Nova Select Garlic
Nova Select Garlic is our flagship garlic product and Halfway River Farm has a wonderful, fun, colourful history with garlic.
Our first experience growing garlic was in 2001. We used seed garlic from a local supplier and, at the time, we didn’t have much success growing what we now know to be a great food. Fast forward to many years later, we had the great fortune of meeting a man who became our “garlic mentor” (did you know that garlic mentoring was a thing?)
Our garlic mentor gave us confidence. We started over, slowly, with just 50 cloves, and we increased our seed stock by selecting the best of what we grew and by purchasing stock from our mentor. As our mentor shared his garlic knowledge and we gained experience, our confidence grew.
Our garlic is one-of-a-kind here in Nova Scotia – perhaps even in Canada! With Nova Select Garlic, you’ll be getting a delicious and storied garlic. So gather the kids ‘round the fire, grab a few cloves, and regale them with this “flavourful” tale of garlic intrigue and adventure.
Legend has it that our garlic seed stock was smuggled into Canada. Why would someone smuggle garlic, you ask? The FLAVOUR! The full story is somewhat of a mystery, but here’s what we know… it all began when a sojourner found a wonderful garlic strain while living abroad. This person was so enamoured of the garlic, they thought, “We MUST bring this garlic back home. My fellow Scotians simply HAVE to be able to taste and enjoy such a rich, fragrant garlic!”
Okay, we’re imagining that this was their inner dialogue, but being so intimately familiar with this wonderful garlic, we know this must have been what was said.
The sojourner, returning home to Nova Scotia, then started a small farm. Over time, they naturalized the garlic to our local climate. The garlic strain and its secretive past was handed from grower to grower and now Halfway River Farm is proud to be the sole grower and retailer of Nova Select Garlic.
We’ve been growing garlic here at our new home since 2016
We use the same seed stock we started with many years ago. From the time the garlic is harvested to replanting, each clove is touched and examined a minimum of 7 times. This is our opportunity to select and plant a high-quality seed clove. Today we have 12,500 cloves planted. We have been growing and refining our garlic for 4 years on our current property. Pre-order your garlic today!