December, 03 2019

Play Flower Trivia!

Tags: Flower Club, Nerdy AF

If you missed Flower Trivia Night, fear not, you can play right here on the blog! There are 106 questions in 10 categories. Post your score in the comments (1 point per correct answer). Ready go!

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November, 21 2019

Meet a Grower: Butterbee Farm

Tags: Farmers

L.B. and I took a walk on a brisk November morning to Bird in Hand for a chat for the blog. Let's jump right in:

I'm meeting my dad later for an end-of-season review.

Oh yeah? He's involved with the farm?

He named it. He's a great storyteller. When I was young he made up stories about an insect called Butterbee. He could make a flutter sound with his calloused fingers from working as carpenter.

Totes adorbs.

We arrive at the coffee shop. I go for a hot green tea and chocolate croissant. L.B. gets coffee.

What about Moms? What does Wendy do for Butterbee?

She's great. She is a health care provider and facilitates support group meetings.

You have a lot of strife among your staff?

Ha. Ha. No! My mom mentors me with leadership skills.

Like your newly elected position with the ASCFG?

Yes! I will be the Secretary starting in January. I'm excited to be getting in the same room with Jennie and Lenny.

Smart. Get some inside information.

Uh? Information about what?

Do you want to make an announcement? You know, for the blog.

I still don't know what you mean.

No, I get it. Making a move for the big chair. Taking down Jennie.

I think you are just trying to get some buzz for your blog.

That's right. Because whether you like it, or you don't like it, you better learn to love it, because it's the best thing going today! WOOO!

Everybody's looking at us.

Sorry. Sorry everybody.

What are you talking about?

The nature boy? Ric Flair? No? OK... What's a typical day like on the farm?

Every morning I meet my team at 7 am by the barn. We fill buckets with water, and then head out into the field to harvest. We cut as fast as we can until the late morning; then we either have deliveries or we spend the rest of the day planting, weeding, preparing new beds, and seeding. Everyone goes home at 4 pm.

Ugh! 7AM? What about off-season?

We take naps! Just kidding. Now we have heated greenhouses so we are still planting and preparing beds long after frost hits outside. We also have special projects we've been putting off. Liz and Jascha are building our new propagation house for starting seedlings.

This all sounds like a lot of work. Don't you have any other options?

Haaaahahahahahahahaahahaha! I could have been a contender! Farming is the best thing ever, don't knock it til you try it! I got into it by accident- my friend worked on a farm in New Hampshire and I hated college and thought I would try farming one summer to get away. I got hooked!

Wow, Marlon Brando. That's an old reference even for me. Bravo. Ok, there's Liz and Jascha. Who else is on the Butterbee crew?

Courtney and Erica are also on our badass team this year! We had Alex and Cathy work with us as interns through the Beginning Farmer Training Program. Jascha and Spencer, who work on the property we lease land from, lend a hand too. Curtis, Jess, and Alex swooped in to save the day when we really needed extra help. So many amazing people make this farm happen!

Who is the hunkiest dude in the flower biz?

Jascha. And Bob Wollam.

Wow. Really? Nobody else comes to mind?

Not really.

Moving on. Beginner Farmer Training Program. What that all about?

The BFTP is a program run by the nonprofit Future Harvest Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture. It connects interns, or "trainees," with farmers so that aspiring farmers can experience hands on learning with mentors. I did the program when I started my farm, and my husband did it the year after. It's so helpful not just for learning to farm but also making farmer friends!

What about that time there was a police chase through your farm. Were you trying to reboot the Dukes of Hazzard?

Haaahahahahaha Yes that happened! Someone robbed a bank and he tried to get away by driving through the farm. It was crazy! Also, it turns out that when the police crash into your car while they're chasing a robber, no one reimburses you.

So the farm is on land owned by your old boyfriend's family. How weird is that?

This is true. Sometimes it's a little weird but mostly it's just kind of amazing how life works out, you know?

Are you coming to flower trivia night? Any predictions, trash talk?

I have assembled the BEST trivia team ever to walk the planet. Liz has won trivia here at the farm. Spencer plays trivia on the regs and knows a weird amount of random stuff. Courtney has been a flower farmer almost as long as I have. Alex is a farmer AND a florist, so she will know some stuff that the rest of us don't. If anything I'm the weak link here! Competing teams, IT'S ON! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW!

What's the future for Butterbee?

We're at a really cool place with farm. We are starting to pull back from field growing. We have more greenhouses. Including the Frost House - named for Ellen

Nice.

And we are investing in the future with perennials and woodies.

What else do you want readers to know? Literally dozens of people read this blog.

To my dozens of future fans, I'd like to say: buy local! You don't have to buy everything locally- but try to invest just a little in your local economy every single week, whether it's your farmer's market, a craft show, your florist, your bakery... it makes a HUGE difference! It's better for the environment, better for building community, and more often than not, the products you are buying locally are higher quality.

Alright. Thanks for the chat, but I gotta go sling some Butterbee flowers. Obviously, I ain't no Bob Wollam. I just can't get by on my good looks.

Yep. I'm gonna pick up some treats for the crew on my way out. I learned that from LoCoFlo.

Important lesson. STELLA!

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November, 05 2019

Makers Alley

Tags: At LoCoFlo, Friends

Makers Alley is our annual holiday market. We invite a dozen awesome local vendors to join us on a December Saturday morning so you can find the bombest gifts. This is the good stuff - Oprah level.

There will be snacks! Coffee from Park and Perk and treats from Bramble. Hang out, browse, get a jump on the holidays. Stop by on your way to the Farmer's Market.

When: Dec 7 2019 8:00AM - 12:00PM

Where: 3100 Brentwood Ave - at the Flo

Here's your 2019 line up:

• Joshua Tracey Glass
• Essence of Lotus
• Kimmschnell (ivory & ochre)
• Stellarium Jewelry
• Peas + Cheese
• Park and Perk
• Irene Donnelly Pottery
• WOOT!Granola
• Pure Chocolate by Jinji
• Pangea Printing
• Bramble Baking Co.

Check out the fun from last year

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October, 27 2019

Falling for Fall Flowers

Tags: Flower Profile

Our Fall postcard has dropped! Find it in our shop and with your Fall flower order.

How many of our locally grown Fall flowers can you identify?

click for zoomable image

1. eucalyptus, 2. hops, 3. sunflower, 4. marigold, 5. sea oats, 6. cosmos, 7. hairy balls, 8. ageratum, 9. dahlia, 10. broom corm, 11. cattail, 12. celosia, 13. lisianthus, 14. eucalyptus (again), 15. dahlia (again), 16. gomphrena, 17. lisianthus (again), 18. hydrangea, 19. cosmos, 20. celosia (again), 21. marigold (again), 22. hairy balls (again), 23. amaranth, 24. dahlia (again), 25. salvia, 26. grass, 27. zinnia, 28. celosia (again).

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October, 19 2019

2019 Mystery Arrangement Challenge

Tags: Flower Club, Friends

Our first ever Flower Club event looks like a keeper. The Mystery Arrangement Challenge was a bit of a risk (really, some LoCoFloers thought this thing was a bust when organizers selected glow sticks and Big Boyz Bail Bond pens as required design elements) but the participants brought their creativity, excitement and good vibes. Add in treats from Bramble Baking and Wight Tea, plus strong support from fans - everyone had a blast.

weathered watering can featuring light-up pizza slices - why not?

Here's how the night went down:

Club members were presented with unconventional compulsory items along with our spectacular selection of seasonal local flowers to build an arrangement in a "Chopped" style challenge. The required categories were: a quirky container, a non-traditional focal flower and a mystery item. After determining the selection order for the compulsory items by drawing numbered clippers (including a white elephant twist for the last pick), designers chose their materials. Over the next hour, participants built arrangements using chartreuse gel balls, pumpkin-on-a-stick, loofah, a mail box, long garlic stalks and worse. Much, much worse.

Surprises from the get-go! Liz, a wily LoCoFlo veteran, selected a shallow pink dog bowl found at the Greenmount Goodwill, white peacock feathers from the Sunday Market, and Chinese Lantern grown at Wollam Garden with the first overall pick. Beth found value at pick thirteen in her selections of a ceramic pumpkin (another Greenmount Goodwill treasure), googly eyes of Michael's, and indian corn from Calvert's Gift Farm (more on Beth's arrangement below). Allison drew the final pick, and per white elephant rules, had a run at a the entire field of design options.

inchoate llama

After an hour of design, each participant presented their arrangement. In addition to a monologue of their experience with the challenge and what they created, several participants embellished their design with stories and titles including Megan's glowing "Grandma's Midnight Romance" and Liz's John Waters inspired "Pink Flamingos". Our AP friend, J Kupps, even had an accompanying song for her eggplant exaggerated "Don't Get Got".

Back to Beth. A LoCoFlo bride in 2018, Beth invited Mr. Trash Wheel to her wedding. Mr. Trash Wheel sent his regrets due to his trash gobbling duties down in the harbor. However he was able to look across the water at the Rusty Scupper to see the reception. He was so happy to be asked he also sent a trove of his merch to the newlyweds. Beth's arrangement: Mrs. Flower Wheel is a floral tribute.

And that's the way it was. Another LoCoFlo classic. See all the pictures in our Flickr album and join us next time.

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