Maddie Dragun – Flower Production Assistant, Flower and Pollinator Enthusiast, & Aspiring Farmer Florist

Hello CSA-er’s,

Super excited to be connecting with you all this week! Although I have not met many of you, I am grateful for all the enthusiasm and support you have shown throughout this season thus far! Special shout out to the Palo Alto CSA group, I love seeing and chatting with you all on Sunday’s.

Jumping right on in, my name is Maddie Dragun and I help with flower production at Fifth Crow. In terms of flowers, everything is at peak season and there are just tons and tons of flowers, especially lisianthus! So much abundance and beauty. Emily, Elle, and I are super excited about the recent dahlia bloom explosion extravaganza!!! We have been patiently waiting all season for these beauties to arrive. My current favorites include Snoho Doris (pictured right), Spider Peachy, Black Satin, and Cafe au lait (pictured left)…ooh lá lá! Zinnias are also continuing to thrive. The Oklahoma Salmon variety is the perfect summer shade.

For those of you who receive bouquets, I hope you have been enjoying the lemon basil and/or thai basil filler. They add a perfect hint of green, as well as an aromatic touch to each bouquet. We also just began harvesting celosia, amaranth, and gomphrena, which have paired beautifully with the dahlias.

I have also been working on dried flowers over the past few weeks. This recent heat wave has helped expedite the drying process. Much of the left over grasses and flowers are bunched and hung to dry for winter wreath making. In terms of planting, it’s hard to believe 2017 is almost over and 2018 crop planning has begun. Emily recently ordered our ranunculus varieties, as well as many of the perennial seeds for next year.

In addition to flowers, I am currently obsessed with the dry farmed early girl tomatoes. Their texture and flavor are phenomenal. I have used them in salsa, along with a tomato basil sauce. Although they look almost painful to eat, the Colorado Star artichokes are also one of my new favorite snacks. They are super meaty and rich in flavor. I am attempting to learn how to can, and have made some refrigerator pickles with the cucumbers. I am going to try and pickle some of the carrots as well. I am looking forward to the upcoming fall and winter crops, most especially butternut squash.

Looking forward to meeting you all at our upcoming field day!

Cheers! Maddie