Latest / Slow Flowers Podcast / Episode 673: Connections and collaborations to build a solid market presence in northeast Ohio, with Emily Pek of Frayed Knot Farm

Transcript

Episode 673: Connections and collaborations to build a solid market presence in northeast Ohio, with Emily Pek of Frayed Knot Farm · Slow Flowers Podcast

0:00
Emily Pack Freight not Farm recently contributed an
0:03
essay sa 2 Slow flowers Journal summer issue,
0:07
sharing her philosophy fee on the importance of
0:09
community connections for sustaining a vibrant cuff flower
0:12
business that has served the greater Cleveland area
0:14
for the past 7 years.
0:16
We invited Emily to discuss her story and
0:18
her journey with the So far podcast, and
0:21
I'm excited for you to meet her today.
0:24
I think our whole mission and, like, the
0:26
mission of Afraid not as well. I was
0:27
just trying to get as many local flowers
0:29
into folks hands. I'm really grateful that I
0:33
was able just... Start this, but I'm even
0:35
more grateful to see what the future holds
0:38
in
0:39
collaboration and getting other folks with other skills
0:42
and interest. You know, I hope people feel
0:44
encouraged just to to ask, you know, ask
0:47
people
0:48
in your community,
0:49
how they might wanna support and you'd be
0:52
surprised, like, how many people really
0:55
have something that you might not have that
0:57
they can be mutually beneficial. I mean, I
1:00
think Cleveland is really well situated to, like,
1:02
facilitate a lot of these partnerships too, and
1:04
that's why I love this city so much.
1:11
Hello again, and welcome back to the Slow
1:13
flowers podcast with Debra Printing.
1:16
This is episode 673.
1:19
This is the weekly podcast about slow flowers
1:22
and the people who grow and design with
1:25
them.
1:25
It's all about making a conscious choice, and
1:28
I invite you to join the conversation and
1:31
the creative community. As we discussed the vital
1:34
topics of... Saving our domestic flower farms and
1:37
supporting a floral industry that relies on a
1:40
safe, seasonal and local supply of flowers and
1:43
foliage,
1:44
This show is brought to you by slow
1:46
flowers dot com. The free online directory
1:49
to more than 750
1:51
flo shops and studios
1:53
who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers
1:57
and to the farms that grow those blooms.
1:59
It's the conscious choice for buying and sending
2:01
flowers.
2:03
And thank you to our new lead sponsor
2:05
for 20 24,
2:07
flower bulb dot eu, and their Us Lilly
2:11
bulb vendors.
2:12
1 of the most recognizable flowers in the
2:14
world, the Lily is a top selling cut
2:16
flower, offering long lasting blooms,
2:19
Year round availability,
2:21
and a dazzling paddle palette. Flower bulb dot
2:24
eu has partnered with slow flowers to provide
2:26
beautiful lilly
2:28
inspiration, and farming resources to help growers and
2:31
flo connect their customers
2:33
with more lilies. Learn more at flower bulb,
2:36
dot eu.
2:37
And 1 more cause for celebration today is
2:40
the eleventh anniversary of the slow flowers podcast
2:43
The original floral podcast that we've produced and
2:46
hosted for you ever since our debut,
2:49
07/23/2013.
2:51
That means today's episode is our 570
2:55
fourth consecutive weekly program,
2:58
highlighting the people, farm, flo and flowers of
3:01
this slow flowers movement.
3:03
Thank you for supporting this storytelling project for
3:06
more than a decade now in its eleventh
3:08
season.
3:09
From Okay Let's jump right into today's interview
3:12
with Emily Peck of afraid not farm. The
3:15
mission of afraid not farm is to grow
3:17
beautiful, diverse cut flowers and herbs that share
3:21
stories bring joy and support equitable and regenerative
3:25
farming.
3:26
As owner founder,
3:27
Emily has a passion for systems thinking,
3:30
and agriculture, both of which led to an
3:33
apprenticeship in Brooklyn, New York in 20 16.
3:36
Where she learned how to farm while studying
3:38
food justice.
3:40
Upon returning to her deep roots in Cleveland,
3:43
Emily worked at various farms and then started
3:45
freight not in 20 17.
3:47
The land that Freight not resides on was
3:50
previously steward by her grandparents. Who have been
3:53
part of the community for close to a
3:54
century.
3:55
Freight not farm is located 30 miles east
3:58
of downtown Cleveland and grows over 100 varieties
4:01
of annual and perennial flowers and foliage on
4:04
less than an acre.
4:05
Using hand scale and regenerative farming practices, the
4:08
flowers produced and forage
4:10
are offered through freight nuts, Csa bo case
4:14
subscriptions, wholesale for purchase by Flo
4:16
and supply events and workshops let's welcome Emily
4:21
to the Slow flowers podcast
4:22
and learn more about frey not farm.
4:32
Well, hi, everybody. Welcome back to the Slow
4:34
flowers show with deborah Printing and on until
4:37
lick today, I'm so excited to welcome Emily
4:39
Peck of afraid not farm. Hello, Emily.
4:43
Hi, Deborah.
4:44
Thanks for having me on. You've bet. We've
4:46
been talking about this for a while. Thank
4:48
you so much for joining me.
4:50
You're based in Ohio. Can you tell everybody
4:52
a little bit about where you're located and,
4:54
then I'll will we'll we'll get the big
4:56
question in which is how did the name
4:58
trade not come together.
5:00
Yes. And perch.
5:02
Yeah. I'm Emily, and I started Freight farm,
5:06
which is located.
5:08
I generally say, Cleveland, Ohio, that's the the
5:10
biggest major city that we have close to
5:13
us, and we're just 30 miles outside of
5:15
the city, but we are in a pretty
5:17
rural area.
5:19
It's known as New. It's just small town
5:21
in
5:23
Ji County, so, you know, north,
5:26
East Ohio,
5:28
and we have about 3 acres here,
5:31
and are on land that my family's been
5:34
residing on,
5:36
for 60 years and in the community for
5:39
almost a hundred years. So
5:41
we have a lot of roots here, metaphorically
5:44
and and and literally
5:46
said my grandparents have been here for a
5:48
long time. My mom was raised
5:50
here
5:52
and in in the house, and I'm in
5:53
right now. I'm in, my... Grandmother's house, which
5:55
is next to the farm. I love it.
5:58
And I was raised in a community a
6:00
suburb,
6:01
just a 30 minutes away closer to Cleveland,
6:05
but would come out here to my grandparents
6:08
place,
6:10
all the time. So has really special memories.
6:14
Yeah. Yeah.
6:16
So when you were a young, I don't
6:18
know, teenager or college student Did you ever
6:21
envision your future life living on
6:24
the land that had your grandparents had farmed
6:27
and, like, student getting out of the city
6:29
and and,
6:30
you know, creating a life
6:32
around land and plants and flowers? Or was
6:35
that part of the part of the vision?
6:37
Or are you surprised by that? I I'm
6:39
I'm a little bit surprised. I mean, I
6:41
think always, you know, retrospectively, you can look
6:43
back and see kind of the...
6:45
Stepping stones to how you got somewhere. So
6:48
it's, you know, it's not the craziest thing
6:50
in the world, but I definitely didn't seek
6:53
out, like, this or ever could have imagined.
6:57
My grandparents built their house on 1 plot
7:00
of land, and then they had purchased a
7:02
separate plot that was adjacent to there,
7:06
where their house was and growing up, it
7:08
was just
7:10
3 acres of grass that they cut
7:12
actually. It was just a a, big open
7:15
field. The cutting grass is a big pass
7:17
time here. And in the the past So...
7:21
Yeah. Lawn culture is a a real thing.
7:24
And I really just didn't think too much
7:26
about it. My sister and I would just
7:28
run out there and kinda of play, and
7:30
it was just, like, a wonderful
7:33
space to kinda grow up in and so
7:35
it it, you know, they... There's a lot
7:37
of ag cultural roots in this community, but
7:39
there wasn't actually a farm there yet. So
7:41
I really couldn't have even imagine that land
7:44
ever being a farm,
7:45
Wow.
7:46
But I... But flowers and
7:49
gardening was always in my life. So my
7:51
my my parents and... My other, you know,
7:54
maternal grandparents and maternal grandparents. They they all
7:57
were very into kind of cultivating,
8:01
flowers and vegetables, like, on a small scale.
8:03
So that that definitely was instilled in me
8:06
in a young age.
8:08
So... Yeah. I love it. Okay. Well, the
8:11
name afraid not. It was that your idea
8:13
or did you inherit it? It's a great
8:15
name. Yeah. Thank you.
8:17
Yeah. I love it because I do feel
8:19
like it gets the conversation starting, so thanks
8:21
for asking.
8:23
That was a name that I came up
8:24
with,
8:25
kind of. I mean, the the term afraid
8:28
not farm is something or or afraid not,
8:31
rather, was a term that
8:33
my grandfather who I resided on this land.
8:37
Use... He was a real jokes.
8:39
He loved, like, very pun jokes
8:43
and there's a punchline to a joke that,
8:45
honestly, every time I try to tell it,
8:47
I kinda butcher it, but you can look
8:49
it up. Everyone can look it up. And
8:52
because it also has very different interpretations. But
8:55
essentially, it's... The Punch is afraid not,
8:58
and he would tell this joke, like, repetitive
9:01
and new have to manufacture laughter at a
9:04
certain point. Because you're like, yeah. Get it.
9:06
I get.
9:08
We heard that 1 before gram. Yeah. I
9:11
and it's just like, okay. And then
9:14
so my grandfather,
9:16
he passed
9:18
and several years ago,
9:20
before I even had the farm, unfortunately.
9:23
So he wasn't able to, in in physical
9:26
form c
9:28
what we have here, but I really wanted
9:31
to pay homage to him, and my mom
9:34
actually eu
9:35
him at
9:36
his services, and she used that joke as
9:39
a metaphor to talk about his life and
9:41
my grandfather and his family had a small
9:44
business. A grocery business,
9:46
just down the road for 80 years. Wow.
9:50
And
9:51
they... So the. My mom just kind of
9:53
uses as a metaphor to talk about how
9:55
he wasn't afraid to kind of pursue that
9:57
dream and to, you know, travel and to,
10:01
you know, live his life in like, a
10:03
a really beautiful way. And so when I
10:05
was thinking about starting a small business and
10:08
especially a a farming business in you kinda
10:11
have to be fearless. So I was like,
10:14
I want that as a mantra, like always
10:16
to just be thinking of that when I'm
10:19
you know, like, running on a adrenaline, like,
10:22
how am I gonna get through this? You
10:24
know, be be afraid not. So yeah. And
10:27
it I just that to mean so many
10:29
other things too, like,
10:32
you know, we do weddings and the not
10:35
And there's a term that's used and we
10:38
grow flags, and it kind of has this,
10:40
like, fray,
10:41
like, look to it, and it's just kinda
10:43
come full
10:44
in a lot of ways. So... Yeah. Yeah.
10:47
It has kinda 2 meanings because you are
10:49
not afraid. Like, that's a very... Circle That's
10:51
a very... Like as you said, a sort
10:53
of a metaphor for just being this intrepid
10:56
farmer and just going for it. And then,
11:00
sometimes when things are falling apart, you feel
11:02
like they're not is fray and unraveling. So
11:05
I think you you have depends on what
11:07
what your mood is that day of what
11:08
you're thinking about? Absolutely. No. That was a
11:11
really good point. I I honestly hadn't even
11:13
really thought about that until I was saying
11:15
it out loud. I was like...
11:17
Yeah. Sometimes I really am feeling like afraid
11:19
not. Like,
11:21
that. And and, yeah. And then we have
11:22
like, ties on our bo that are literally,
11:25
like, kind of afraid that and Oh, so
11:27
little touches into it that that people like
11:31
to have that connection. So, yeah, I think
11:34
it's a special name like... It is. I
11:36
mean, on so many people have just names
11:39
plucked out of thin air, and I love
11:40
that there's a story there. Because I feel
11:42
like you're a storyteller teller and a lot
11:43
of what you're doing. And what kind of
11:45
led to me asking you to be on
11:47
the podcast 2 things. 1 is you recently
11:50
wrote a beautiful essay for,
11:53
the summer issue of Sunflower flowers Journal, and
11:55
I'll pop that up on the screen in
11:56
a little bit so we can share with
11:58
people and I'll also put the Pdf link
12:00
and
12:01
our show notes so folks can read it.
12:04
Love love your writing and I love that
12:06
that worked out. But what led to that,
12:08
what... As I recall and tell me if
12:10
I'm wrong, but you had written a I
12:12
guess in your newsletter, maybe,
12:14
about this partnership or maybe I saw on
12:17
your website, but this partnership with these fiber,
12:20
Farmers and this fiber
12:22
initiative. My background in textile design so really
12:24
caught my attention because I'm always interested in
12:28
what other types of agriculture are flower farmers
12:31
able to get involved in, and I think
12:33
fiber sort of,
12:34
under underutilized. And
12:36
that's that just led to me reaching out
12:38
to you and asking to learn more. So
12:40
let's start there. Can you talk a little
12:42
bit about what what led to that and
12:44
what what is the project?
12:46
Yeah. Definitely.
12:47
So I think it was probably
12:49
year 2 and to me starting freight that.
12:53
I was, like, recently moved back to Cleveland,
12:56
and I was just trying to, you know,
12:59
get integrated in the community and and and
13:02
learn more about what was already going on
13:04
here and get to know people that had
13:06
similar values, and I just happened to go
13:09
to this kind of like, small business, like,
13:11
specifically, like women in business, meetup up group,
13:15
and there was these 2 women there that
13:18
were really
13:19
passionate and interested in, like,
13:23
textiles grown and using regenerative techniques
13:26
and are, they were kind of kind of
13:29
literally saying my own spiel, but in textile
13:33
language, and I was saying it in flowers
13:35
and farming.
13:36
Yeah. And you just kind of were like,
13:38
whoa. And, like, I I was like, I
13:40
have never thought of, like,
13:42
textiles, like, in that way. And they were
13:43
like, I've never thought of flowers in that
13:45
way. And And they were just kind of,
13:47
you know, starting their journey
13:50
of starting an affiliate group here, which is
13:54
an affiliate of fiber shed. So there's fiber
13:57
shed, which is
13:59
the starting in California of by Rebecca Burgess
14:02
and
14:03
there's satellite,
14:06
nonprofit and
14:07
organizations all over the country, and they wanna
14:09
just start the russ felt by shed
14:12
version of that.
14:13
So
14:14
I kind of was lucky enough to be
14:17
there kind of as they created that, and
14:20
they wanted to kinda start
14:23
launching
14:24
initiatives with this fax project
14:27
and fox is what Lennon is made out
14:29
of, and there is a history of going
14:31
growing facts in this region, and there is
14:33
a huge also
14:35
textile history in Cleveland specifically. So they really
14:38
just wanted to start to generate
14:41
energy
14:42
around getting people to think about where do
14:44
their tech
14:45
textiles come from.
14:47
So they said, do you wanna grow some
14:49
slack
14:51
And I was just, like, sure. You know?
14:52
I was just, like, in the wow my
14:55
farming career where I was just, like, kinda
14:57
wanted to try anything and everything. So I
14:59
was like, yeah, let's do it, and we
15:02
we decided to grow, like a fifth acre
15:04
of blacks
15:05
on the farm. I have this space and
15:07
it was saying completely a community, like, driven
15:10
project.
15:11
Like, we didn't have any funding for it
15:14
really at the time. So it was
15:17
pretty much just like, you know, hand scale,
15:20
like we got compost out here. We spread
15:22
Compost all by hand. We seated
15:26
by hand, and then we harvested
15:29
a few months after that, and it just,
15:32
you know, brought a lot of people into
15:33
the conversation,
15:35
and I've been growing it on some scale
15:37
ever since just to continue
15:40
educating people on, you know, the importance of
15:43
understanding where their text styles come from because
15:46
almost... There's...
15:48
Yeah I got a fact check this, but
15:50
there's almost, like, no
15:52
commercial
15:53
styles
15:53
like, lin... Like, Linen.
15:56
Right. In the United States. So
15:59
I mean, anymore. I mean, it at 1
16:01
point, there probably was. Right? There's some really
16:04
awesome. We learned a lot from some folks
16:07
in Oregon. And, yeah, fiber revolution folks out
16:10
there. They finally developed. A really awesome seed.
16:13
But before that, even the seed was all
16:16
imported as well. So
16:18
yeah, it's been really awesome to see how
16:20
it's that's evolved,
16:22
alongside our flower business
16:24
over the last few years and how much...
16:27
How many more people are engaged in understanding
16:31
you know, the dangers of fast fashion and
16:34
and being empowered by being able to grow
16:36
their own clothes, So... Yeah. Yeah. I was
16:38
just gonna pop up on the website or
16:41
on our screen,
16:42
the,
16:43
the rust belt Linen project because this is...
16:46
Just just visually, I think it's fun for
16:48
people to see
16:49
fiber shed rust belt, which is the organization,
16:52
and
16:55
you're kind of a partner then to to
16:57
them because they're not growers per s. They're
17:00
fiber...
17:02
I guess, fiber thousand people. Right? Basically fiber
17:05
shed, which I'm is now a
17:07
nonprofit officially, and I'm actually on the board
17:09
as well now.
17:11
Cyber chat as an organization is just kind
17:13
of an aggregate of,
17:16
information and it helps just, you know, create
17:19
resources for folks in the region. So they're...
17:21
We're not doing 1 specific thing. We're just
17:23
kinda helping
17:25
support different project,
17:26
and there's so many amazing growers,
17:29
and then there's a lot of consumers and
17:31
and also artisans that want their hands on
17:33
good products, so it's just, like, we've been
17:36
trying to connect folks,
17:38
and not...
17:40
Yeah. Just kinda break up that isolation Happen,
17:43
especially when you're in rural spaces. So... Yeah.
17:46
I see on this map, this density of
17:48
red dots in the Cleveland area. So if
17:51
Afraid knot is in here somewhere. Yeah Yeah.
17:53
But...
17:54
To look that there are now 52
17:56
participants
17:57
is
17:58
really amazing, and you're you're obviously listed here.
18:01
1 of the... 1 of the growers.
18:04
What is the... What is the flex? It...
18:06
You said it's a it's grown by seed?
18:09
Is it a...
18:10
A grass or how would you describe it?
18:14
Yeah. It grows similar to a grass. It's
18:16
not...
18:18
In, like, the grass family.
18:20
But, yeah. Flex itself. It does grow similar
18:23
to, like, oats or rye or it's a
18:26
really nice kind of cover crop almost. Okay.
18:29
Almost like a grain of some kind. Yeah.
18:30
So I mean black, like, if you ever
18:33
had fl, and, like, your granola, or you're
18:36
you're smoothie or whatever It's the same exact
18:39
seed.
18:40
Some varieties you can grow that's in can
18:42
also be for edible and textile use. But
18:46
the particular Cpus use is typically
18:49
bread for tech style use. It means that
18:51
it has a longer
18:52
fiber. So
18:54
the the actual plant itself
18:57
it's gonna be a lot taller and because
19:00
you want those really long
19:02
lines of fiber. It's easier to,
19:05
utilize and weaving
19:07
and then making the textiles. So...
19:10
But it grows... Yeah. It grows, like, we
19:12
basically broad seed really close together. So broad
19:15
seating. It's just kind of taking a handful
19:17
of seeds, and I mean, you can get
19:19
machinery to do it, but we've just done
19:21
a hand scale, and it's just kind of,
19:22
like, throwing the seed out there, like you
19:24
would grass seed,
19:25
And then
19:27
you know, you want it kind of to
19:28
be densely planted so that this the
19:31
plant grows.
19:33
Tall and doesn't get out competed by weeds,
19:36
and it actually has, like, this very beautiful
19:39
flu flower.
19:41
And so it's, like, very
19:43
like, magical
19:44
mystical when you see this, like,
19:46
like, because blue is just not a very
19:48
common flower. Right. I'll just kind of this
19:50
drift of blue in your in your little
19:53
metal
19:54
a fl. I love it. Yeah. So it's
19:56
just... Unfortunately, it's not really great for as
19:59
a cut flower because it...
20:01
The the pedal strap immediately,
20:03
but
20:04
really pretty just to see, And I do
20:07
cut it. Actually, the seed pods are really
20:09
beautiful.
20:11
So I cut it and I dry it.
20:12
So it makes a really lovely dried arrangement.
20:16
So I do utilize it in flower arrangements
20:19
as well as, like using the textile. But
20:22
yeah, after it's ready to be harvested, it
20:25
goes through a, kind of a intensive processing
20:28
of, like, breaking it down to become, like,
20:31
usable fiber.
20:34
And we've...
20:35
Gone through all that whole process by hand
20:37
and done a lot of demos to show
20:39
people. And, of course, there's machinery to do
20:41
that. But, right now, it's hard to find
20:44
folks that will make process like, machinery for,
20:47
like, a medium scale operation. So Right. We
20:50
are holding out hope that that 1 day
20:52
can happen,
20:53
and then we can, like... Because now we've
20:55
proven
20:56
that so many folks can grow it, and
20:58
it grows well here in this region, you
21:00
know, now we just have to get that
21:02
kind of middle part and scale it up
21:04
a little bit. Yeah. And then we also
21:06
have, like, folks that really wanna use local
21:09
linen, but it's, like, there's a little bit
21:11
of a...
21:12
Still a gap that needs to be filled
21:14
there. So...
21:16
Well, I'll share the link to
21:18
the,
21:20
rust belt fiber shed site, just... And along
21:23
with some of your other partners we're gonna
21:24
talk about just to show
21:26
maybe an an idea of resources other people
21:29
could... Explore.
21:32
This is not your only collaborative
21:34
endeavor, though, Emily. You. It's sort of a
21:36
whole philosophy for how you operate,
21:39
freight not farm. Can you talk a little
21:41
bit about how this is all evolved in,
21:43
like, the last 5 to 10 years. I...
21:45
I'm... You said that your partners
21:48
just had a the 10 tenth anniversary of
21:51
of that business, and you're also involved in
21:53
that somehow. So I want you to kind
21:55
of pull it all together for me and
21:57
for our listeners.
21:58
Yeah. For sure. Yeah. I like that you
22:00
said it's our philosophy. That's very much like,
22:04
our ethos and what we wanna promote. Like,
22:07
I might have started it, but it's really,
22:10
like, through a collection of, you know, other
22:13
folks, like,
22:15
dreams that this is all can't come to
22:16
together there and I've always wanted to just
22:18
bring people into the fold and
22:21
just realizing this is a lot what I
22:23
put in the article, but there
22:26
just that, yeah, You can't do this alone.
22:28
It really takes a village. And
22:31
as you mentioned, yeah, My my husband,
22:33
started a compost business 10 years ago,
22:37
with some friends, and they just celebrated,
22:41
their anniversary this last weekend, so Kind of
22:44
coming off the high of that. I I
22:47
started my farm
22:48
7 years, so I was a part of
22:51
like seeing their business grow
22:53
for 7 out of the 10 years, and
22:55
it's a it's a pretty awesome and convenient
22:58
thing to have
22:59
a small another small business in the compost
23:02
industry,
23:03
grow grow alongside your farm.
23:06
They they kinda go hand in hand. So
23:08
I I feel extremely
23:10
grateful to have met them early on.
23:13
And, yeah, Just kind of
23:16
help support each other,
23:18
I love it. Yeah. So that... That's 1
23:22
as we talked about the fiber shed.
23:24
What is the... What is the compost business
23:26
called? Oh, yeah. Of course, it's called Breast
23:29
Riders is the cup... Is the company name
23:32
for they... So they haul food scraps all
23:34
over the city.
23:36
They, from,
23:39
everywhere from hospitals
23:40
to private residences,
23:42
so they collect all that food waste that's
23:44
getting diverted from the landfill,
23:47
and they make it into nutrient rich soil,
23:50
so they make it into, like, a... A
23:52
compost, and they also make soil blends for,
23:54
like, pot mix. So early on in my
23:57
farming career, I was really struggling with a
24:00
finding good pot soil as I'm sure so
24:03
many growers understand that struggle.
24:06
And a lot of people get it shipped
24:08
all over
24:09
the country just to get good soil and
24:12
have, like, a local source, and it's literally
24:15
made from
24:16
the food scraps of the city is a
24:19
really amazing thing. So I'm super lucky that
24:22
they've been able to perfect
24:25
they're blend and I use all their products
24:27
for my seed starting for my mend,
24:31
everything. So... So So do your... Do you
24:34
contribute to the Compost too with your... Whatever
24:38
your
24:39
botanical waste is or your you know...
24:42
Clipping and that worth of thing? I do.
24:44
Yeah. So III
24:48
contribute, like, any flower waste that we have.
24:50
Like, we do have a little bit of
24:52
a a compost pile on our
24:56
our space on the farm, but as a
24:58
lot of farmers would know, Like, that's a
25:00
whole another
25:01
like, thing to get into. Like, you can't
25:03
just, like, throw stuff in a pile. So
25:05
it's actually kind of a running joke because
25:07
we have, like, the worst compost file ever.
25:10
On the... Like, personally on the farm.
25:13
So we let the professionals do it, and
25:15
we yeah most of our stuff to
25:18
to rest fell and then till soil is
25:20
their their soil brand.
25:23
And
25:24
we also, I... As a household, I also
25:27
contribute my household food waste to them as
25:29
well. But if we ever have like, a
25:30
big event
25:32
or
25:33
things like that will take excess waste to
25:36
them.
25:37
So, yeah. It's really cool to literally be
25:40
kind of full circle. We... Our waist gets
25:42
waste turned into something of value, and then
25:45
we can use that value to continue to
25:47
create this endless cycle,
25:49
and then all while
25:51
you know, preventing it from going from the...
25:53
To the landfill, which is contributing
25:55
significantly to
25:57
greenhouse gas emissions. So Yeah.
26:00
Super great
26:01
partnership and good friends and... Wait, were you
26:04
buying Compost from them and then you met
26:06
your husband through the the the transact?
26:09
Or... How did that come about? Yeah. It's
26:11
basically.
26:14
Yeah. I are the best you're the best
26:16
customer. Yes. It's
26:18
say, yeah, I've had moved back to Cleveland
26:21
similarly to how I met the folks at
26:24
rust fiber shed. There's a... As you can
26:26
see, there's a theme. Breast belt. And we're
26:28
very well. We're rare are we proud breast.
26:32
But... And, yeah, that's breast for those that
26:35
don't know. Is it's just a term
26:37
to describe kind of the industry that once
26:39
was
26:40
here in the city, and we're kind trying
26:43
to bring that back and pay homage to
26:45
it. So But, yeah, I met them. I
26:47
was, like, again, looking for folks to get
26:50
involved with. Like, I just thought it was...
26:52
I had just moved from New York City
26:54
actually that has a lot of
26:56
amazing compost initiatives.
26:58
And so when I heard that, like, somewhere
27:01
in Cleveland,
27:03
because as you... Like, a lot of people,
27:05
you know, they move from their hometown and
27:07
they kind of, like, get dis enchanted by
27:09
it. And so I kind of when I
27:10
was moving back. I was like, oh, nothing's
27:12
gonna be going on here. You know, I'm
27:13
gonna have to, like, it's gonna be struggle,
27:16
But then, of course, like, there was just
27:18
so many vibrant
27:20
organizations, like, the you know, doing all these
27:23
things that they were doing in New York
27:24
city too. So I think people,
27:28
yeah, under value and
27:30
appreciate what's going on in kind of the
27:33
Midwest and the heartland lands and
27:35
Yeah. Was is really cool. So, of course,
27:37
I needed good soil, and I I found
27:40
them and go
27:41
yeah. I just started to become naturally friends
27:44
with everybody because we were starting small businesses,
27:48
and we... They needed support and farmer feedback,
27:52
and I I kind of was there when
27:54
early testing, you know, the soil, to see
27:56
how it's working and
27:58
And and... Yeah. And then
28:01
with my husband, it just
28:03
evolved from there. So Yeah. What's. What what's
28:06
his name? His name's is Michael. Michael Robinson,
28:09
and yeah. He's 1 of the c cofounder.
28:12
But now there... The business is actually a,
28:15
worker owner,
28:17
business, and there's 14 or 16, I believe
28:20
worker owners of,
28:22
which is about makes up half of their
28:24
staff. So Wow. He was based. Super passionate
28:28
about not just making compost,
28:30
but,
28:31
making it a space that everyone is treated
28:34
with equity,
28:36
and has ownership in the business. So I've
28:38
really been inspired by that, and I think
28:40
that also has helped to contribute to a
28:43
lot of the initiatives that I've
28:45
started on the farm and, like, be in
28:48
cooperation with folks and and be collaborative with
28:51
them. So
28:52
Well, there's a theme with both the with
28:54
the
28:56
fiber project and the, compost project of Regenerative
28:59
agriculture. So that sort of aligns with how
29:02
you approach flower farming as well. It sounds
29:04
like.
29:05
Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, like I said,
29:09
you just...
29:10
Can't
29:12
do this alone, and
29:15
I just... I'm always seeking out folks that
29:18
have other skills
29:20
that
29:21
I don't.
29:22
Just... I think a lot of times you
29:24
can feel pressure to try to do it
29:26
all and
29:28
try to be everything, and I think farming
29:30
especially
29:31
as
29:32
despite often being seen as, like an un
29:35
job it requires so many skills. And
29:40
but knowing, like, what you're good at and
29:42
what you're not. Like I said, are not
29:44
necessarily the best compost. So let's, like,
29:47
let's help promote these awesome compost and, you
29:50
know, let's... We don't know what ton about
29:52
textiles. Let's work with these folks but. I...
29:54
You know, I have a desire to grow
29:56
the facts, but I don't have as much
29:58
time to, like, actually... You know, break it
30:01
down and process it So let's work with
30:03
folks that
30:04
can have,
30:07
you know, the skill to do that. And
30:10
Yeah. And then
30:12
we also have, like, our our collab
30:15
partnership, our flower,
30:17
Power club.
30:19
Yeah. I'm gonna pop I'm gonna pop that
30:20
up on the screen while. We're talking because
30:22
this is just another example of you seeking
30:26
out people to.
30:28
Kind of
30:29
I I guess just not have to be
30:31
a solo, like, you're you're finding people who
30:34
you can walk us walk alongside.
30:36
The... What they're doing and, hopefully, it'll
30:40
you know, fee both of you. So the
30:42
you I have freight not farm up here
30:44
on the website, the Cal collab wholesale for
30:46
Flores. This is what you've been part of.
30:49
Are you 1 of the founding members of
30:50
this?
30:52
That's hard to say. Honestly. I think so.
30:55
Yes. I think so. Early on early on.
30:57
Yeah. Yeah. No. III do think I am.
31:02
Alongside many other folks. So I wanna take
31:04
too much credit it for the idea, but
31:06
I definitely was there since the beginning, and
31:09
I've kind of
31:11
emerged as a leader for various reasons,
31:14
mo a lot of to do with the
31:17
location that we're at. It's kind of in
31:20
the middle of, like,
31:22
you know, a dozen different
31:24
flower farms in our area.
31:26
So, yeah, This kinda came about,
31:29
there was a couple different Ohio Meetup groups
31:32
and...
31:33
Excuse me
31:34
I remember that from other regions of the
31:36
state. Right? Yeah. So we had, like, kind
31:38
of a winter meetup of folks all over
31:41
Ohio,
31:42
and
31:43
you know, we would just kinda talk.
31:46
Talk shop and talk crop and, like, you
31:48
know, share ideas and see how we could
31:50
help each other and
31:54
a few, you know,
31:56
years into that,
31:58
a smaller group kind of started to form
32:00
a folks that were in this, like, closer
32:02
area because those are folks from all over
32:04
the state, and
32:06
we started to, you know, want them get
32:08
together in our our area. So we started
32:12
to meet and
32:13
a lot of credit goes to Rosie Stand
32:16
of field of blooms,
32:18
who is in our area, and she
32:21
was seeing the emergence of a lot of
32:23
other collaborative
32:25
in Michigan,
32:27
you know, and in other areas around
32:30
And I sometimes use the term flower hub,
32:33
Wholesale flower head. That's sort of... Yeah. For
32:35
sure. Yeah. Feel like slow flower really birthed
32:37
a lot of those just in terms of...
32:40
Creating
32:42
topics for people to talk about how to,
32:45
you know, how to do this, because there's
32:47
no there's no road map. It's it's... Everybody's
32:49
sort of... It's a ones... It's not a
32:51
1 size fits all. Everyone has to tailor
32:53
it to their area,
32:55
and it's you know,
32:57
who the players are, what the what the
32:59
flower mix is,
33:01
and who are the customers. Right?
33:03
Absolutely. Yeah. I think... Yeah, We were all
33:07
real and, yeah I think the lot has
33:09
to do with, like, the slow virus community
33:11
and just
33:12
I think that has virgin so many small
33:15
farms, and
33:17
we, you know, we're kinda... We were all
33:19
gathered and I'm like, okay, We're all kind
33:20
of, like these... Really passionate,
33:22
you know, growers, but we're really small scale.
33:25
How are we gonna ever, like, be attractive
33:27
to flo, who need, like, really large quantities
33:31
of product, and how are we gonna have
33:33
time to logistically,
33:35
you know, be able to do deliveries and
33:39
and
33:40
invoices and all those things and we're, like,
33:41
how can we combine forces, and it it
33:44
took a few years of just talking about
33:46
that to just figure out what exactly that
33:48
would look like, but it started off by,
33:51
like, us just buying flowers from ourselves,
33:54
And because we always need, like, to supplement
33:57
flowers, you know, you have a big event,
33:59
and then you are all of a sudden,
34:00
you're like oh my gosh, my aren't ready.
34:03
You know, let me call Patty and see
34:06
if she's got anything. And so we were
34:08
already doing that.
34:10
Most of most of you farmer floors. Then
34:12
or enough of you that you're...
34:14
Or was it even just for, like, fulfilling
34:16
market demand? Yeah. Market demand or even, like
34:18
a flo wanted something. And mh. We're like,
34:21
well, this floor. I wanna really keep this
34:23
contact, but I don't have half of this
34:26
product to tonight I. Does that makes sense.
34:28
And something So
34:30
I it turns out now that it's mostly
34:32
growers and there's only a few folks that
34:34
are doing events, but
34:38
it started off very much of just, like,
34:40
trying to help each other out and kind
34:41
of simplify the process of buying from each
34:44
other.
34:45
And so I kind of volunteered
34:47
to be the space to do that, I
34:49
have a cooler,
34:51
fortunately,
34:52
and I'm... Like I said in the middle
34:54
kind of
34:55
e distance from folks that are more north
34:57
and more south of us.
34:59
And now it's grown into, like, a full
35:02
scale kind of, flo wholesale, and we also
35:05
offer retail as well to folks that wanna
35:08
do, like, Diy weddings.
35:10
I saw that when I was popping up
35:12
the website. So you have you have found
35:14
a balance between a wholesale to Flores
35:17
and satisfying that
35:19
retail customer basically. Right? Yeah. We're trying. I
35:22
mean, I think our whole mission and, like,
35:24
the mission of Freight not as well is
35:26
just trying to get as many local flowers
35:28
into folks hands.
35:31
So, yeah, thank you for being such an
35:34
inspiration in that as well, Deborah. Like, I
35:37
think that's what keeps us... Going.
35:39
Oh, well, it sounds like you've got a
35:41
good group. So your freight nod is sort
35:44
of the the hub where flo come pick
35:46
up their orders.
35:47
And prior to that, I guess, farmers bring
35:49
their orders and it all kinda happens on
35:51
your property.
35:53
Yeah. Yeah. Wow.
35:55
Yeah. Actually, today is drop off day. So
35:59
as we speak,
36:00
outside these halls
36:02
like, our farmers are dropping off their beautiful
36:04
product,
36:05
our And after we have, like, sales that
36:09
go up over the weekend. So force can
36:11
place orders
36:12
over the weekend, and then we
36:15
organize that, 1 of my colleague who leads
36:18
the website sales katie, Travis of Da,
36:21
our farm runs all of our online support,
36:24
And then I run all the kind of,
36:26
like, actually organizing our orders pulling
36:29
what we need for the week. And then
36:32
tomorrow, we, have... Picked up. So forest can
36:35
come get their orders.
36:37
And then we also offer, like, on site
36:39
sales. So we do, like, a market style
36:41
pop up where
36:43
for even if they haven't pre ordered, can
36:45
come, shop, like,
36:47
what we have, and that's really nice for
36:49
them to just see visually product, and pick
36:52
up extras, but it's really nice for the
36:54
farmers because a lot of times, they have
36:56
difficulty
36:57
predicting,
36:59
what is it gonna be available the following
37:01
week. So if they they aren't able to
37:04
do that, They can bring that last minute
37:06
and still get sales,
37:08
So it's really nice to see, like, so
37:11
many small farms growing because we're able to
37:14
create this market for them.
37:17
That So... Yeah. What was the year you
37:19
actually established
37:21
and in the the current model that, you
37:23
know, that this led to. So Well, the,
37:26
like, kind of farmer to farmer started in
37:29
20 20,
37:30
whereas.
37:31
No surprise. Yeah. We had a plan to,
37:34
like, do more Flo sales, obviously that year,
37:37
I think that would have been our official
37:39
launch year. But as everyone knows about all
37:42
the weddings,
37:44
cease to exist. So we just did the
37:46
kind of farmer farmer. And so I'd say
37:48
20 21 is when we really
37:52
started the model that we have now. So...
37:54
That's great. That. I don't know. 21 20.
37:57
That's 334
37:58
years. Yeah. Well, Emily, you said you're gonna
38:00
shoot a little video that we can share
38:01
at the end of this. So maybe you
38:03
can point out, like, the area of where...
38:07
Where the collab takes place. Sure. People could
38:09
envision it. Is it go from, like, spring
38:11
to fall? What is... Was... 1 of the
38:14
what's the length of time in the year
38:15
that you are offering product? Yeah. We start
38:18
having product around mid April.
38:21
We... Myself and a couple of their growers
38:24
do have tunnels.
38:25
So we're able to grow some stuff on
38:28
that shoulder season, and then
38:30
you know, obviously, Mother's day is a big
38:32
1. So we always try to get a
38:33
few weeks in before that. And then we
38:36
go usually
38:37
until mid October.
38:39
Maybe end of October, and a a lot
38:41
of our growers dry product, so we usually
38:44
do, like, a dried flower market at the
38:46
end. Love it.
38:48
Yeah. So... That's great.
38:50
Well, you touched on a lot of these
38:53
collaborations and the piece that, you wrote. For
38:56
our current issue of
38:59
Slow flowers journal. I just wanted to pop
39:00
it up on the stay... On the page
39:02
here on the screen
39:05
and
39:06
the s the essay sa is in are
39:08
from the heart
39:11
department, I guess, every issue we try to
39:13
find someone to share our personal story.
39:16
So here is of,
39:18
the essay we we called
39:20
farm life, the future of affirming is in
39:23
community. This photo is of the collab group.
39:26
Right? Yeah. Yeah. So some folks have, like,
39:30
literally moved.
39:31
So not everyone is in the the group
39:34
anymore,
39:36
and then we have a lot of new
39:37
growers. Yeah. You have, like, call growers this
39:39
year. We gotta get a good group.
39:42
It's really hard to get
39:44
you know, a bunch of farmers together when
39:46
it's actually nice outside So... And you have
39:49
buckets of flowers to share. Yeah. And this
39:52
is a really fun event that we did,
39:54
where we just
39:55
highlighted,
39:57
the the product that we had and we
39:59
had flo come out
40:01
to a, neighboring farm and just kinda make
40:04
bo and get to see, like, how quality,
40:07
you know, what the quality of our product
40:09
is and help you... And how much variety
40:11
we have and think it's always a work...
40:13
Constantly, you know, continuing to educate people on
40:17
the value of local followers. I page forward
40:19
a little too quickly, but Here you are
40:21
with a couple of your team members, and
40:23
you did talk about the fact that you
40:24
aren't completely solo.
40:26
You now have grown to the part point
40:29
where you can have some...
40:30
Seasonal help at Freight not. Right? Yeah. This
40:33
is Jewel and Lexi, and they're incredible.
40:37
And I'm just so grateful that it is
40:40
just me alone now and we're really moving
40:43
into a space where we're all kind of
40:45
taking responsibility of the farm and, like, working
40:48
together,
40:49
you know, not just to do, you know,
40:51
specific tasks, but really, like, work together as
40:54
a team and a partnership, to grow the
40:57
farm because, yeah. I that's how I see
41:00
the future of where we're going. It's just,
41:02
like, integrating more voices and
41:05
you know,
41:06
I'm really grateful that I was able to
41:08
start this, but I'm even more grateful to
41:11
see what the future holds in
41:14
collaboration and getting other folks. With other skills
41:17
like I said and and interest and, yeah,
41:20
Jewels like, has a huge passion for herbs
41:23
and medicinal and that's, like, created this really
41:27
lovely addition to, like, our case and and
41:30
our products and Lexi is
41:33
works at Great Lakes brewing company, which is
41:36
a our, like, local brewery,
41:39
and we've been able to to do beer
41:41
collaborations with them, which is super fun. And
41:45
yeah, she's really just super great at connecting
41:47
us with partners in the community
41:50
So I'm... III never would have been able
41:52
to do those things on my own. So,
41:55
yeah. I just hope that the peace encourages
41:57
folks to
41:59
not just get hard on themselves when they
42:02
feel like they can't do it all and
42:05
know that what we're up against as farmers
42:09
and changing climates.
42:11
Like, it's just...
42:12
It has to be done with with other
42:14
people and and and leaning on each other
42:17
for that support. So
42:19
I love it.
42:21
Any of the other things that you... We...
42:23
You've featured in the story that you wanna
42:25
touch on
42:26
that you're still involved with... I mean sure
42:28
there's, like, opportunities to the point where now
42:30
you can't even say yes to everything. Right?
42:32
Yeah. For sure. And I think that I
42:34
definitely have been strict. Strategic about them.
42:38
You know, I've just found people luckily that
42:41
are have similar values and
42:44
Yeah. That's certain point, you do have to
42:46
say now, and I think just kinda hone
42:47
in on the relationships that you do have,
42:49
But 2 of the ones that I also
42:51
mentioned in the piece that I wanna highlight
42:54
or 1,
42:55
Ohio City farm,
42:57
which is a urban farm
42:59
in, that that the city of Cleveland, and
43:01
they
43:03
are run by this organization that reset
43:06
refugees
43:07
in the city, we're a really big hub
43:09
in Cleveland for refugee reset. Wow.
43:13
To folks that work at that farm are
43:15
newly reset. So
43:17
folks from all over the world, and
43:20
they have a beautiful vegetable
43:23
share, but don't have really room for flowers,
43:26
So we were kind of in
43:29
relationship together and talked about doing a our
43:32
Csa. So we are an add on to
43:35
their. Vegetable share and their customers can buy
43:39
flower bo, a weekly in addition to the
43:42
the vegetables. So that's been an awesome
43:44
partnership,
43:46
and then also,
43:47
some dear friends, Jenny and Andrew of room
43:51
service,
43:52
boutique, and now they have a a French
43:54
cafe that they just opens up and
43:58
wanted to highlight that because they were really
44:00
early supporters
44:02
in
44:03
in us and helped us launch our Csa
44:06
program in the first place. And,
44:08
you know, I I always talked to folks
44:10
that are starting, like subscription services or Csa
44:14
to find folks like Jenny and Andrew,
44:17
because of the deliveries and that the logistics
44:20
can be a lot of work, but why
44:22
not partner with folks that care about what
44:24
you do and also wanna highlight it in
44:26
their shop, and then also So hopefully get
44:28
some patrons shipped to their space, and then
44:31
they can help support
44:33
that pickup instead of you having to do
44:35
it all. So
44:37
yeah.
44:39
That's really, really amazing. So you have the
44:41
Csa,
44:44
both through the...
44:46
Home goods, restaurant pickup, and then do you
44:48
also have 1 on your farm or how
44:51
are you managing all of that? Because it's
44:53
a big... It is a big lift.
44:55
Yeah. So we did scale back our subscriptions
44:58
a little bit this year so we could
44:59
focus on our wholesale in the club. Yeah.
45:02
And but in previous years, yes, we were...
45:06
The the restaurant and Home Goods store. They
45:08
were a pickup location.
45:10
Now we're just offering retail bow. To them.
45:13
But cool. So... Yeah. Which is really nice.
45:16
And then
45:18
with our Ohio City farm, they've become our
45:20
exclusive, like Csa pickup So they have actually
45:23
2 locations that folks can pick up from.
45:26
So again, it makes it really easy on
45:28
us to be able to just aggregate it
45:30
through them. So, so we don't actually have
45:33
any pickup on our farm, and
45:36
that's kind of by design too because we're
45:39
a working farm, and we have some really
45:41
awesome events through the year, but we're not
45:43
really situated to have, like, kind of that
45:46
management.
45:48
So it's nice to have
45:51
partnerships.
45:51
Like I mentioned to be able to support
45:54
that. So... Well, that's that's the theme of
45:56
this conversation and the theme of the essay
45:58
that you shared and that It's... Just...
46:01
It's hard it's hard. Yeah. And no forming
46:03
is hard. And if you have
46:06
people who make that journey more enjoyable just
46:10
because of, you know, feeling that you've got...
46:12
They've got your back and you've got theirs.
46:13
It's just also
46:15
elevate everyone. And, obviously, elevate your community, and
46:19
sounds like a really beautiful community that you
46:21
have built and,
46:23
know, in the Greater Cleveland area. So I
46:25
wish like they come visit. Sounds wonderful.
46:27
You're welcome anytime. Okay. We have a late,
46:30
kids beautiful.
46:32
It's it's it's a great it's a great
46:34
space. And I mean, I think Cleveland really
46:36
well situated to, like, facilitate a lot of
46:38
these partnerships. Too, and that's why I love
46:40
this city so much because
46:43
it it makes it easier to meet people
46:45
and
46:47
be able to form these connections,
46:50
because everyone kinda has this, like, solidarity with
46:53
each other,
46:54
and love for the city. So I think
46:56
it it I think you can replicate this
46:58
kind of model anywhere, but I think it's
47:01
been
47:02
especially, you know, successful in, like, the, kind
47:05
of smaller city that we do have.
47:08
Yeah. And I think
47:11
You know, I hope people feel encouraged
47:13
to to ask, you know, ask people
47:16
in your community, you know, how they might
47:19
wanna us or and you'd be surprised, like,
47:21
how many people really
47:23
have something that you might not have that
47:26
they can be met mutually beneficial or
47:29
I love it. I love it. Well, we
47:31
could keep keep going, but I'm gonna let
47:32
you go because I know you've got a
47:33
wedding to design for and I didn't know
47:36
the club was going on today, but I'm
47:38
site excited to share this conversation,
47:42
Emily is going to also
47:44
take a little video, and we'll add that.
47:46
And then I have so more photos that
47:47
you shared that we weren't able to use
47:49
with the your column. So I'll put those
47:51
in our show notes when this airs
47:53
s r's podcast dot com. So,
47:56
best wishes for the rest of the season.
47:59
And what are you do in your downtime,
48:00
Emily?
48:02
What downtime?
48:04
I don't know when the dried flower season
48:06
is over. Yeah. Then that's planting season, but
48:09
no,
48:10
I like... I mean, I mentioned the lake.
48:12
I love to go swimming in the lake.
48:14
I I have 2 very cute cats that
48:16
I like mine with.
48:18
I mean,
48:19
All jokes aside. Like, I think it's... I
48:22
don't wanna glorify, like,
48:24
you know, burnout out or working too hard.
48:27
I think absolutely...
48:29
Folks need to rest, especially farmers. They can
48:31
get... As I said in the article, it's
48:33
really easy to
48:35
get completely consumed by it, and I been
48:37
trying really hard this year, especially to, like,
48:40
separate myself a little bit from that and
48:42
create better work life balance,
48:45
But that being said, like, I do love
48:47
what I do, and I love, like, the
48:49
folks that I get to interact with. So
48:52
it it does feel like a lot of
48:54
times, just such a joy to, like, take
48:57
on these projects, and
48:59
work with them, but rest is important and,
49:04
finding time off the farm and out to
49:07
work. Is also important. III
49:09
love, like, kind of doing embroidery
49:13
and,
49:14
like, textile work. Actually, I've been really getting
49:16
into. I wonder.
49:17
So I've been I've been trying to do
49:19
that is, I've been trying to relearn what
49:21
a hobby needs.
49:24
Well, it's a lifestyle that... So many people
49:26
aspire to, and so few people can actually
49:29
follow through on it and and just admire
49:31
you so much for being honest. And transparent
49:35
and sharing your story, and I'm excited to
49:38
share with the broader slow flowers community through
49:40
the podcast in the video. So Thank you,
49:42
emily. I really appreciate it.
49:44
Thank you so much. I have to say,
49:46
like, I've been listening to the podcast since
49:48
I started farming, so this is a really...
49:51
Big honor, and I've, like, been so inspired
49:54
by so many of the stories that you've
49:55
told and
49:57
it's really helped me to get to this
49:59
point. So I really appreciate it. Thanks. And
50:02
now you're 1 more voice in that collection.
50:04
So thank you.
50:06
We'll talk soon, Emily. Thanks a lot. Bye
50:08
bye. I.
50:39
Thanks so much for joining me today. Please
50:41
visit. Slow flowers podcast dot com to
50:45
find episode 673.
50:47
You can watch the replay video of my
50:50
conversation with Emily and find links to afraid
50:52
not farms social places.
50:54
The bonus video includes footage that Emily filmed
50:57
separately and share with me after our main
50:59
interview As mentioned, I will also include a
51:02
Pdf of Emily's with Heart Essay
51:05
recently published in the summer 20 24 issue
51:08
of. Flow flowers journal.
51:10
Thank you to Johnny selected seats, an employee
51:13
owned company that provides our industry with the
51:15
best flour herb and vegetable seeds,
51:18
supplied to farms large and small, and even
51:21
tobacco cutting gardens like mine. Find the full
51:24
catalog of flower seeds and bulbs at johnny's
51:27
seeds dot com. And thank you to the
51:30
Gardener workshop, which offers a full curriculum of
51:33
online education for flower farmers and farmer flo.
51:37
Online education is more important than ever, and
51:39
you'll want to check out the course offerings
51:41
at the Gardeners workshop. Dot com.
51:45
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51:46
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supporters and more passionate participants
52:01
who believe in the importance of our domestic
52:04
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52:07
know you feel it too. If you're new
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52:15
I'm Deborah P, host and producer of the
52:18
Sunflower flower show,
52:19
and the So podcast. The So podcast is
52:22
engineered and edited by Andrew B. The content
52:25
and opinions expressed here are either mine alone
52:28
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52:30
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52:33
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52:35
Next week, you're invited to join me in
52:36
putting more slow flowers on table, 1 stem,
52:39
1 vase at a time. Thanks so much
52:41
for joining us today. And I'll see you
52:43
next week.