Culture Talks: Meet the Garlic Grower! (11 to 11:25 AM)

Join John Ota as he interviews Angela Nickle, garlic grower from f.N Happy Farm in Uxbridge, Ontario. Discover how Angela started growing garlic, what a typical day on the farm is like, and the challenges she faces. Angela will also share insights on planting, nurturing, harvesting, and selling garlic, along with the different varieties she grows and the costs involved. The session will include a look at garlic braiding, recipes, and a live cooking demonstration where John will fry garlic for the audience to taste. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from a seasoned garlic grower and enjoy some delicious samples!

Talks will take place in the Culture Talks, under the large tent. Access to Culture talks is free.

Angela Nickle

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

John Ota

John Ota is all about food, architecture and garlic. He is the author of “The Kitchen”, the best-selling book about his journey through history in search of the perfect design. “The Kitchen” book was a finalist for the 2021 Paris Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in the Design Category and was a finalist for the 2021 Taste Canada Awards. He has worked in architecture offices in Toronto, New York and Vancouver. John has chaired the awards committee of the Ontario Association of Architects, served on the Toronto Historical Board and been a guest critic at the Toronto Metropolitan University School of Architecture.

Discover More Toronto Garlic Festival Activities Below

Garlic Savoury & Garlic Desserts

Beer, Wine & Spirits

Ontario Farmers

Crafts & Specialties

Free Activities & Contests