Garlic has long been considered protective and a staple for good health. Ancient midwives kept strings of garlic in birthing rooms to ward off evil. King Tutankhamun’s tomb was found with cloves of garlic scattered among the priceless treasures. For Bozeman’s own Monte Faretto, the love for and propagation of garlic also has ancestral roots.
“My mother was a long distance operator during the days of landlines. My dad was in the navy and when he’d call home to his mother, his call would route through my mother’s desk. He picked her up over the phone, had a date, and married 21 days later. They lived happily together until both passed on at 93 years old. Dad had continued what his father-in-law had begun, in both profession and pastime: They were millworkers and garlic farmers. My granddad used to say that he grew ‘garlic, cabbage, and garlic.’ Dad always used his own crop proceeds to pay land taxes. Mom made a fresh baguette in the mornings, brushed with roasted garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Wonderful!
“When dad’s eyesight began to fail, I began helping him with his crops, turning out my first crop in 2011. I’ve been growing strong ever since, turning out around 300 pounds per year.
“When Joe and Meg Romano developed Nina’s Tacos & Tequila, they needed tables. I was a welder by trade and built some tables. My farming was an early organic conversation with consummate chefs, so I began supplying them and we enjoyed the fruits of all our labor. A common passion for garlic brought us together! My mom passed away last November and a fifty-pound box of garlic fell from the garage shelf that I’d forgotten about. I gave it to Joe and he made a broth out of it. I just keep replanting garlic for mom and dad.”
What are Monte’s plans for the future of his garlic obsession? He has written a grant to install a more efficient irrigation system. Eventually, he would like to add an intern to assist with planting and harvest.
You’ll find Monte’s Garlic-for-Sale sign in August, at the corner of Third and Parkview off of S. 19th on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 2 to 5 pm. And if you’d like to grow your own, Monte advises, “Plant in early September before it snows or freezes. Put a bulb in the ground, tip-up. The following July, when tips begin to turn brown, harvest and cure it.”
Meanwhile, Meg has shared a Nina’s favorite that you can try at home, after a stop at Monte’s garlic stand:
CARNE SAUCE
1 c oil
1/2 c soy
1/2 c lime juice
1 c light brown sugar
1/2 T guajillo chili, dried, ground
2 T garlic minced
Method:
Simply mix all together. This recipe may be used as a marinade or finishing sauce.