Our Story

In 1932, our family settled in Bradner ~  a small, rural community in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. Grandpa and Grandma Kilian (Vincent and Helen) started our farm by growing hay, raspberries and pasture to feed the dairy cows that produced milk for Dairyland. Later, our Dad and Mom, Jim and Faye  Kilian, raised and sold Limousine Beef cattle (also enabling us to enjoy 4H through our childhood). Now, in our latest farming adventure, "The Kilian kids" are growing Garlic!

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Bradner Hills Farm (Garlic) began as a passing 2015 dinner conversation on

"how neat it would be to...".​

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By 2016, we had reconditioned our 2 old and faithful

tractors, bought a 2-tine plough, and greased our new

(old) rototiller. After attending a "How to grow (spray

and pesticide free) Garlic" workshop, we sent our soil

to the lab for analysis. We verified the soil pH and

fertility then added some organic chicken compost.

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In 2017 we planted 2800 plants. We learned (the hard way) about weed management: pulling January weeds in sub-zero temperatures in our fishing waders with frozen fingers!

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In 2018, our crop grew to 15,000. Our organic weed management included laying some 60 lb recycled kraft paper sprinkled with some hardwood chips (for weight) and organic chopped silage. Those hearty little Red Russians poked through!

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By June 2019, we had 10,000 garlic scapes for sale. As this product is still fairly unknown in Canada (it's well known in Asian Cuisine), we offered our scapes to our faithful retailers ~ pro-bono ~ to help consumers familiarize with this amazing, unsung garlic hero!

Check out these garlic scape recipes! 

With the scapes removed, 10,000 large bulbs (averaging 4-7 oz each) were ready for sale in August 2019,  For the 2020 and 2021 crops, 18,000 seeds were planted.

Annually, in early July, we sell custom-ordered "green" (aka: "fresh") Red Russian Russian bulbs. After that, we harvest and hang our bulbs for 3 weeks ~ to ensure they are dry and well-cured. Our intention is to offer properly-processed bulbs to enable consumers to have the best chance at storing their bulbs (in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area with low humidity) into the winter months.

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​In 2020, we trialed our newest, ready-to-use frozen

"BHF Garlic Gold Bars" and unpeeled cloves. They sold

out by October!

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In 2021, the dry-weather and an unfamiliar "heat-dome" covered BC. Although awful for wildfires and multi-community evacuations, it proved positive for drying the healthy, robust 2021 Red Russian Garlic harvest of 18,000 bulbs!

Feeling more secure in our garlic wisdom, we hosted 3

days of "Garlic U-Pick Events". Beyond harvesting garlic,

these events built community spirit and blossomed new

relationships. To-be garlic gardeners enjoyed live chat

times learning from our successes, mistakes & evolving

knowledge base.

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In 2022, after the excessive heat-dome & fires last summer, BC experienced its first "atmospheric river". Abbotsford was under-water; Sumas Prairie reverted to its previous "Sumas Lake" in this 14 day unprecedented event. Sadly, beyond excessive losses of homes, land, roads, farm-businesses and animals, the growth of all field crops was delayed by 30-90 days.... impacting sales, schedules, harvests and planting of al vegetables.

BHF survived the flood but did not escape the delay in harvest and the squeeze it put on next year's planting schedule (only one month between picking and re-planting poses challenges for drying bulbs, cracking into cloves and re-fortifying the soil before the rains of the Fall resume in October). 

 

The 2nd Annual BHF U-Pick occurred on July 29-31, 2022.

Attendance tripled! Bradner farming neighbors joined with

their produce. This was an additional attraction and 

1-stop-shop for Sunday drivers seeking local, fresh produce

from all over the lower mainland (some from as far away as

Alberta!). During the U-Pick event, we shared our pickled

Garlic Scapes; inspiring many to pickle their own after they

collected theirs at the 2023 U-Pick Garlic Scape-by-Donation

Event.

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Once again, BHF Sold Out all 21,000 bulbs by mid Sept, disappointing some would-be seed planters when they called for seed in October, 2022.

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In 2023, we introduced a pre-order form on our website, and the feedback from our community was really positive! Customers found it convenient, and helped us plan better than in previous years.

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This year, we sold out before the harvest even began! Thanks to our pre-order forms, we were able to simplify the process and manage orders from folks throughout the Lower Mainland. Seeds and Seconds are still available as of Sept. 2024, as well as our latest effort, Farmers Helping Farmers. don't hesitate to contact us with any inquiries!

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For 2025, the pre-order form is already open! This allows us to better manage demand for garlic in the community. Thank you for being a part of our journey as we improve and meet your garlic needs.