Harvest Home 2010 features the Topp Twins
Totara Estate, State Highway 1, 8km south of Oamaru
The Topp Twins are the featured guests at Totara Estate's annual Harvest Home festival on 28 March 2010. Historic Totara Estate, just south of Oamaru, is famous as the birthplace of New Zealand’s frozen meat trade and annual Harvest Home festival*. Continuing a tradition that began in the 1890s, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust site will host this day long celebration of things rural.
The Topp Twins will not only star on the stage but participate fully in activities attached to the event’s theme: A Garden Harvest. Several competitions are sure to keep an anticipated large crowd well occupied.
Once again the mouth watering annual Totara Lamburger Competition will see regional restaurants ‘cook-off’ for a coveted trophy and the reputation that goes with it. This year’s judging will take place under the critical eye of livestock experts, Ken and Ken!
The Vegetable Produce section, to be judged by Prue and Dilly, is sure to attract great interest as awards are handed out for the longest bean, biggest potato and most appealing apple.
And the District’s finest milled flour, best berries and full cream milk won’t escape the attention of the Scone & Jam section judges Camp Mother & Camp Leader.
Entertainment aside, the focus will be on traditional skills somewhat lost in this age of daily supermarket shopping, with demonstrations on how to preserve the harvest; relishes and jams, and apple cider making. The spotlight on home gardening has guest speakers sharing tips on creating a home vegetable garden, growing vegetables and making great compost.
The Harvest Home will again celebrate the working horse with Clydesdale harnessing and shoeing displays culminating in a grand parade. Totara’s infamous ‘Swaggers’ will once again descend on the Estate, set up camp and tell ‘tall tales’ as they await the start of their annual ‘Race to the Brydone Monument’. Lunchtime ‘hawkers’ will prepare and sell traditional farm fare - lamb shanks, blackened corn and more - while skilled trades such as blacksmith, blade shearers, saddlers and woodworkers will demonstrate their craft. Young Victorian ‘peddlers’ will test their entrepreneurial spirit by selling their wares, be it boiled sweets or peg dolls.
If that’s not enough to keep visitors entertained, there’s also penny-farthing, horse and wagon rides, traditional children’s games, storytellers, bush bands and roving minstrels.
Preparations are in hand for visitors to embark on an historic train ride from Dunedin to the Totara rail siding, recreating a journey that New Zealand’s first export shipment of meat took in 1882 and for which the Estate is nationally famous.
The day will commence with a traditional Thanksgiving service at 10.30am and continue late into the afternoon. A modest $5 admission fee will enable everyone to join in this wonderful celebration of the past.
Totara Estate has a proud record of hosting its Harvest Home. Despite the planning behind the 2010 event it may fall short of its 1896 predecessor when, with over 300 guests from as far away as Dunedin expected, the west wall of the barn was removed and a marquee erected before festivities could begin.
* A ritual of 19th century farming, the Harvest Home was celebrated when the last sheaf of wheat was stored, signifying that food (and profits!) was safely gathered for another year. This event would be cause for great rejoicing accompanied by feasting, music and dancing.
Lambing it up!
The search is on for New Zealand’s Finest Lamburger at the renowned home of lamb exports, Totara Estate.
Indeed, when it comes to exporting frozen lamb North Otago’s Totara Estate led the world. Now, 130 years on, the Estate is again seeking recognition for the region’s prime lamb.
The recipe for success this time round will lie with the culinary skills of four local chefs each of whom is intent on creating a succulent lamb burger that’s a modern day world beater.
All are working hard to perfect their entries before the verdict is given, and the prized Beef & Lamb NZ trophy handed over, by noted high country sheep farmers Ken and Ken (aka Topp Twins) at Totara Estate’s annual Harvest Home celebrations on March 28.
Locals and visitors, vagrants and vagabonds will also have a chance to pass judgement on the creations during the coming month. Lamb burgers expertly crafted from Alliance lamb patties & matched to one of Monteith’s fine beers or ciders will be on the menu at Fleur’s Place, Fat Sally’s, Star & Garter and The Last Post, for the month of March.
This is the third year Totara Estate has held this distinctly New Zealand competition. The inaugural event was won by Fat Sally’s in 2005.
For further information:
Scott Elliffe – Event Co-ordinator
Totara Estate Harvest Home
027 4548344