Photos by Karen Tolkkinen The Olberding family works in tandem to plant the garlic. Julie Olberding, left, rakes earth over each clove that son Blake plants from his bag. Daughter Leah measures a bit of fungi to drop into the homemade garlic planter held by Chad Olberding, right.
MINNESOTA FARM FAMILY FINDS A NICHE WITH GARLIC And, yes, it keeps away vampires, apparently
By Karen Tolkkinen | Forum News Service
I
n a peaceful setting not far from Holmes City in Douglas County, there is a patch of earth where vampires fear to tread. It’s Rustic Roots Farm, which grows about the most vampire-proof crop around: garlic. This fall marks the third consecutive year that owners Chad and Julie Olberding and their two kids, Leah, 12, and Blake, 10, have planted garlic, which is a bulb that is planted in the fall after a hard frost and is harvested the following summer. They bought the small farm for their children, and hope sales of garlic, strawberries and hay will help pay for their college expenses some day. “It’s a way for them to not only learn about stuff but it goes into their savings accounts,” Julie said. Garlic is one of the specialty crops, along with asparagus, that Minnesota is encouraging as an additional source of income for growers in the state. Since 2017, the state has received nearly $4 million from the federal Page 26 – November 2020 – West Central Tribune
The Olberdings ordered a box of seed garlic to try a new variety this year.
