Toronto Garlic Week
Toronto Garlic Week, organized in partnership with Dupont By the Castle BIA, is a city-wide celebration of the Ontario garlic harvest. This exciting initiative features a diverse array of activities, presentations, and garlic pop-ups at restaurants, farmers’ markets, and community spaces throughout the city. Together with our partners, we aim to explore garlic’s role in cuisine, gardening, pop culture, and history, making this week a vibrant and engaging experience for everyone.
What’s the difference between Toronto Garlic Week and Toronto Garlic Festival?
Toronto Garlic Week: A week-long series of activities at locations around the city, from Friday Sept 20 to Sunday, Sept 29, 2024.
Toronto Garlic Festival: The one day festival on Sunday, Sept 29. Toronto Garlic Festival is free, with 5,000 expected visitors and features 70 vendors, live entertainment, garlic-themed dishes, and cultural presentations.
Events During Toronto Garlic Week
Below is the schedule of events for Toronto Garlic Week. Please note that these events are separate from the Toronto Garlic Festival, which takes place on September 29. Check back for frequent updates and confirmation of date and location.
| Activity | Presenter/Host | Details | Date & Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Garlic: The History, How It’s Made and Sustainable Culinary Practices | Meng Karbach, Certified Holistic Chef & Culinary Innovator | Meng explores the origin, history, and development of black garlic, a culinary marvel known for its unique flavor and potential health benefits. Meng will demonstrate how to make black garlic, explain its properties, and provide practical tips on how to incorporate it into your cooking. Meng combines her passion for sustainability with culinary excellence, making her a true pioneer in the field. This session is a must-attend for anyone interested in black garlic and innovative and sustainable culinary practices. | Fri Sep 27, 2024,12:00 pm – 1:00 pm | Toronto Public Library – Sanderson Branch. For branch details click here |
| Let’s Get Cracking and Grow Garlic Together | Shawn Stevens, Farmer, Good Day Farm | Farmer Shawn shares insights about the garlic planting process and his personal journey from gardening to farming. As a teacher, he imparts these principles to elementary school kids. Audience members are invited to help Shawn by cracking garlic bulbs into cloves, a necessary step for planting that allows them to contribute directly to the process. This hands-on activity not only aids in Shawn’s work but also fosters a deeper connection to garlic cultivation. | Wed Sep 25, 2024, 6:30 pm – 6:30 pm | Toronto Public Library – Jones Branch. For branch details click here |
| How to Start a Community Garden | Rhonda Teitel-Payne, Co-Coordinator, Toronto Urban Growers | In celebration of Toronto Garlic Week and Toronto Urban Agriculture Week Rhonda Teitel-Payne discuses the steps in starting a community garden in Toronto. | Fri Sep 20, 2024, 10:00 am – 11:00 am | Toronto Public Library – S. Walter Stewart Branch. For branch details click here |
| Garlic, Global Trade, and Food Security: The Bigger Picture | Nancy Ward, Principal & Founder, Grow Trade Consulting Inc. | Nancy Ward considers imported garlic as a starting point to discuss broader, highly relevant topics such as food security—an issue that is increasingly in the mainstream spotlight. She explores questions like: Where does our food come from? What mechanisms determine the price of imported items like garlic? Should we be doing more to improve our food security? What is the real cost of food, and how can consumers make informed choices? | Wed Sep 25, 2024, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm | Toronto Public Library – North York Central Library. For branch details click here |
| Garlic Gardens: Naturalize Your Green Space | Lorraine Johnson, Writer, Editor, Community Advocate | My talk will use garlic as a jumping off point to talk about shrinking the lawn and replacing lawn areas with naturalized plantings (including some of the Alliums that are native to southern Ontario) and growing food in front yards, on balconies, in boulevards and other public spaces. | Tue Sep 24, 2024, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm | Toronto Public Library – Parkdale Branch. Toronto Public Library – Sanderson BranchToronto Public Library For branch details click here |
| Urban Garlic Gardens with Arlene Throness | Arlene Throness, Urban Farm Manager, Toronto Metropolitan University | Arlene shares tips on growing garlic in an urban setting, from gardens, to rooftops and balconies. | Thu Sep 26, 2024, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm | Toronto Public Library – Palmerston Branch. For branch details click here |
| Growing Garlic in the City | Peter McClusky, Author, Ontaro Garlic: From Farm to Festival (History Press) | Tips and suggestions on how to grow garlic in the city, plus tips on how to get maximum flavour from garlic. | Sept 25, 2024 From 11 am to 12 pm | Toronto Neighbourhood House, 349 Ontario St, Toronto, ON M5A 2V8 |
Bios
Lorraine Johnson is the author of more than 10 books on diverse subjects including native plant gardening, urban agriculture, and environmental issues. Her most recent book is A Garden for the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee: Creating Habitat for Native Pollinators, co-authored with Sheila Colla. Lorraine’s work focuses on biodiversity and habitat gardening in the context of climate change; on advocating for the reform of grass and weeds bylaws in support of biodiversity and ecological health; on municipal policy change to support urban food production (for example, legalizing urban hens), and on land stewardship as relationship-building in the context of reconciliation.
“With over 35+ years of culinary expertise and a passion for innovation in the food industry, Meng Karbach is a distinguished Certified Holistic Chef with a rich tapestry of experiences. Throughout her illustrious career, Meng has left an indelible mark on renowned establishments such as Mövenpick’s Marché concept, alongside pivotal roles in leading retailers including Loblaw, Sobeys, and Metro.
Drawing inspiration from her time in Germany, Meng embarked on a transformative journey to establish Food 4 Life Market Garden™ in the heart of the Niagara Region. Here, she pioneered a vision of sustainability and nourishment, cultivating a regenerative farm that produces nutritious and distinctive vegetables.
Meng’s commitment to culinary excellence and her dedication to fostering sustainable food practices shine through in every endeavour she undertakes. Furthermore, she partnered with Emmy Suparmin, a certified holistic nutritionist to bring black garlic products to another level with clean ingredients. As she showcases her expertise, prepare to be inspired by her wealth of knowledge, creativity, and unwavering passion for wholesome, farm-fresh ingredients. Meng Karbach is a true trailblazer in the world of gastronomy.”
Shawn Marc Stevens is the passionate farmer behind Good Day Garlic, an organic garlic farm located in Georgina, Ontario. Known for his “fluorescent green thumbs,” Shawn cultivates a variety of garlic from around the world, each with unique qualities. With a deep connection to the earth and a commitment to sustainable farming, Shawn takes pride in delivering high-quality organic garlic to his customers. Good Day Garlic is part of the Elmgrove Organic Farm family, where Shawn’s dedication to organic practices shines through in every bulb he grows.
Shawn Marc Stevens is the passionate farmer behind Good Day Garlic, an organic garlic farm located in Georgina, Ontario. Known for his “fluorescent green thumbs,” Shawn cultivates a variety of garlic from around the world, each with unique qualities. With a deep connection to the earth and a commitment to sustainable farming, Shawn takes pride in delivering high-quality organic garlic to his customers. Good Day Garlic is part of the Elmgrove Organic Farm family, where Shawn’s dedication to organic practices shines through in every bulb he grows.
Rhonda Teitel-Payne has cultivated food and urban farms in Toronto for over 25 years by coordinating community gardens, managing community food programs and working on policies to support urban growers. Rhonda is currently Co-Coordinator of Toronto Urban Growers (TUG), a network of urban farmers and gardeners, local businesses and community organizations. TUG helps urban growers learn from each other, share resources and advocate for good food policies. Rhonda also teaches, develops courses and partners on research projects at Toronto Metropolitan University, George Brown’s Chef School and Seneca Polytechnic. She keeps her hands dirty in her urban jungle in East York.
Arlene Throness is the Urban Farm Manager at Toronto Metropolitan University. With a background in Food Security and Permaculture Design, she has worked on farms, greenhouses, and in kitchens across Canada. Arlene co-founded Concordia’s City Farm School and received the 2015 Aster Award from the Toronto Botanical Garden for her efforts in connecting people to the natural world.
Nancy Ward is the Principal & Founder of Grow Trade Consulting Inc., a boutique firm specializing in international trade and business development. With 24 years of experience in the field, Nancy has a proven track record of working with international economic development agencies and SMEs. She brings expertise in International Project Management, Business Planning, Entrepreneurship, and International Business Development.
Nancy also has an extensive volunteer background in community gardening, farmer’s markets and native plant restoration. Nancy is currently studying Urban Agriculture at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Chang School of Continuing education.