Raising the bar on locally grown garlic

Paul Pospisil | Aug 07, 2014

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! All garlic growers in the region. The 2014 Eastern Ontario Garlic Awards will be holding its 18th annual competition on Saturday August 30 at the Verona Lions Garlic Festival.
Garlic is a relatively new vegetable crop in Canada. It is in high demand by consumers and not enough is grown to meet domestic needs. As a result, over 90 % of the garlic sold in stores is imported. Many growers and gardeners struggle with the problem of how to grow it successfully.
The garlic competition was designed to teach growers about the many garlic varieties and encourage them to strive for excellence in growing and marketing this fascinating vegetable. The Garlic Awards separate the best garlic from the ordinary or mediocre. When you see the high quality of the garlic on display, you soon realize that there is a vast difference.
Garlic continues at the leading edge of the ‘Buy Local’ trend. A visit to any farmers’ market will show that garlic is in high demand at the peak of the harvest. There’s mystery and a mystique in this most health-giving of vegetables.
Started in 1997 at the 1st garlic festival held in Perth, the Eastern Ontario Garlic Awards is the official competition for the best garlic produced in the region. The competition is open to all exhibitors, both home gardeners and commercial growers from Eastern Ontario. Exhibitors do not have to be vendors at the host festival in order to compete.
The awards have moved around to various garlic festivals over the years. The Verona Lions Garlic Festival currently hosts the competition. Excellence in growing garlic is recognized by awards, cash prizes and certificates of recognition, and often, as a side benefit, by enhanced sales for the market gardeners that win the ribbons.
The competition is conducted in the same impartial manner as exhibits at country fairs. Judges follow the Garlic Judging Standard, and growers compete in four classes: Best single garlic bulb; Best display of 12 bulbs of the same cultivar; Best educational collection of 5 different cultivars selected from 5 of the 11 Horticultural Groups; Best garlic braid. A certificate of award and a ribbon recognize the top three winners in each class. The Champion Garlic Grower receives a major cash prize and has a plaque on the Woodman Trophy. The runner-up also receives a major cash prize and is recognized on the Woodman II trophy.
The Woodman Trophy and the smaller Woodman II Trophy were designed and donated by local artisans Crawford & Diane Woodman for use in this competition. Cash prizes are donated by local organizations. The competition is organized and administered by Paul Pospisil, editor of the Garlic News.
On completion of the judging, the exhibitor is provided with the judge’s scorecard to enable growers to find out where they lost points. Exhibitors learn the meaning of quality from the scores assigned by the judge on their garlic entries.
As well, festival vendors can display their achievement awards at their vendor stall, a guarantee of sales to discerning buyers looking for top quality garlic. The visual awards are an endorsement of their well-earned reputation for quality.
In this way, the Garlic Awards have contributed to raising the bar on the quality of garlic grown in the Eastern Ontario region, giving it the excellent reputation that it deserves.
For information on taking part in the competition, contact Paul Pospisil at 613-273-5683. Get information on the Verona Lions Garlic Festival by calling the Lions at 613-372-2092.