By Susie Wiebe (Seminole, TX)
In 2013, we began our 20’x40’ greenhouse/ garden center with an emphasis on bedding plants. Many of the flowers and all vegetables we seed ourselves. Bedding plants that we aren’t able to seed, come in from reputable suppliers where we then transplant with much hands-on experience. Early on, we noticed a trend toward vegetable plants and seeds, so we wanted to fill that demand.
Our area around Seminole, Texas has a rich, multi-cultural gardening ethic, so we knew a Farmers Market was needed in this area to promote locally grown produce. Also, we needed a multicultural capacity, since three languages (English, Spanish and German) are spoken at our market, that means knowing our plants in all three languages. Each culture is specific in their horticulture needs. For example…The “Geranio”(geranium) is a favorite for our Hispanic customers, whereas the “Petünche“ (petunia) is what the majority of our German customers ask for.
In the gardening realm, black-eyed peas and okra are favored by our locals. In addition, we carry chilies of all kinds–the hotter the better for all the South American influenced dishes. Red potatoes, green beans, cucumbers with herbs like dill, and the highly sought after Summer savory are on a typical German grocery list. At our farmers market you will hear both customers and vendors fluently speaking these languages praising their products be it Tamales, Street Tacos, fresh baked Mennonite breads, Kringel, jams and pickles. This multi-cultural influence has to be experienced. Blumenflor gives you that–be it at the Market or just coming out to pick up a CSA box.
This multi-cultural influence and the following is what sets us apart from other markets. Our children are involved in the Market…Garden Club members teaching kids to plant,The Street Taco mom with her kids prepping food, in Spanish! The lemonade stand run by German kids.
We began our Farmers Market in August 2017 and are now preparing to start our fourth year. We host our Farmers Market on the third Saturday of the month, May – October. Our team of vendors are wonderful at creating a friendly atmosphere. Last spring 2019, we started a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) / Farm Share. It was a huge leap of faith to provide for our CSA families for 6 months using only natural, sustainable methods, some would say “beyond organic”. We feel blessed that our gardens have been producing so well.
Why do we do all of this? We do it for the love of gardening, creating a sense of community, gaining and sharing knowledge with others and knowing we are making a difference. Our vision is to educate customers on knowing where our food is coming, while planting a seed of self-sustainability in those we met.
The team at Blumenflor consists of knowledgeable employees who have a horticultural college background and gather more experience by working here. All of us are a “PhD”- Professional Hose Dragger. God is our boss and we believe every customer is heaven sent.
Come and see us!
