For the love of garlic

Nestled among the award-winning grapes, almonds and olives of Willunga Hill is a champion of a different kind. A vegetable that many of us use every day, with barely a second thought. You could say we take it for granted. Richard Bennett and Richard Casley Smith, however, are on a mission to ensure their locally-grown garlic will never be just another pantry staple.

The two Richards, along with Brentyn Hart, are what you might call garlic pioneers, sharing insights into the best way to nurture the aromatic vegetable. Although Brenton is no longer growing garlic, the Richards have taken on board his lessons about cultivars, soils and how best to grow quality produce in the somewhat difficult conditions of the Fleurieu Peninsula. Their knowledge and skills haven’t gone unnoticed; Richard Bennett was recently recognised with a gold medal from the Royal Victorian Agricultural Society’s Australian Food Awards, which described his garlic as ‘a joy to eat’. It’s not the first time he’s won the prestigious award, either; Richard began growing garlic commercially on his parent’s Willunga Hill property in 2008 – trading as Fleurieu Garlic – and took out his first gold in 2014.

Richard Bennett lives in the Willunga township and is well known as the Operations’ Manager at Willunga Farmers Market. He also keeps busy as a part-time actor, even scoring a small role in the first ‘Wolf Creek’ series as Mick’s dad. But his passion is back on the farm, among the cloves and cloves of garlic. He works under the routine of ‘plant Anzac Day, harvest Remembrance Day’, however, the variety he’s had the most success with – Creole – often isn’t picked until December. While timing is important, the key to great garlic, he informs me, is all in the soil. ‘You have to continue to work on the soil, incorporating organic matter and ensuring the pH is about 7,’ he says. ‘I try to do about a year’s preparation before planting the garlic, then there is a huge amount of tending during the growing season. The big issue is weeds, you have to keep it weed-free.’

Richard has done well financially from his garlic but his main reward, he tells me, is the enjoyment he gets from cultivating his crops. ‘I think people do a great job of things they are interested in,’ he says. ‘It’s a huge amount of work but if you are trying to grow a highquality product, which I do, you don’t look at it as work. Yes, there is a financial return but there is also the pleasure of growing it.’

Richard sells his garlic at the Willunga Farmers Market, which shows unwavering support to local growers. Richard tells me it’s not the same for the large supermarket chains; they import garlic, arguing that consumers want the larger varieties grown overseas. In 2015, according to the Australian Garlic Producers Group, 95 per cent of Australia’s garlic was imported from China. And it is this that killed the Australian garlic industry several decades ago, Richard explains.

Richard Casley Smith also has long history with garlic, growing it in the Bull Creek area for almost 20 years. He tells me that when he started, you couldn’t buy Australian garlic in stores. So, he decided to grow it himself, initially for his own use. ‘We started with half an acre and we always had nice, big garlic, through planting and harvesting by hand. Then we decided this was too hard and spent money on machinery, expanding to 2.5 acres.’

Richard Casley Smith is a certified-organic grower and sells wholesale to supermarkets as well as through markets. He says, however, that the retailers ‘kept demanding our largest garlic, which is usually your best seed stock as well. It’s like selling off your best cows’. Both Richards tell me it has a been a bad three years for growers, ‘but I’m not going to say that is why I won the award,’ Richard Bennett jokes.

Given this reality, and to ensure supply, the supermarkets are not being as demanding, and combined with an increase in wholesale prices and the continued popularity of farmers markets, things are looking good for locally-grown garlic. The two Richards – as well as Brentyn Hart in the early days – have impressively led this vanguard of locally-grown garlic. And garlic lovers are reaping the benefits.

Story by Nicole Leedham. Photograph by Angela Lisman.