Roy Cody has been growing garlic for a quarter of a century.
“It sort of started as a hobby,” he says.
At first, the Tamworth, New South Wales-based grower gave it away for free to friends and family.
Then he realised there were plenty of people willing to pay for the pungent bulb he produces by the thousands.
“People ask me what species I’m growing, and, to be honest, I don’t know,” he says.
“I’ve been growing the same species for the past 25 years.”
“It would have come from a shop, or someone gave it to me, initially. Now it’s been in my care for 25 years they call it ‘Roy’s Garlic’.”
Australia used to have a healthy garlic-growing industry, but with the introduction of cheaper, imported varieties in the mid-90s, demand for home-grown garlic slumped.
Penny Woodward of the Australian Garlic Industry Association says that was devastating for the local industry.
“In the early 90s we had the opening up of the market to overseas garlic, and particularly Chinese garlic,” she says.
“We ended up with a lot of very cheap garlic on the market.
“Our grower numbers went from about 300 to about 50.”
Fast-forward to 2014 and numbers appear to be climbing once again.
“We have lots and lots of new growers in the industry coming in,” says Penny Woodward, who recently published a book about Australian garlic varieties.
“People ask me what species I’m growing, and, to be honest, I don’t know.”
“A lot of boutique growers, growing some really interesting garlics, and different ranges of garlics.”
It can be grown anywhere in the country “except for the true tropics,” Ms Woodward says.
Kirsten Jones first took up growing the bulb when she moved to South Gippsland in Victoria four years ago.
It took her several seasons of trial and error before her efforts began to bear fruit.
"My first three crops basically failed, there was a lot to learn that I didn't understand about cropping, and especially growing garlic on a bigger scale," Ms Jones says.
All imported garlic must be fumigated as it enters Australia.
Many local growers have embraced organic principles and say that gives their - more expensive - product an edge.
Roy Cody is among those who refuse to use any artificial herbicides and pesticides.
"Consumers are now demanding a quality product,” he says.
“We're becoming more and more health conscious and a lot of us don't want to eat a chemical cocktail, so this, of course, is bringing back the organic garlic."
Penny Woodward believes Australian consumers are also increasingly attracted to home-grown produce.
"I think it's that Australians want to eat Australian food and they want to eat Australian garlic, and they recognise that it's a much better product, and they recognise that all imported garlic is sprayed with methyl bromide, which is quite a strong biocyde."
She says for those inclined to grow it themselves, it can be a lucrative pursuit.
“If you can produce beautiful garlic, you can make good money out of it.”
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