Flowers From the Farmers Market
When it’s time for some flowers there are many places you can go to get them. Your local florist, flower farms, farmer’s markets, grocery stores, corner shops, and of course your own garden. All of them (yes, even the corner shop) have their benefits. In the upcoming weeks, we’ll look at each one of them. Today’s focus is on the farmer’s market.
It’s farmers’ market time! Farmers markets have been around for decades, in fact even centuries. The oldest continuously operating farmers market in Canada - Saint John City Market in New Brunswick – has been around since 1785! Today, the number of farmers markets continues to grow as they gain in popularity.
A lot of people go to the farmers market for produce, but it’s also a fantastic place to get flowers. Today we’re going to focus on why you should get flowers from a farmers market and what you should look for when shopping.
When you shop for flowers at a farmers market you’ll be buying fresh, seasonal, and local product. The flowers will have had less handling, less refrigeration, and less time in storage, than flowers from further away. The farmers pick their flowers as close to market day as possible so they’re basically coming straight from the field to you. And not only will you be getting high quality product, the money you’ve just spent is for local businesses so that keeps money in circulation in your community, creating a strong economy.
These are the things you should think about when shopping for flowers at the farmers market:
The best time to shop is early in the morning as that’s when the best selection will be available.
When you first approach a stall, take a few minutes to check things out. Is the water in the buckets clean? Are the flower heads relatively closed? Do the leaves look fresh? If you can answer, ‘yes’ to those questions, the flowers are being cared for properly.
Talk to the farmer. Ask where his farm is, what size it is, what growing practices they use. Find out if he uses any pesticides. Ask for tips on caring for the flowers. Starting a conversation between you and the farmer can turn into a rewarding relationship for both of you as the season goes on.
When you’ve made your purchase, get the flowers in water as soon as possible. If you’re not heading straight home, consider bringing a bucket and clippers with you. Cut half-inch off the end of each stem at an angle and place immediately in the clean water. Then keep them in as cool a place as possible until you get home.
Once home, fill up your vase with clean water. Take each flower, remove any leaves that will go below the waterline, re-cut the stem, and place in the vase.
Change the water every two days. A little bit of time and effort will give your flowers the best chance to thrive to their longest potential vase-life.
Top tip: Fresh edible flowers aren’t always easy to find, but a good place to look is the farmer’s market.
