Growing organic heritage garlic from around the world is our passion. We have been introducing Canadians to the wonderful world of flavours since 1998. Paula Willinsky of Ballantrae Garlic Farm has been introducing Canadians to the wonderfully deversified world of garlic since 1998.

Most people aren't aware of just how many types of garlic there are since they seldom see more than one type available at the local supermarket. In fact, there are over 600 cultivated sub-varieties each with their own unique characteristics. Size, colour, shape, taste, number of cloves per bulb, pungency and storability are just some of the unique traits of garlic.

Spend 10 minutes speaking with Paula and you will feel the passion she has for garlic and its wonderful history, culture and flavours.  

At Ballantrae Garlic Farm all of our garlic is grown organically, without any synthetic chemicals used in any part of the process from seed to harvest. Using organic farming practices, we hand plant each garlic clove in the fall. When the early signs of spring arrive the hardy plants push their way through the mulch and begin their summer growth. All the beds are nourished, watered, and hand weeded throughout the spring and summer until the bulbs are mature and ready to be hand harvested. Each summer’s crop is then carefully cleaned and hung to cure for a few weeks until it is ready to ship to you.

Growing organic heritage varieties from around the world is our passion. The foundation for our boutique approach to growing is patience. In some cases we have started with a single bulb and develop our inventory over several growing seasons before it is made available to the public. We like to think of our team at Ballantrae Farm as curators of the gourmet garlic world.

In 2014, Ballantrae will be making a small amount of their Ail Rose de Lautrec available for purchase. It has been 4 years that we have been nurturing this exquisite pink cultivar from France and we are so excited to introduce Canada to this famous French Sweetheart.

To all of our fellow garlic growers across Canada, we wish you best of the season and a happy, healthy harvest!