For almost a decade, Richard Gendron has been running Ferme Richard et Daniel with Daniel Ménard. The farm is located at 985 Chemin de l’Église in Sainte Barbe and has been in Gendron’s family since his grandparents bought it in 1920. However, it has been through some changes since Gendron took over.
Originally, it was a dairy farm. It was passed down to Gendron’s parents, and he worked there for a while but took some time away while he was working a full-time job. He says, “I worked outside my whole life,” so when he retired almost a decade ago, he decided to take over the farm.
The new focus now is on growing garlic. It is a relatively small operation, with about 4500 bulbs. Gendron grows and sells garlic and garlic scapes primarily, but sometimes has other produce for sale if their garden has a surplus. They also have fields of corn and soy. One of the most unique things they offer is a dehydrated version of the garlic products they grow. They sell dehydrated scapes, garlic powder, and garlic pieces.
Gendron explains that the dehydration process is pretty simple. “You wash the products, cut them into small pieces, and we have a small dehydrator that we use,” he says. They started dehydrated products as a way to deal with the surplus they had that they didn’t sell. “The dehydration conserves things for a long time,” he adds, meaning they have less waste.
This year’s season was a strong one for both the garlic and the scapes. Though the harvest was abundant, it happened over a shorter timeline than usual. “This year’s weather conditions meant that harvesting took place more quickly than in previous years, and over a shorter period,” Gendron says. One thing that ended up being a bit of a challenge was the speed that weeds were growing this year. “The rain and high temperatures encouraged rapid weed growth,” he explains. Because they don’t use any herbicides, this caused a challenge when trying to keep up with the weeds.
Being a small farm, Ferme Richard et Daniel doesn’t always have the resources to be at all of the markets or be widely distributed, but Gendron shares that “It’s important to upkeep the small producers as well. Because we’re small we can’t always be at markets, but we want to remind people to keep supporting local business.”
He wants to remind people that shopping locally “helps to upkeep the community.” He adds that on their farm, “There are no pesticides; everything is done by hand completely. It’s also more economic and ecological for the environment.” On top of that, buying locally means that consumers get to know the people who are growing their food. “One of the advantages of buying locally from small-scale producers is that you can meet the producers directly and see how they make their products, as well as having suggestions for consuming the product.”
With the dehydrated products Gendron recommends making garlic salt or garlic scape salt to use as a seasoning blend. He will be present as a vendor at the Chateauguay Valley Antique Association’s event on August 24 and 25, and the products can also always be purchased at the farm.