Don't miss out on the 5th Birthday Celebrations for our 2007 Celebrate Asparagus Festival in the heart of asparagus country!

Location

Cardinia Ranges Farmers’ Market
Pakenham Racecourse
Racecourse Rd, Pakenham (Melway Map 317 G8)

Date

Saturday 13th - October 2007

Time

8.00am - 12.00 noon

There will be lots on offer for adults and kids alike including……..

Cooking Demonstration Marquee

Top Local Chefs
Top local chefs will showcase their signature asparagus dishes using local produce, with 4 lucky festival visitors winning a place at the chefs' dining table following each demonstration.

Ongoing Cooking Demonstrations and Tastings
Aided by enthusiastic Pakenham High School Hospitality students, our cooking team will whip up asparagus dishes and provide tastings to festival visitors throughout the morning.

Kids Activities

Fun for the Kids
‘Gus’ the giant Asparagus will appear regularly and encourage children to participate in the Gus Asparagus Colouring in Competition for the chance to win some great prizes.

Kids Cooking
Kids will have the chance to prepare tasty asparagus snacks, helped by Pakenham High School Hospitality students.

Asparagus Bunching Competition

Popular with all age groups this activity is as much fun to watch as it is to take part! And underneath the fun and excitement, there are educational benefits. Festival visitors get to see just what it takes to get a bunch of asparagus from field to retailer. Under the watchful eye of officials from the Australian Asparagus Council competitors don aprons, gloves and hairnets to accurately assemble, weigh and bunch asparagus in the fastest time. Keen competitors vie for a place in the heats and finals in both the Children’s and Adult’s categories.

New! Guess How Many Spears Competition

A healthy twist on traditional lolly jar guessing competitions. Correctly guess how many spears of asparagus are in the holding crates on the back of a harvesting truck and win great prizes!

New! Asparagus Harvesting Race

Festival visitors will get physical and test their adeptness at collecting as many asparagus spears from mock asparagus rows and running to the finish line within a given time. Children’s and Adult’s categories included.

Meet the Growers and Buy Fresh

October is the time fresh local asparagus is at its best and in full supply so growers' sheds are a hive of activity! Nevertheless, local growers and their families from Koo Wee Rup, Dalmore and Pakenham will take time out from their businesses to meet festival visitors and make available the best fresh asparagus you have ever tasted! Truckloads of green and white asparagus will be on offer with limited supplies of fascinating purple asparagus.

Farmers’ Market

Shop for a host of other local goodies!

Cardinia Ranges Farmers’ Market stallholders will also embrace asparagus fever...
Shop for farmhouse cheese, free range eggs, local wines, farmed barramundi and venison, jams and preserves, free range, rare breed pork and lamb, fruit trees and potted herbs, organic breads, home made cakes, fresh flowers and plenty more. Did we mention the live worms?

See you at the festival!

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Celebrate Asparagus

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Copyright© Australian Asparagus Council. Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure that the information on this website is correct and up to date, no representation is made or warranty given (either express or implied) as to the completeness, accuracy or currency of the information that it contains. Last updated August 2007