Foraging on the Priddy Farm
This past weekend, Andy, and I, along with Daisy, took a break from work and life in a tiny apartment and headed to Palisade. We spent the weekend with our friend Laurie on her farm. We arrived Friday afternoon. After unpacking, Andy, Daisy and I ventured over to Mesa Park Vineyards to have a much-needed glass of wine and chatted with Laura and Brandon, the owners of the Vineyard (as well as our realtor). Once refreshed, we picked up a couple of bottles of wine and headed back to Laurie’s cottage. She wasn’t due to arrive until Saturday morning so instead of dining out we opted to make a short run to the grocery store so I could whip up a lovely dinner and we could chill for the evening.
The next morning we enjoyed a quiet cup of coffee on the back deck and walked the property.. Daisy loves the farm and enjoys roaming the land. When we were having coffee, I decided one of the things I’d do as we walked was to do some foraging on the farm and create a fresh bouquet of flowers to surprise Laurie when she arrived. I should note, I’m using the term ‘flowers’ loosely as the only thing she has planted thus on the farm are cherry trees. She has done some landscaping around the front of the house which looks lovely, and she has planted grass which is also coming along nicely. My foraging of flowers was a bit more creative.
I noticed the last time I was out that she had a lot of wild sunflowers growing along the edge of her property so that was my target. Originally, I was thinking I’d just pick a bouquet of sunflowers but as I worked, I notice other wildflowers (more like weeds) in hues of blue and purple. Their texture and shape were very different from the sunflowers will smaller petals and lacy foliage. While I assembled, Daisy darted about until a neighboring mule decided to wander over and see what we were doing. Daisy being a city dog completely freaked out having never encountered an animal of this size! It was actually pretty funny to watch… Luckily there was a fence between Daisy and the mule with the later not being particularly interested in Daisy and her vocal rantings. Daisy soon joined Andy as he walked back to the house, and I was left to my creative endeavors.
As I picked, I notice other plants and tall grasses that were burgundy and wheat in color, with even more varied textures. I couldn’t begin to tell you the names of the plants I was gathering. That aside, I enjoyed using my artistic skills and assembling the different colors, textures, and shapes. I found one interesting plant that I’m certain was a weed but its green seed pods which were oval and prickly to the touch combined with its wide green leaves made for a wonderful contrast to the other floral foliage. As I walked back toward the house, I noticed other wild ‘flowers’ in shades of yellow and added them to the collection.
I snagged a vase from inside, filled it with water and brought it outside to assemble. The wind picked up so I moved closer to the house and began arranging, taking off leaves and clipping stems so I could vary the heights of the ‘flowers’ and foliage in the vase. Once the arrangement was complete, I place it in the center of the kitchen table and waited for Laurie to arrive. I have to say this fall bouquet has to be one of my favorites. It just goes to show that you don’t need fancy store-bought flowers to make a lovely arrangement! The joy of wandering the land and thinking creatively about what was available made it even more fun! I very much look forward to when I can forage on my own property, growing my own flowers and seeing what gifts the land has to offer.
