10 Sep Garlic Braiding Workshop (Registration Required)
In just 30 minutes learn how to braid garlic at your own pace from garlic farmer Angela Nickle, f.N. Happy Farm. You’ll take home your braid (with 7 garlic bulbs in the braid). Workshops are limited to one persons per class. The cost of the workshop is $40.00, payable (Cash Only) to Angela at the start of the workshop. Fee includes the garlic braid you take home. CASH ONLY. The workshops take place at the Toronto Garlic Festival (www.TorontoGarlicFestival.ca) on Sunday, September 29, 2024. Arrive five minutes prior to your workshop start time. When you arrive at the Festival ask at the Info Booth for the location of the f.N. Happy Farm booth. Classes take place at Toronto Garlic Festival. Sunday, Sept 29, 2024. Limited spots. Pre-registration required here
Bio
Angela Nickle, nee Bellotto, is the Manager of the f.N. Happy Farm, Uxbridge, Ontario, a member of the Garlic Growers of Ontario and Farmers Market Ontario.
Angela was born and raised in the GTA. She holds a business degree from York University and was for seventeen years a human resource professional. In 2004, her family moved to a 10-acre hobby farm in Uxbridge Township. Her intention was to be a full-time mum to their daughter and to buy her a pony. However, in 2008 they created “f.N. Happy Farm”: small scale, chemical free, with CSA work share opportunities, and personal farm visits.
Her Italian mother and grandmother instilled in her a homesteading fascination. The idea of growing garlic started with her grandmother when she lived with them on the farm. As a result, we have been growing hardneck garlic for over 15 years, and softneck for about 3 years. Over that time, we have learned from experience and from other garlic farmers; all those growing garlic have benefited from the sharing and transferring of knowledge. Given the opportunity, she will talk about the steps of growing garlic including a presentation to Vincentian farmers while vacationing in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
She loves her family, dancing, and growing garlic. Garlic takes 9 months from beginning to end – despite having experienced crop failure due to flooding, leek moth, freezing and weed pressure. As it grows, it can be harvested as young garlic, as scapes and as mature heads. Garlic has become an essential ingredient in her kitchen and her life. She enjoys it raw, roasted, fried, freeze dried, fermented, processed (as jams, for example) and incorporated into dessert . Although hardneck porcelain garlic is our go-to cultivar – it has large cloves, semi hot, spicy, good storage – she now also grows some softneck – less work, earlier crop, easy braiding, spicy flavour and longer storage.
Over the course of the day Angela is also hosting one-on-one garlic braiding classes from her booth. Cost is $40 for your braid you make and take home. These are very limited. Book your spot here: https://forms.gle/gwVsJDMEaqB9o9zo8
