It isn't even to early to think about next years giving season and learn now how to dry flowers yourself. Anything we have done ourselves is a greater gift than the things we buy with our money.
What a great post about finding local chocolates and flowers! I know it's a bit late, but thanks for mentioning the Eat Well Guide in your post.
I volunteer for the Eat Well Guide, a non-profit program out of NYC that helps educate consumers on problems of surrounding industrial agriculture, but more importantly, offers a viable solution--the Guide lists tens of thousands of small-scale, local farms (as well as restaurants, markets, and other businesses that distribute their goods). Conscientious eaters just enter their zip code to find good food.
www.eatwellguide.org
June 3, 2009 at 3:43 PM
[Image]This year for Valentine’s Day, support your local cut flower growers, farmers, artisans and chocolatiers. You’ll not only be giving your loved one a special gift, you’ll be contributing to your local economy!
Did you know most of America’s flowers are imported, mainly from Colombia and Ecuador? A quick Google search indicates the percentage of flower imports range anywhere from 70-93%. Buying imported flowers doesn’t help to support our family farms, and your imported purchase may be laden with herbicides and pesticides.
But where do you buy locally grown flowers in the winter? Once again, a little homework is needed before you purchase. The Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers offers a Buyers’ Guide to assist you in your search for locally grown cut flowers. The Guide is compiled to help buyers find sources for all kinds of flowers and floral material. If you’re looking for unique fresh flowers, dried product, or organic production, the Buyers’ Guide is a great source for wholesale and retail buyers, event planners, designers and florists. The Guide lists growers located in the United States and Canada alphabetically by state or region. The ASCFG also took the time to note whether growers sell off their farm or at their farmers’ market, or whether they deliver regionally or nationally.
If you can’t locate a locally grown fresh flower in your community this Valentine’s Day, be creative. Look for a locally produced substitute, like dried flowers, sachets, or soaps and lotions. A local Michigan company we like to support is www.flowerchildherbs.com. An accompanying card explaining you took the extra time to buy a healthier local product that supports your local economy will be even more meaningful to your loved one.
Do you prefer Chocolates for your Valentine’s Day gift? This year, support a local chocolatier, but also consider whether their chocolate is fair trade sourced. Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries. Fair trade advocates the payment of a fair price and setting social and environmental standards in areas related to the production of a wide variety of goods. By buying fair trade products (look for the symbol on the label) you are ensuring that child slave labor wasn’t used and rain forests weren’t razed in the production of your treat. Common products are coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, fresh fruit and flowers, among others. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Trade for a thorough explanation of Fair trade practices.
How do you find a local chocolate maker in your community? Sources include www.localharvest.org, www.eatwellguide.org and your local food co-op or farmers market should be able to help. Also, check out www.chocolate.com. The company is based in Massachusetts, but they feature 91 vendors from the United States and Canada offering handmade, artisan, and gourmet chocolate gifts. They also feature Fair Trade chocolates in their “shop by ingredient” category.
The U.S. Census Bureau has issued their annual “Facts for Features in Observance of Valentines Day”. The latest facts and figures related to domestically produced chocolates and cut flowers are:
Chocolate and cocoa product producers in the United States: Locations producing chocolate and cocoa products in 2006 numbered 1,170. These establishments employed 39,457 people. California led the nation in the number of such establishments with 128, followed by Pennsylvania with 116.Source: County Business Patterns http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/county_business_patterns/012181.html
Domestically produced cut flowers in the United States: The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut flowers in 2007 was $416 million. This statistic includes all flower-producing operations with $100,000 or more in sales. Among states, California was the leading producer, alone accounting for about three-quarters of this amount ($320 million).Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service http://www.nass.usda.gov
Domestically produced cut roses in the United States: The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut roses in 2007 for all operations with $100,000 or more in sales totaled $29 million. Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service http://www.nass.usda.gov Source: U.S. Census Bureau Public Information Office 301-763-3030Fax: 301-763-3762 pio@census.gov
"This Valentine’s Day: Buy Local Chocolates & Flowers!"
3 Comments -
I agree with you that we should purchase our gifts locally whenever possible. Thanks for the information and buyin guides.
February 5, 2009 at 2:14 PM
It isn't even to early to think about next years giving season and learn now how to dry flowers yourself. Anything we have done ourselves is a greater gift than the things we buy with our money.
March 8, 2009 at 2:31 PM
Hey Eat Local Food,
What a great post about finding local chocolates and flowers! I know it's a bit late, but thanks for mentioning the Eat Well Guide in your post.
I volunteer for the Eat Well Guide, a non-profit program out of NYC that helps educate consumers on problems of surrounding industrial agriculture, but more importantly, offers a viable solution--the Guide lists tens of thousands of small-scale, local farms (as well as restaurants, markets, and other businesses that distribute their goods). Conscientious eaters just enter their zip code to find good food.
www.eatwellguide.org
June 3, 2009 at 3:43 PM