We Steam It.

Kneeland, CA. high above Humboldt Bay



Golden Tycoon Royal Lily

Two weekends ago, I went to a classic northern California pot luck. We drove up to a former hippie cabin, upgraded into a Sunset magazine worthy house. Not big, but having beautiful amenities and unique touches of style. The house sits on the crest of a dramatic mountainside, with a view out over Humboldt Bay and the Pacific. The food was Middle Eastern, Greek and Turkish. The mixed grill featured local lamb kabobs and all sorts of tasty culinary treats.



Cinnabar Royal Lily

My wife and I contributed a few dozen of her world class dolmas, and being a flower guy, I brought a stunning bouquet mixing our Cinnabar Royal Lilies  and our Golden Tycoon Royal Lilies with some greens. Our hostess was thrilled to receive a simple yet decadent hand tied bouquet, her eyes lit up at the elegance of a few lily stems, and a bit of Sweet Huck. Sun Valley Royal Lilies are great to bring to a food function, since they don’t have a strong scent. In my experience, it is frowned upon to bring in an armload of flowers which overpower all the chefs best intentions. (You only do this once!)



The flowers’ colors complimented the sunset which slowly unfolded over the Pacific while we enjoyed a great dinner and engaging conversation. As the wine flowed and the evening progressed the flowers got more attention from the guests. Amazing as it is, a few new buds had started to open up and were now “kissing.”



Among the Oohs and Ahhs, I was eyed by a guest I didn’t know well. He approached and asked, “How many pesticides are on those things?”

I answered, “None, the flowers are from Sun Valley, it is a Veriflora Certified Sustainable farm and being grown in California, the environmental restrictions are probably the toughest in the world.”

Without hesitating he asked, “Then, how do you deal with all the weeds and weird bugs in the soil?”

I took a long sip of my local Cabernet, “We steam it.”

“You do what?” his nose sort of wrinkling.

Steam Rising from the Soil



“Steam it” noticing I had an audience, I continued, “We take all the soil we grow our lilies in, cover it with huge thick canvas clothes and pump steaming, 212 degree moist air over the soil for 8 to 24 hours, this kills all the seeds, pests and basically sterilizes the soil. This way we don’t have to use tons of chemicals."



Steam Tube and Tarps in a Hoop House.



Another interested guest asks, as she gawks at the big blooms of the lilies, "These are grown in soil? ...in the ground?"

"Sure, lilies love to be in the soil, you also get a much higher quality flower by growing in soil as opposed to hydroponic.  Thicker stems, longer life after cutting, and most importantly, dramatic vibrant HUGE blooms.  (Sorry South America, you can't compete with our California Grown lilies!)

Just after planting, then baby lilies... only about 3 weeks old.

“Wow, that’s pretty sweet” the once skeptical guest replies as he looks at the lilies with a new appreciation and now can’t help put get much closer to admire their beauty. He looks up and asks, “So where’s this farm?”

I point out through the window, to a few lights twinkling below next to the ocean, “right there.”

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-Lily

“The earth laughs in flowers.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson