Editor's Note: The Bridgeport Farmers Market will be closed today, July 27, due to threat of severe weather. The Country Roads Cook-Off, schedule to take place during today's Market, will be rescheduled. 

 

 

By Heidi Narocki

 

Roses are the quintessential Valentine's Day flower. But, have you ever stopped to think where in the world roses are grown in February? It sure isn't West Virginia! Much like the local food movement, there is also a movement toward local flowers.

 

Consumer demand drives the flower industry. Consumers want any kind of flower in every season. Plant breeders have met this demand by breeding strains of flowers that are able to withstand travel over thousands of miles. They are bred for their shelf life. And unfortunately, some attributes like smell have been nearly bred out of commercial flowers. Scent takes energy away from the flowers and this energy is needed to produce flowers that can be grown any time of the year to be shipped anywhere in the world. When you walk through the flower case at the local grocery store, it's unlikely that you'll be blown away by the array of scents!

 

But, come to the Farmers Market, where several vendors offer flowers throughout the growing season, and you can smell and see the difference. This past weekend, for example, I picked up a beautiful dark sunflower called “Moulin Rouge.” It's nothing at all like the large, vibrant yellow flowers that come to mind when you think of sunflowers, but it is beautiful. Most of the flowers available at the market are field grown, so the availability is dictated by the growing season. And most are grown without chemicals. We might not think of chemicals being bad in the flower industry. We don't normally eat flowers (but there ARE several edible flowers out there!), but we do put them right up to our nose and in our faces to smell them.  If you're avoiding chemicals in your food, it might be worth thinking of avoiding them in your flowers.

 

There are so many different flowers available throughout the market season; it makes grocery store flowers pale in comparison. Talk to the farmers – see why they are growing the flowers they do. Perhaps it is a favorite of their children. Or perhaps it is keeping the heirloom varieties alive that drive their passion. Be sure to check out Rising Moon Farm at the market. They offer a punch card for their bouquets – buy 5 bouquets, get the 6^th one free!

 

And be sure to come out this week for the Country Roads Cook-Off on Sunday! Bob gave an excellent preview last week and if you are a fan of the market on Facebook, several sneak peeks of ingredients have been popping up all week. Remember to go local and see you at the market!

 

Until next week, Stay Fresh!

 

The Bridgeport Farmers Market Association is the seven member all volunteer board of directors that governs the Bridgeport Farmers Market. It is supported by a wonderful group of community volunteers who help in the setup and maintenance of the market. For more information on the Farmers Market or to see how you can help please e-mail us at bridgeportfarmersmarket@yahoo.comor, better yet, LIKE us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. You can also check out the Market’s own YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/BridgeportFarmersMkt or for more BFM video content you can now go to http://vimeo.com/bridgeportfarmersmarket/videos