10 May Garlic Breath Contest
Garlic Breath contestants are encouraged to cheat by eating lots of delicious garlicky food before entering the contest. Festival officials use a gas chromatograph generously provided by Oral Chroma. Contestants’ breath is measured in the parts-per-billion of three crucial garlic elements — Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S), Methanethiol, and Dimethyl Sulphide. Prizes are awarded to the contestants with the highest reading (that is, with the strongest garlic breath).
2015 Garlic Breath Contest Winners:
1st Place – Jean Lum, with an H2S reading of 2,151 parts per billion
2nd Place – Patrick M., with a reading of 670 parts per billion
3rd Place – Mary Ann D., with a reading of 187 parts per billion
The first place winner receives a signed copy of Ontario Garlic: The Story from Farm to Festival (History Press 2015) and 5 Lbs of Ontario heirloom garlic. 2nd and 3rd place winners each receive 5 Lbs of Ontario heirloom garlic. Thanks again to Oral Chroma for generously providing the machine used to measure contestants’ garlic breath.