Santa Clara County flexed its garlic production muscle in the early 1990s, harvesting as much as 400 acres, but the flow has slowed to a trickle. Last year, the three local garlic farmers harvested only 67 acres. The explanation, farmers said, comes down to disease (white rot), land-use pressure (subdivisions and box stores) and the brutal economics of the industry (the exodus of garlic production to China--click on image at right to enlarge). More here.