Fall is in full swing here at the farm. The first rain came last week and washed away months of dust and smoke that had settled on the plants. The leaves on the walnut trees seemed to change from bright green to a dark yellow overnight and the farmers began to walk a little slower and breathe a little deeper. It happens every year- and yet it feels just as refreshing this year as the last. The fresh flowers are frosted and the petals now have a beautiful browned edge that seems to signal the end of the season.
All of the flowers we are now using to create wreaths have been dried over the last year in a building we all have come to call the ‘Wreath Room’. The building is old and small and used to be used as a mechanics shop for farm equipment long before I was born. Now, it is filled to the brim with flower bunches hanging from the ceiling, ready for the moment that they too will be created into beautiful dried wreaths. Larkspur, Globe Amaranth, Ammobium, Strawflower, Marigolds and Yarrow make a quilt of colors and textures when you walk in and look up. I remember learning how to create my first wreath (above) in the Wreath Room when I was no older than four. It was a misshapen lumpy thing made with a mixture of Celosia and Sweet Annie. I was so proud of my creation and continue to love the change of season because it means creating new wreaths and spending a bit of time trying to perfect a craft.
Last Thursday my family, the farmers and friends in the Capay Valley settled into the Wreath Room to share a meal under the dried flowers. My mom and I spent time decorating long tables with dried flowers and cooking a meal made mostly of food grown at Full Belly Farm. Friends and family brought pies, stuffing, squash, homemade rolls, ceviche and veggies. We gave thanks to the rain, to the beautiful room where we were sharing the meal and to new babies, neighbors and friends within our mix.
This year we offered two wreath classes for folks to come visit our farm, see the Wreath Room and learn how to create their own wreath made from dried flowers and greenery foraged from our farm. The first class was held on the 12th of November and over 40 people came to create wreaths at our farm. The class is always such a wonderful example of how unique everyone is, as all of the wreaths end up being completely distinctive to the person creating them. Our next class is this Friday. Thirty more students will come and share a meal with us, spend time perfecting a craft and enjoy a spot on the farm that holds history, community, and lots and lots of flowers.
—Hannah Muller
Editor’s note: Hannah offers floral services for weddings, events and parties. If you want to learn more about her creative, farm-based art, contact her.
