Congratulations @Lizzie for Polkolbin Purple's gold medal at the Royal Melbourne Fine Food Awards for the Rojo de Castro garlic. (Rojo means red).
hahahaha - thanks Geoff and Xenia. I was going to mention it, but didn't want to trumpet myself to loudly. We only entered the one variety this year, due to difficult growing conditions, so were thrilled when it won. Now for the hard part ... the farm is up for sale ... a few reasons, but the main are that the market is really hot right now for our price range and size (if we sell for the numbers the real estate and buyers are saying, we'll have made a cool half mil gain in 3 years) - we are both working full time (hubby PAYE and me in my business) - and keeping on top of all the farm work is taking up every inch of our spare time so we are burning out. Also, hubby is not a "go out" socialiser - it, pub, joining groups etc - and is really missing being in a community where the blokes can wander into an open neighbours workshop/garage with a beer in hand and say "g'day". Hoping to get one more crop out this year ... and that the new owner will take on the business
Keeping the tourist cottages (on a different property) - the farm comes with a large house and 8 bay machinery shed. If we sell, then we can buy something local on one of the premier golf resorts estates (although we don't play golf) and a second lock and leave house in inner Newcastle for when we want to beach/theatre/concert etc ... with the plan that when junior finishes school we'd then rent out the golf resort house and move down to the beach/airport etc
Congratulations on the win Lizzie! You sound like you have things planned out nicely. Good luck with the sale.
So garlic farming is not worth it? I can understand good garlic if it is for garlic prawns or garlic bread etc. What difference does it make when garlic is just one of many ingredients? eg pasta sauce.
Not the volume we do - and we don't want to get into the wholesale market. I love growing our half ton of boutique garlic but it also comes down to hubby missing bloke company ... hoping we'll get another crop out. Honestly - good, fresh garlic makes a huge difference in a dish. A bit like adding minced jar chilli from China to fresh out of the garden chilli . I can't really compare as I've only used fresh for many years and can't remember what it tasted like before - expect that I remember putting tablespoons of minced garlic in a dish compared to a few cloves now. Perhaps some of my recent buyers can comment.
Fresh garlic just does not compare at all to the minced jarred stuff. Like you, @Ed Barton , I used to use "fresh" (turns out crappy Chinese or way less than fresh Aussie) garlic from the supermarket for garlic bread, garlic prawns, garlic wine sauce etc. and jarred minced crap for spag Bol, stir fry etc etc. Then I bought Pokolbin Purple!!! I bought one kilo thinking from our previous usage that it would last a few months. Is was not to be, the freshness and downright "garliciness" of truly fresh garlic meant we used just a fraction of what we used to use. 1 kg lasted the better part of a full year, in fact we were getting worried that it was going off in the qld humidity last summer that we made a heap of garlic butter and chucked it in the freezer. Try it for yourself, find a farmers market and buy a couple of bulbs.
Well if you need help harvesting the last crop, there are many of us that are happy to assist so long as we can get our last kilo.
Congrats Lizzie. All the best with the move. We have recently built on a golf course frontage property overlooking the 13th green and have found it a very tranquil and relaxing setting. Lots of birdlife - especially water birds. We indulge regularly in after hour walks as well. It's like having our own parkland without having to raise a finger to maintain it. You even score some free golf balls every now and then from wayward shots!! No broken windows yet!
Garlic growing could still be on the cards ... hubby is confusing the &^%# out of me as to what path he wants to take ... but he apparently still wants to grow garlic, even if it is on some vacant ground at the tourist cottages