Garlic Farm Near Joliet: You Can Buy Gourmet Garlic From Singletary

MINOOKA, IL — Most farms across Will County grow corn and soybeans, but that's not the case on McKanna Road in rural Minooka where Roger Singletary has been perfecting garlic for years.

"I've been growing it about 30 years, but it's just the second season of selling it as Singletary Garlic Farms," Singletary explained.

A 1987 graduate of Plainfield High School, Roger Singletary runs Singletary Garlic Farms with business partner Debra Fredrick. They sell garlic salts, garlic powders, plus raw bulbs available by the pound and in large quantities.

"And they can order on the website, or we do let people stop by," Singletary told Joliet Patch's editor during Wednesday's interview. "I get quite a few drive-bys. 'Hey, I see you got garlic.'

"It's pretty spicy when it's fresh," Singletary explained. "If you buy it in a store, most stores, their garlic comes from China, and it's dried out and doesn't have any oils in it."

Some people who purchase garlic from Singletary Farms include chefs making spaghetti.

"There's multiple uses for it," Singletary said. "It's used for a number of substitutes and salts, including dips."

Singletary sells plastic bottles of Gourmet Garlic powder, in 2.5 ounces, 5.5 ounces and 14 ounces. They also sell the Gators Kickin' Garlic N Onion Party Dip.

"I have a big following of people on garlic powder," Singletary said. "It's a very long crop. It's a nine-month crop. It's planted in the fall, and it's harvested in the summer."

"Most of our stuff is sold in Illinois," Fredrick said. "Right now, it is focused on Illinois."

Besides his 5 acres in rural Minooka, Singletary said he has 40 acres of farmland in Wisconsin near Rhinelander where he can also grow his garlic, if demand increases.

Singletary said that this summer's garlic harvest cultivated "4,000 pounds so far."

"We're usually done (harvesting) in July," he said. "We usually start around the second week in July, depending on the weather. So harvesting garlic is like harvesting potatoes. It's very labor-intensive."

Singletary said he will begin his next planting season between "late September or mid-October."

According to the website, "Singletary Garlic Farms was officially founded in 2022 by owner/operator Roger Singletary who has been perfecting the growth of garlic for 27 years. What started as a few rows in the backyard has turned into a 1 acre farm with promise of expansion in the year to come."

In addition to visiting Singletary Garlic Farms at 12590 McKanna Road, people can also place their orders over the phone by calling the Singletary farms at 815-953-8252. To review their products or place an order, visit the Singletary Garlic Farms website here.