A Recap of our year and events....plus some new ventures for the future!
I can’t express enough for just how thankful we are for our customers, supporters and clients. Without you , we could not be successful. Our growing year was fantastic, despite the extreme heat and very wet weather we endured late in the summer. While some crops did not fare well, others thrived! And when I say thrived……I mean 10 foot tall Zinnias and Cockscomb! Crazy! However, its just so great to see the flowers thrive so well , without the use of chemicals & pesticides. We had a minor Japanese Beetle invasion , that Diatomaceous Earth and Neem Oil took care of. It”s a combo thing….
Our plan for the next season will be to enlarge our beds, add more varieties, take out some flowers that didn’t love the climate here and spread out our market presence. While we still plan on being at our normal spots, we will be adding a market in Virginia Beach and 1 or 2 up into Maryland and Delaware . This will not only give us more exposure, but also our community here on the ESVA. We are so fortunate to live in this beautiful stretch of the coast and we want others to gain knowledge of our area and experience it as well.
At the top of our grateful list , is the incredible Meet At The Table event! I still can’t thank everyone enough for the incredible response, help and support to get this annual event off the ground. From the farmers, artists, chefs and crafters, to the patrons and customers that came to sit at our Farm to Table dinner. I honestly am blown away by how well we pulled it off and how much money we raised. I almost doubled the amount i had HOPED to give to each group. By giving money to both the Artisans Guild and to the Delmarva Farmers Union, we were able to unite these organizations in bringing more awareness of what is being created and grown here on the shore. For those of you , who didn’t come and have reached out about next year, don’t worry we will do it again. I plan on doing it a bit different, without changing the aesthetic of the event. We did so well knocking it out of the park , we now have to make it even more fun and exciting! So stay tuned!
After the farm to table event, we planned for the 16th Annual Artisans Guild Holiday Tour. We were lucky enough to become a part of this wine & drive tour Thanksgiving Weekend. We hosted old & new friends for the two day event and even with the crazy weather, we had a huge turnout both days! I not only had my work showing, but we also had Anne Winston Pinder Batchelder showing her beautiful paintings in the barn studio as well. This is what the barn is all about and for. Opening it up for events like Meet At The Table and the Artisan Tour. We plan on hosting a few more surprise small events in it this winter, so look out for that!
I will be at the Holiday Artisans Market on Dec 8 at the Historic Onancock School from 11am to 4pm , during the Christmas Homes Tour. Also look for me at Zest in Cape Charles on Dec 21 for Festive Fridays! I will have the perfect flower gift for a hostess or for yourself to decorate your holiday table with! I will be there from 4 pm to 6 pm…so come say hello!
We are planning to do another Bourbon & Blooms at Cape Charles Distillery in the New Year, so keep an eye out!
John and I want to Thank everyone who supported us, purchased flowers, came to our events and helped spread the word. Without YOU we could not be successful and we feel blessed to be a part of our wonderful ESVA community. It brings new meaning to “It takes a village….”