BAKERSFIELD, Vt. (WCAX) – The legend of the Witchcat in Bakersfield goes back more than a century.
“Probably 150 years ago, there was a catamount, a wildcat, that was trapped in the ice in a fall chasm around the corner, about a mile. And it screamed, and it screamed, and the locals called that chasm, Witchcat Falls, the Witchcat. And over time, the whole neighborhood became known as the Witchcat,” explained Mickey Lopes of Witchcat Farm.
The area kept the name, and so did a farm on what became Witchcat Road. “We had already loved the story, and named the farm Witchcat Farm,” Lopes said.
Mickey and Danielle Lopes started off in the 1990s with a small operation growing garlic. “His dad gave me one head, and I replanted it, and replanted it, and replanted it. And by the time I had 25 beds, and it’s times eight. And I said, you have to quit your job, we’re going into the garlic business,” Danielle said.
They now grow 32 types of garlic, including Music, Pyongyang, China Pink, Shandong, Asian Tempest, and varieties from the eastern Russia area, like Belarus.
The garlic is fully organic. “In fact, we’re beyond just Vermont Organic. If you notice on the front of the barn, there’s another certification level, and it’s called the Real Organic Project. So, we’re at that upper level, and it is very important. Each head of garlic gets then touched, looked at, graded, cleaned, de-rooted, and then bagged and sent to market, or boxed and sent to market. Yeah, it’s a lot of work,” Lopes said.
One of their biggest customers is the Hunger Mountain Co-op in Montpelier, the oldest co-op in the state. Between August and January, the co-op primarily offers Witchcat Farm garlic.
The farm also produces black garlic. “Garlic that has been put into a device that ferments it. The process is called miliar, which is kind of cooking it, but not really. It’s a regulated temperature and humidity, and it takes a little bit of time. It goes in as whole garlic, fresh, and it comes out black. Seven days. It comes out. It’s dark, black, brown. It’s gooey, it’s gummy, and it has a very sweet candy taste,” Lopes said.
Danielle also makes garlic powder from leftover garlic that does not meet sales standards. The small garlic gets dehydrated, ground up, and sifted.
Customers can shop for black garlic, garlic powder, or the dozens of types of garlic they grow on their website. The farm ships across the country.
“We’ve sent it as far south as Texas. Maybe not every state, but we’ve hit pretty much the West Coast, south of Florida,” Lopes said.
“Wouldn’t want to do anything else,” Danielle said.
Copyright 2026 WCAX. All rights reserved.