Georgia Magazine - August 2012 - (Page 30)

Great garlic! Garlic Fest showcases the unexpected in North Georgia BY ASHLEY BATES COURTESY OF LOGANBERRY HERITAGE FARM M any cooks understand it’s all about the ingredients that make a meal something special; and at LoganBerry Heritage Farm in Cleveland, extraordinary ingredients abound from season to season. This month, the farm will celebrate its fourth annual Garlic Fest, Aug. 25, which will honor the savory and pungent member of the onion family, highlighting all its gastronomic uses and medicinal powers. “You can’t go wrong with our garlic in any dish, our garlic is uniquely different from other garlic,” says farm owner Sharon Mauney, also known on the farm as “Organic Rose.” “It is so oily and sticky you can barely handle it. Garlic is antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inﬂammatory and antiviral.” Chef Jamie Allred, a farm-to-table chef at Lake Rabun Hotel & Restaurant, participated in Garlic Fest last year and purchases asparagus, heirloom tomatoes and garlic, among other vegetables from LoganBerry for the restaurant. “I really think local produce just tastes better,” says Allred. “You get a higher yield off of it, and you don’t have to wait for it to ripen.” Allred says he buys garlic from LoganBerry because of its unique ﬂavors. “Well, Sharon grows oodles of different kinds of garlic, some are spicier, some are milder than others, and some are sweeter. I think garlic grown on a mass scale loses its ﬂavor over the years. But on the farm, the garlic has been in the family for years, and it is minimally processed, which helps as well.” Mauney adds that within minutes you can prepare the freshest meals with foods from LoganBerry. For example, she notes that a delicious panini is a quick sauté of collards, olive oil and sea salt. Sauté the vegetables with the salt, place on panini bread with generous slices of mozzarella, and you have a quick and tasty lunch. Garlic is the main crop grown on the farm, with heirloom tomatoes running a close second and sweet potatoes third. There are 12 to 15 varieties of garlic grown on the farm’s bottomlands that will be showcased at the Aug. 25 festival, along with garlic powder. “The garlic is dried, and it really depends on how humid it is. If it’s real humid, it could take several More online at www.georgiamagazine.org Top: Sharon Mauney, of LoganBerry Heritage Farm, tends one of her many gardens. Above: Garlic grown at the farm is celebrated in an annual event known as Garlic Fest. weeks (to dry), if it’s not too humid, it could dry in two to three weeks,” Mauney says. “Now, I’m a cook, so I like to grow what I can cook or do further processing with, so that’s why I have a certiﬁed kitchen in my market barn.” Cameron Malloy, a Dahlonega resident, says she had the chance to attend the ﬁrst Garlic Fest and fell in love with the farm. “The farm is the most picturesque place, it’s just a step into yesterday,” Malloy says. “I fell in love with the setting, and I thought this place has such calmness, with the busyness of today.” The 62-acre farm has been in Mauney’s family since the 1800s, and she has spent years returning the soil GEORGIA MAGAZINE 30 COURTESY OF LOGANBERRY HERITAGE FARM http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - August 2012

Georgia Magazine - August 2012
Contents
Viewpoint
Mailbox
Liberty Notes
Georgia News
Festival Guide
Calendar of Events
Currents
Ready, Set, Get Prepared
Georgia Farmers Return to Their Roots
Around Georgia
Picture This?
My Georgia
Georgia Gardens
Georgia Cooks
Snapshot

Georgia Magazine - August 2012