Harvesting Blooms
The culmination of all our hard work is beginning to shine—it's time to harvest our blooms! This is the moment we’ve been eagerly awaiting, but it’s also one that requires careful attention to detail and patience. Depending on the plant, the harvesting process can be quick and straightforward, or it can be a bit more intricate.
For some flowers, all it takes is a quick snip of the stem, and we place them directly into the bucket, ready for the farmers' market. These flowers are the easy-going ones, and they make for a smooth start to the harvest. But not every plant is that simple. For others, the process requires a bit more finesse. We begin by cutting the stem at the right length, then we remove all the leaves from the top of the stem down to the bottom. Sometimes, you can just run your hand down the stem and the leaves will fall away easily in one swift motion. But there are times when we need to carefully pluck each leaf one by one, making sure not to damage the plant.
Plants like Celosia present their own unique challenge. With their many side stems, they can make it tricky to fit them into the bucket without overcrowding. To avoid this, we must remove each side stem as we go. These smaller stems, however, don’t go to waste. They’re perfect for creating mini arrangements or smaller bouquets, and we take great care to repurpose as much as we can. Anything we don’t use immediately gets taken to our barn, where we hang and dry the excess. This dried material will come in handy for future projects or to sell in different forms down the line. Every week we get to collect different flowers because of our staggered planting and it always makes for a fun, vibrant variety of blooms to work with!
As we move through the harvest, we reflect on how much care and effort goes into each bloom—it's a process that takes time but always feels so rewarding when it all comes together. From the simple snips to the careful handling, every step ensures that we’re ready to share the fruits of our labor with you, whether it's fresh from the field or dried for the perfect touch in another arrangement.
