Organic Bouquet
by on 11.17.04
I like to buy flowers. Actually truth be know, I'd much rather give flowers. Buying them makes me edgy, unnerved. Having opted for largely organic food in my diet, I have reservations about other agricultural crops, which are not organic. I simply cannot hand over my money, without wondering about all the synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides etc. Are they still on the flowers, have they contaminated the soil and ground water, have they been absorbed by the farmers, or maybe even the florist handing them to me? Fortunately someone has been eavesdropping on my ruminations...
Organic Bouquet offer a range of cut flowers from the perennial red rose through lillies, various seasonal arrangements and on to lavender. It is pleasing to see that organic nurseries out there are being supported. In California, the Pacific Northwest and South Africa. And it seems that Organic Bouquet are also trying to establish organic production in Columbia and Ecuador, where they say 60-70% of US flowers come from. Their website even personalises the process by providing a detailed story of each organic farm and arrangement artisan supplying the flowers. Blooming marvellous! (sorry, couldn't help meself) ::Organic Bouquet [by WM]
If you are looking for low-impact flowers, the best source is a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) co-op. There are about 1,500 (and growing) groups in the city (find them at www.csacenter.org); many (not all) of them provide flowers as well as vegetables, fruit, and other produce that is grown not only organically, but also locally, avoiding transportation pollution. In most CSAs, you pay in advance for a full season of produce, then pick up your bounty once a week. It's a great way to shop!
Thanks Lori, great point. We just haven't yet got around to a post on CSAs. We joke about the length of our 'to do' lists. Excellent that you got there before us.
I guess, I have to check with my florist if he sells organic flower bouquets.