(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A Chicago area farm with a memorable name came to be because of a pig.
“We have a pet pig--Kevin Bacon. Kevin Bacon, unbeknownst to us, was going to limit our opportunities to live in certain neighborhoods," explained Sharon Pferschy.
She and her husband, Tony, founded Garlic Breath Farm in 2015 when they found a place to live where it’s okay to have a farm animal — in far west suburban Elburn.
“When we came across this property, it actually came with a farm field, and we were like, what will we do with this?” Sharon said.
At the time, they both had full-time government jobs (Sharon still does). Tony, a Navy veteran who suffered a knee injury in an explosion, now works the farm full-time.
Part of the work involves getting on his knees and planting each bulb by hand every October.
The Pferschys narrowed their growing choices to lavender or garlic. Certified organic garlic won out. They decided if they could not sell the garlic, they could at least eat it.
Garlic Breath Farm is primarily online and at farmer’s markets, this year mostly in Batavia and Oswego. They sell garlic bulbs, garlic powder, granulated garlic, garlic scape powder and their garlic-infused hot sauces and more.
They also grow extra garlic for the Marie Wilkinson food pantry in Aurora.
The Pferschys have a little less than 3 acres with about 1 acre of farmland. They grow about 35,000 bulbs of garlic on a different third of an acre each year.
Now, for that name: Garlic Breath Farm.
It came while the couple was traveling with their youngest son.
“From a small voice in the back seat we heard, ‘Garlic Breath Farm,’” Sharon recalled.
The name stuck.
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