AN idea to grow garlic five years ago has grown into a small business for Dorothy Kenny and Beau Henderson at “Savoy”, Bostobrick, near Dorrigo.
The garlic was first grown in a small two- by six-metre garden bed, but the crop has increased each year.
"At the start it was just in a small garden and my daughter and I lifted it all and dried it out,” Ms Kenny said.
”We’ve been planting and saving the seed every year until Beau and I were able to sell some garlic.”
The couple, along with Ms Kenny’s children Patrick, Alana, Jade, and Jasmine, now grows about a tonne of purple garlic which is sold at regional farmer’s markets and through stores in Sydney.
“There’s big demand for good garlic and Dorrigo has a good reputation for its clean soil and growing conditions,” Ms Kenny said.
Water allocation from a spring across the road allows the couple to irrigate the crop using drip tape.
“The irrigation was a bit of trial and error, but the drip tape is the way to go,” Ms Kenny said.
“I think a lot of growers who rely on rain have had problems.
“It's a juicy kind of vegetable so in those last few months, when the bulb is forming, it's pretty thirsty.”
Good garlic comes from good soil preparation, Ms Kenny said.
“Beau and I really spoil the soil.
“We use a lot of organic matter, keep it heavily mulched and foliage feed it with an organic feeder.
“We’re not certified organic, but we grow with organic practices, which our customers like.”
The garlic is planted near Anzac Day and harvested in November, with all the work done by hand.
It’s a big job, with the family pitching in to help.
”We hand harvest the garlic with two guys gently pitchforking it out so that there are no nicks.
“Every bit of garlic that I sell is quite perfect looking.
“Customers won't like if there are marks, and if there is a nick the garlic can start to spoil and go mouldy, which will throw mould through the rest of the clove.”
Every bulb is cleaned individually and dried for two to three weeks
“We have four women in the shed cleaning each bulb, taking off the outside leaves and trimming the roots, and I see every single bit of garlic,” Ms Kenny said.
“That’s why we’re trying to keep the crop this size, so I can always guarantee the quality.
“Harvest takes four to five days to get it all out and cleaned, but the last day is really quality control, making sure every bulb is perfect.”
Garlic that isn’t sold becomes seed for the next crop.
The couple have also been able to use other parts of the plant.
“With the flower heads, we’ve let those get a bit bigger and kept the scrapes and heads, which have tiny seeds, like garlic pearls, that you can just throw in any dish.
“That was a really nice by product from the crop.”
Ms Kenny’s longtime hobby of propagating succulents has created another product to sell.
“I've been planting succulents in logs for years and friends suggested I sell them, so I took them to the Made in Dorrigo markets and sold out,” she said.
“When we're driving around, we're always looking for bits of wood.
“Beau’s got me a tool now so I can hollow out logs to make bowls for the succulents.”
Other produce includes Beau’s beef jerky, sweet corn, pumpkins and watermelons.
”People were saying we couldn’t grow watermelons in Dorrigo but we were selling them to the local IGA,” Ms Kenny said.
