Farmer Peter Durand owns Snickers Run Farm, a gourmet garlic farm that places an emphasis on natural and sustainable growing practices. Durand specializes in hardneck garlic with varieties like Bluemont Music, Chesnok Red, Elephant, and German Extra Hardy, among others. This season, Snickers Run Farm harvested over 40,000 bulbs of garlic, which Durand says, at four to five pounds a bulb, equals about a pound of garlic per Loudoun County student.
“We are always testing different varieties on our farm to see how they do in our soil and here in Virginia,” said Durand. “It’s exciting to see what you can grow!”
Snickers Run uses its hardneck varieties of garlic to make delicious garlic powders, black garlic salt, and pickled garlic scapes, among other specialty products. All of the processing is done on the farm in the certified VDACS kitchen.
“We try to grow and process our garlic as cleanly as possible,” said Durand. “We take a lot of pride in organic and sustainable growing practices. We protect the soil because healthy soil produces great tasting garlic.” Using cover crops is one of the key things Farmer Durand does to keep his soil healthy. Farmer
Durand plants mustard seed for this purpose, which grows into a yellow flower. Once the entire field is yellow, he tills the mustard plant into the soil, which creates a fumigant, or an organic “pesticide.” This fumigant protects the soil and garlic from pests and prevents the need for chemical pesticides. Snickers Run Farm also uses manure from five rescued cows to naturally improve the nutrients in the soil.
When asked why Farmer Durand chose garlic, he responded: “We always grew garlic in the garden for fun, but we found that you can’t find good locally grown garlic. The garlic at the supermarket is imported and doesn’t have the same vibrant flavors.”
Having grown up in Hillsboro with a father who owned a farm, Farmer Durand has a nostalgic take on farming. “My father always used antique tractors. I always loved them, and they made farming more enjoyable. I was inspired to use only antique tractors on our farm. There’s nothing more fun than driving an old tractor!” he said.
Snickers Run Farm attends the Loudoun Farm Tour every year, spring and fall. They will also be at the upcoming Loudoun United Loudoun Made, Loudoun Grown Night. You can find Snicker Run products on snickersrunfarm.com, at the local farmer’s markets across Loudoun County, at the Lovettsville Co-Op, and on Etsy.
