Peter Burnett and daughters Abbey Spencer and Ellie Wallace of Sisters Garlic Co . naturally grow their garlic with no added hormones or pesticides .
and his two adult daughters , Ellie , and Abbey Spencer . Although Abbey isn ’ t available for our chat , Peter and Ellie ’ s interactions show this is a very close-knit family and the farm is genuinely a labor of love . Their initial motivation was to take advantage of the health benefits of garlic while also doing something fun and productive as a family . It became an incredible passion project that includes both Ellie and Abbey ’ s respective families .
While the company began in 2017 , the farm itself dates back to the early 1800s . Originally a 100-acre property , the Burnetts acquired 11 acres plus the main structure in the late 1970s . Presently , the farm spans 32 acres and the main structure has been lovingly converted from a large barn into their family home . The building has an incredible history of resilience and reinvention ; it actually burned down and was rebuilt four times — once in the 19th century ( 1860s ) due to Civil War hostilities , twice in the 20th ( 1914 ,
1932 ), and once — hopefully the last !— in the 21st century ( 2009 ).
As patriarch of both the Burnett family and Sisters Garlic Co ., Peter ’ s legacy in Loudoun County spans 47 years . A personal injury attorney , he maintains six Burnett and Williams law offices throughout Virginia , and in a previous life , was very involved in horse racing . His participation in racing led to his appointment as Chairman of the Virginia Racing Commission ( VRC ) by former governor Mark Warner . In that role , he found himself becoming increasingly protective of the horses themselves , and was eventually named Chairman of Racing Commissioners International . During the year of his chairmanship , he successfully led the movement to ban all anabolic steroids for race horses . Now the Burnetts keep two horses and two donkeys but have shifted their focus from horse racing to farming their land .
At the time of my visit , Sisters Garlic Co . had already harvested this year ’ s crop of garlic ( as well as
the lesser known culinary delight , garlic scapes , and was in the process of cleaning and curing it in one of the property ’ s outbuildings . It ’ s a beautiful , rustic sight — large clusters of garlic hanging from the ceiling . The point of this process is to reduce its moisture content to a certain point so it won ’ t mold in storage . The useful life of natural garlic is three to six months after harvesting and curing , so they are also experimenting with other methods to extend its usable life . One of these methods has to do with storing individual cloves in a white vinegar solution ( boiled first for sanitation purposes ) and then kept refrigerated . Although one might assume vinegar would overpower the taste of the garlic , it really only reduces some of the natural pungency of the garlic . While it doesn ’ t actually impart any vinegar flavor in the cloves , they do recommend washing the vinegar from each clove before using with them .
Once the curing process is complete ( it can take up to six
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38 wander I fall • winter 2022