Feb 07 2024 47 mins
It's not often we get to chat with someone whose website banner includes the words "where to find G.O.D" but here we are.
Jodi Clarke and husband Greg run Great Ocean Ducks (G.O.D) from their property situated near one of the most famous driving roads in the world - Victoria's great Ocean Road.
They began in 2009 with 30 ducklings and no idea about what they were doing , with the couple choosing to farm the Aylesbury Duck for its historical connections. The Aylesbury is the classic English table duck and was wildly popular in the 19th century - and is well known in pop culture with perhaps Jemima Puddleduck from the Beatrix Potter novels probably being the best anthropomorphic example of an Aylesbury.
In late 2012 Great Ocean Ducks started rearing Pekin Ducks instead of Aylesbury's (a type of duck, not to be confused with Peking Duck - a Chinese Dish) and started feeding all their ducks strawberries and other fruits. (For anyone interested, Scrooge McDuck being a pop culture example of a pekin).
Great Ocean Ducks has gone from strength to strength, with Greg having previously worked as a food journalist they were able to leverage existing relationships and networks to showcase their ducks and that has resulted in their humble product passing the "chef test" and has resulted in them now supplying some of the best restaurants in Australia. These restaurants include Brae, Du Fermier, Attica and Movida.
Just Duck, a book featuring recipes from acclaimed chefs and stories of their farming adventure, was written in 2015.
We chat with Jodi about starting a farm with no idea (her words not ours), the demands of Duck Farming, the "hardest workers on the farm"; their Malamute livestock guardians as well as the farm gate premises that G.O.D are building.
Hosts: Sam Baff and Jayde Timms from Grown Not Flown
Guest: Jodi Clarke - Great Ocean Ducks
Website: www.greatoceanducks.com
Instagram: @greatoceanducks