Festival celebrates garlic, from donuts to beer

Garlic, "it's the ultimate culinary staple", says Joel White.

"It's used to enhance the flavour of so many foods."

When Joel - the president of the upcoming South Gippsland Garlic Festival - says "so many foods", he means it.

He says at the festival, on Saturday February 28 at the Korumburra Showgrounds, there will be the traditional culinary staples of garlic pizza, prawns and pasta.

"But producers will really be pushing the envelope with other foods inspired by the ingredient including garlic donuts, ice-cream and maybe even a beer.

"There are about 40 varieties of garlic that can be grown in Victoria, from super spicy and hot to more subtle, even sweet varieties."

Joel, himself a garlic farmer, says the festival is as much a celebration of food as the grower, with about 10 local garlic farmers and even more food stalls.

Joel is on the board of the Australian Garlic Industry Association and says more garlic growers are needed in Australia, with the bulb also ideal for the home gardener.

"It's very simple to grow. People come to the festival to buy the seedstock direct from the grower, because it's chemical-free and the right varieties for our climate, so the success of growing it at home is much higher.

"If you're growing it at home you don't want to use the imported garlic because it has chemicals, has been in the fridge and isn't suitable for our climate.

"We need many more growers here because the demand for Australian garlic is much more than current supply.

"We import about 80 per cent of garlic and 80 per cent of that comes from China.

So there's a massive opportunity for anyone who has even a small plot of land."
Joel moved to South Gippsland three years ago after a food-focused career, including in marketing for Kraft and in his own businesses, including a health food company.

He and his wife Stephanie now run Burra Pantry and Larder, which celebrates local growers and producers, including meat, cheese, sauces and desserts.

"When we came here we found ourselves driving past beautiful produce but we couldn't buy it anywhere so we decided to help local producers."

The couple also have a 300-acre cattle and garlic farm at Arawatha, growing about 10,000 garlic plants in four varieties: Spanish roja, rojo de castro, Italian late and white crookneck.

The garlic is sold to other growers as seedstock and used to plant back out on their own property, to grow their total eventual yield.

Joel plants the seedstock about May after the autumn rains and then harvests about December.

Garlic is unpalatable to pests, but is vulnerable to some diseases.

Festival

Joel says the festival will demonstrate how to cultivate garlic at home, and how to use it in the kitchen.

The festival, the second at Korumburra after initially starting in Meeniyan in 2017, features chefs and cooks from Gippsland and Melbourne.

There will be interactive cooking demonstrations from Atsu Tanaka-Morrison from Tsuko Japan (Korumburra), Jodie Odrowaz and Michael Clark from Messmates Dining (Warragul), and Alejandro Saravia from Farmers Daughters (Melbourne), hosted by award-winning food writer, author and radio personality Richard Cornish.

Victorian growers will include Balmattum Garlic, Pure Garlic, Gerdavale Garlic, and Franklin River Garlic PLUS Garlic Kingdom from Countegany, NSW.

At the festival bar, there will be a garlic-themed beer by Burra Brewing, as well as Maffco Brewery and Distillery, Mates Gin Distillery, Fleet Wines, Cannibal Creek Vineyard, Carrajung Estate, Gippsland Wine Company, and Gurneys Cider.

The "Garlic University" will have presentations on small farm and commercial growing by industry authorities like Penny Woodward, and a Q&A panel with garlic growers and specialists.

There will be performances from Gippsland locals Seth Stone & The Forge, plus The Voice 2021 runner up Mick Harrington.

Kids' activities and entertainment includes The Mik Maks, an appearance from Bluey, colouring in, face painting, and more.

Tickets available now via southgippslandgarlicfestival.au

Korumburra Showgrounds, Sanders Street, Korumburra, 9am - 5pm

Instagram: @southgippslandgarlicfest

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