Sunday, November 11, 2007

At the Oakland Flower Market


I'm no expert on horticulture. Having grown up in a 17th floor apartment in the Bronx, I've got a certified brown thumb. But as a caterer facing the advent of the holiday season, I've had to familiarize myself with the world of flowers (both fresh and dried), floral ornaments, vases, and arrangements ... and fast!

My trip to the Market was planned at the very end of their day - they close at 3 pm, and I got there at 2:15. I didn't want to contend with thronging hordes of merchants, but I was also afraid of finding nothing left to choose from. Fortunately, I found a wide selection to choose from ... perhaps a little TOO wide!

I needed some dried ornaments for some buffet tables that I wanted to flesh out, so some dried grasses and gourds were an easy choice. But I needed some attractive items for some small vases. I wound up purchasing some brown Pom-Poms, some Heather, and some golden roses with an exotic name that I've since forgotten ("Casbah" or something similarly evocative).

Flowers in hand, it was time for a trip to the register ... and a little sticker shock. Flowers need to be transported from as far away as South America, and skyrocketing gas prices ensure a hefty fee even for wholesale horticulture. Still it was less expensive than farming out the whole job to a florist ... and, admittedly, more fun.