by Kelsey Penrose
The Carson City Farmer’s Market is returning next Saturday, June 5 at its new temporary location behind the Carson Nugget, where local fruits, veggies and products will be offered to customers.
Carson Now’s ‘Meet Your Farmer’ series puts a spotlight on local growers and producers in the Northern Nevada region, highlighting the important work of supplying Carson City with locally-grown produce.
This week’s local grower is Ash Canyon Flower Farm, an all-natural family operated flower farm based right here in Carson City! Lori George operates the farm in Ash Canyon with her children, and can be found every Saturday at the Carson City Farmer’s Market!
KP: What do you grow and why did you choose it?
LG: We are a small family-owned flower farm locally living and growing here in Carson City. We call our farm Ash Canyon Flower Farm as it is located off of Ash Canyon Rd. Maybe you’ve seen our tunnels!
KP: How did you get your start as a grower?
LG: It all started as a homeschooling entrepreneurial project for my daughter and two of her friends. Our goal was to help these girls learn how to grow, arrange and sell cut flowers. We took an online flower farming course through Floret Flowers and received help and advice from local flower farmers, including Yellow Petal and Sierra as well as the Greenhouse Project. The girls sowed and planted hundreds of seeds. They ended up selling at the farmers market and teaching classes to other youth on flower arranging! It was a huge success because of the support of friends, family and the community. Having friends learn along with us is the heart of the farm, so this year we have four additional youth joining us on our 2021 growing season.
KP: Why do you feel it’s important for our region to support growers and producers?
LG: Interestingly, everyone has a flower story of some sort connected to a memory. Mine is connected to my mother and grandmother. I spent countless hours every summer walking through my grandmothers iris, peony and rose beds learning all their names. Yes…they all have names and grandma knew them all!
Every time I see one of those flowers I instantly think of her and can almost smell the uniqueness of each bloom. Flowers bring beauty into our world and happiness to our lives. The big picture of the farm is to be an avenue to teach the youth of our community how to bring happiness into the lives of others through a simple flower. A flower is tangible beauty that affects all of the senses. That beauty had to be earned through hours of hard work and sacrifice of time. Both leave a mark on the heart of the grower and the receiver. It is addicting to see people’s faces light up when you hand them blooms from the farm. Beauty equals happiness!
KP: What is your favorite part about being a vendor for the Carson City Farmers Market?
LG: We love we have the opportunity to be a part of the Carson City Farmers Market! It is amazing! The community is so supportive and encouraging. Every vendor is passionate about what they create and that adds quality to their product. Supporting local farmers and craftsmen is vital to keeping communities diverse and self-sustaining. We feel honored to lock arms with so many talented, passionate people!
KP: How can people find out more information about your operation?
You can find us throughout the summer at the Carson City Farmers Market. You can also signup for a weekly subscription, bundle of blooms, or bucket of blooms (DIY-selfers favorite) on our website ashcanyonflowerfarm.com and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram to keep up on what’s happening on the farm.
