It seems that every other Shire has something they can eat.

Something they can boil, fry, bake or stew as a region. Together – as a hungry collective.

It’s time for Goulburn to get something, something we can eat.

Following a quick poll in the Goulburn Post newsroom, we have chokos, carrot, corn and persimmons – or maybe we should stick to something very local, like lamb.

What on earth is a choko? Green, oblong and bumpy; the choko sort of resembles a grenade. Often seen in large quantities for free in workplaces around the country, the choko is notoriously easy to grow and is such is often offloaded to family, colleagues, friends and friends of friends.  

PRO: Very unique – bound to get national attention, a perfect shape to draw faces on (like a pumpkin), people like the colour green, a cut out of Yoko Ono holding a choko could be the official emblem of the festival. 

CON: What can you do with a choko? It would seem not many people know.

It’s long, orange and grows beneath the ground. Favoured by cartoon character Bugs Bunny and by vegetarians worldwide, legend has it the carrot owes its colour to selective breeding which was done in honour of the Dutch Royal Family, the Order of the House of Orange

PRO:  The possibilities are endless – starting with a stall filled with different carrot cakes, fun to pull from the ground, can use for funny face masks, very practical (can walk and eat it), affordable.

CON:  Orange? Bit garish on the eyes, tough to grow BIG carrots (people love big vegetables), a common vegetable so people might be sick of it already. 

This is what you pay extra for at a Sydney cafe at breakfast, but the tomoato look-alike is more than just a pretty face. The large, heart shaped fruit can be more than just the fruit left in your fruit bowl.

PRO: People love something different, it’s really really good for you (studies have found it has double the dietary fibre as apples!), aesthetically it’s a nice looking fruit.

CON: Awkward name – could be hard to print it across a banner or put in a hashtag, sounds too close to permission and that would confuse everyone.  

Here in the Southern Tablelands we love our woolly friends and there is no shortage. So why not celebrate them through a festival that pays tribute to their delicious flesh.

PRO: Curried, roasted, on rolls and more; who doesn’t love lamb? Great live cooking stations could be set up.

CON: Our region is actually famous for its wool industry, so how could we think about slaughtering our beloved friends and feasting on their meat? We much prefer to spin and knit their wool into cuddle jumpers, vegans (a key market) might be cut from the crowd.