Garlic City Market aims to educate and entertain

On September 30th, Red Deerians of all ages are invited out to the Garlic City Market at Piper Creek Community Gardens.

There will be lots for families to do including the opportunity to learn about the many varieties of garlic available locally.

Children and adults alike can take in the “Meet and Bleet” petting zoo featuring the goats and shepherds from Baah’d Plant Management and Reclamation. The goats help out on site by eating noxious and invasive weeds, but they’re also something cute for the kids to enjoy.

“There’s also observation of Blacksmithing and you can participate in timber framing. We are building a timber frame outhouse,” said Project Lead Rene Michalak with ReThink Red Deer.

Michalak added that there are lots of things planned to see and do including a lineup of vendors who can both supply products as well as information and education. Some vendors will have both garlic for eating and growing available.

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“Garlic we get in the store is 90 per cent from China and we don’t realize how much diversity there is in garlic; there are over 600 kinds in the world.”

He said that with the few dozen kinds they’ve been able to collect as part of the “Guardians of the Garlic Seed” initiative that they’re just trying to showcase the diversity in the product as well as in the gardening community overall.

“We have lots of diversity in our food supply and different types of garden plants so we are really hoping we can expose the public to what’s available.”

The Community Seed Bank is an initiative meant to help gardeners and local growers keep their seeds, some of which are in heritage status, alive and well.

“There are all kinds of vegetables we wouldn’t ever think we could buy or grow here and starting that seed bank initiative with garlic is a good one because it makes you think about the health of the soil.”

Michalak added that garlic is in the ground for 10 months of the year, requiring growers to ensure the health of their soil. “If your soil is in good health then your plants are in good health.”

The ideal time to plant garlic is just after Thanksgiving, said Michalak. This is just some of the education and information to be shared by growers at the festival.

Funds from the festival will be going towards the Piper Creek Restoration Agriculture Project. “It was one of the opportunities for the ongoing restoration work that is happening on the site.”

Piper Creek’s restoration has included replanting habitat for beavers and other wildlife as well as the inclusion of new gardens. Michalak added that the only thing left to do is rebuild the barn.

Rebuilding the barn has many benefits according to Michalak, including the aesthetic value. On top of that he suggested that it can be used in the future for solar panels or even the ability to collect and re use rain water from the roof.

Garlic City Market is limited to 25 vendors due to space and parking constraints so Michalak said if people are interested in signing up that they should consider getting an application in at this time.

ReThink Red Deer is also celebrating their tenth year in the community and Michalak said the Garlic City Market is a great way to showcase what they do in the community by integrating their projects to limit the need for additional resources.

“[We are trying to] build connections between people and people in a natural world and maybe show them some things that they can take home and apply at home. Eat well, grow well, live well is kind of the idea.”

To register as a vendor or to find more information visit Garlic City Market’s Facebook event.