In the days of ancient Rome, the fourteenth
day of February was a pagan holiday that
honored Juno. Juno was the queen of the
Roman gods as well as the goddess of women
and marriage. At this time Rome was under
the authority of Emperor ClaudiusII, and he
was a vicious warrior that wanted to expand
the empire. His armies lacked the sufficient number of soldiers it needed, and Claudius could not figure out why more young men didn’t want to go to battle. Finally, he determined that the young
men didn’t want to leave their wives and girlfriends. In order to
remedy this, the Emperor instituted a new law and canceled all
of the marriages and engagements in Rome.
In the meantime, there lived a priest in Rome by the name of
Valentine. He did not believe in the Emperor’s new law, and he
refused to abide by it. He continued to perform wedding
ceremonies in secret. He lived in constant fear that he would be caught by Emperor Claudius’ soldiers, but he persisted in doing
what he knew was right. Finally, the day did come when Bishop Valentine was caught uniting a man and a woman in the bonds of holy matrimony. The soldiers dragged him to stand before Emperor Claudius’. The Emperor condemned the Bishop to death for his violation of the law. While the priest was imprisoned, waiting for his execution, many young couples threw notes of thanks along with flowers and other gifts into the window of his cell. Among these young people who admired the priest for doing the right thing was the prison guard’s own daughter. Her father allowed her to visit Bishop Valentine in his cell. During these visits, the two would talk and laugh and share each other’s thoughts. Finally, the day arrived when Bishop Valentine was scheduled to die. It was the fourteenth of February in the year of 270 AD. While he was waiting for the soldiers to come and drag him away, Bishop Valentine composed a note to the girl telling her that he loved her. He signed it simply,
“From Your Valentine.”
Over the years, Valentine’s Day has evolved into a holiday when
flowers, cards, and candy are given to the ones we love. And it
is all because of a brave, righteous man named Valentine.
Cut Roses
When purchasing cut roses look for medium-firm
rose buds. If the rose head is too hard the rose may
not open, if the rose is too soft it may not last as
long. Look for roses that are free of bruises or
blemishes. The leaves should look fresh and not
limp. If the roses are boxed they will need to be
placed in water as soon as possible. Fill a pitcher
with lukewarm water (do not use softened water) and
add Bachman’s floral preservative to the water. Follow
the direction on the package of preservative.
When the preservative has dissolved pour the mixture into the vase.
With a sharp pruner cut the rose stems under water, taking ½”off each stem. After each cut, place the stem in the vase water, arrange them as you go. Place the vase of roses out of direct sun and away from warm or cold drafts. Every two days re-cut the rose stems and replace the water in the vase. Be sure to wash the vase before
adding the fresh water mixture.
Long Lasting Flowers
Looking for long-lasting cut flowers? See the list below for
some good recommendations:
Alstroemeria
Anthurium
Carnations
Ginger
Mini-carnations
Orchids
Protea
Chrysanthemum
The Story of Chocolate
Cacao, Theobroma cacao, is a tropical
evergreen tree in the family Byttneriaceae.
It’s native to Central and South America
and is cultivated exclusively for its seed,
which is the source of chocolate and
cocoa butter. Cacao is a small tree that
grows up to 25 ft tall and bears seedpods
up to foot long and four inches thick.
These seedpods have a hard leathery shell and are produced on
the branches and trunk of the tree. Pods contain up to 40 seeds,
or beans, some up to an inch wide.
Several species of Theobroma are cultivated in the tropics. The
principal species used for cocoa, is grown throughout the wet,
lowland tropics, especially in Southeast Asia, South America, and West Africa, where the trees are planted under the shade of taller trees. They usually bear fruit 4 to 5 years after they have been planted. After extraction from the fruit, the beans and pulp are
piled up and covered; they are allowed to ferment for up to 7 days. After fermentation the beans are dried to prevent further molding. They are then sacked and shipped to chocolate or cocoa
manufacturers. Cocoa is finely pulverized de-fatted, roasted
cacoa kernels, to which natural and artificial spices and flavors
may be added. Beans are blended to achieve delicate nuances
of flavor. Cocoa may be processed by mild alkali treatment to
darken the color and improve flavor.
With a proper mix of chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter and
milk solids (for milk chocolate) the production of chocolate begins. These ingredients are automatically weighed and conveyed to large mixers and are thoroughly blended. These heavy machines will
crush the mixture. The particles are reduced to microscopic fineness to produce the smoothness typical of eating chocolate. Whatever
the product, chocolate is probably the world’s favorite flavor and
truly deserves the designation Theobroma cacao, given it by the Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus in 1728, when he
classified the cacao plant as the “food of the gods.”
Flowers and gifts from Bachman’s make any day a special one. When you order your flowers or gifts online, you know you’ll be getting a beautiful fresh floral arrangement from a trusted florist known for outstanding floral design, plus quality and service.
If you’re sending flowers or gifts out of town, you can rely on us to choose the best florist from either the FTD or Teleflora nationwide flower network. Florists who can be counted on to deliver the best fresh floral arrangements and gifts, even when doing a same day delivery.
