A how-to guide for building the most delicious

Transcription

P U R E J E E VA N
PRESENTS...
A how-to guide for building the
most delicious bouquets e
ver!
ev
by Amie Sue Oldfather
BY AMIE SUE OLDFATHER
Table of Contents
Foreword ...............................................................................................................................3
Introduction ........................................................................................................................4
Helpful Hints.......................................................................................................................6
Supplies & Equipment .................................................................................................7
Grocery Shopping List .................................................................................................9
Creating the Base.......................................................................................................... 11
Creating the Carrot Flower ................................................................................... 13
Creating the Beet Lily Flower ............................................................................... 16
Assembling the Veggie Bouquet ......................................................................... 21
Making a Business of Veggie Bouquets ......................................................... 28
About Pure Jeevan ....................................................................................................... 38
Notes ..................................................................................................................................... 39
Published by Pure Jeevan. © 2010 by Amie Sue Oldfather and Pure Jeevan. This eBook may be purchased online
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2
For
ewor
d
ore
ord
A
s many of you may know, Pure Jeevan is no
stranger to publishing. Aside from our
numerous web publishing ventures over
the years, Wendi and I were both English majors in
college, and spent more time than we care to
admit cutting our
editorial teeth working
for publications
departments and
publishing houses all
around the country.
But this eBook represents a new, exciting
milestone for us, and
hopefully a new
direction. As memory
serves, this is the first
time we’ve collaborated with an outside author in
the capacity of “publisher”! We’re thrilled. No,
we’re more than thrilled! The moment we beheld
Amie Sue’s culinary genius, we recognized the
possibilties for spreading this information far and
wide. Worldwide, in fact!
For me, the situation calls to mind the words of a
young Alexander Pope (shown above), who early in
the 18th century advised writers, via his famous
Essay on Criticism, that:
...True wit is nature to
advantage dressed,
What oft was thought,
but ne'er so well expressed.
Those lines are deeply and personally meaningful to me, as I see the truth in them time
and time again. And here in these pages,
they’re doubly meaningful:
1. You see, what Amie Sue has achieved here
ak en tth
he
is exactly as Pope put it; she’s tta
oft-thought idea of “plain old raw vegetables” and expressed it in a way that no
one has ever done quite as well! I’ve seen
a few other attempts at edible bouquets
here and there, but Amie Sue’s creations
put all the others to shame.
2. This second item wasn’t immediately
apparent to me, but: What could be a more
clever real-world expression of “nature to
advantage dressed” than such a bouquet?!
Hmmm, maybe we’re peering too deeply into
Pope’s meaning, eh? Oh well, it wouldn’t be
the first time. I recall going too far out on a
limb for a few term papers back in school.
Thankfully, I’m not there any longer. Just
imagine the look on an English professor’s
face if I were to suggest, for example, that
Pope’s use of the particular word “dressed”
must of course refer to salad dressing!
Thus, “nature to advantage dressed” must of
course refer to a carrot dipped in honeymustard dressing. Enjoy!
- JJim
im & W
e n di D
ee
De
We
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3
Intr
oduction
Introduction
D
on’t play with your food! Does
that sound familiar? I know I
heard that phrase more than a few
times during my formative years. And I am
here to confess that I still play with my
food. I guess I never really grew up.
My background isn’t in food preparation,
but for most of my life I have been creating
“something” out of nothing. Whether it was
decorating my mom's house or throwing a
party for a friend, I was always trying
something new and different. That is how
I stumbled upon the idea for my Veggie
Bouquet.
I made my very first bouquet as a birthday
gift for my very special Aunt Nancy. A
couple of weeks or so prior she shared with
me, over dinner, that she was really working
on eating a more healthy diet. As the time
grew closer to her birthday I thought it
would be a great surprise to deliver to her, at
work, a beautiful homemade cake. On my
way to the grocery store I got to thinking
about what type of cake I was going to
make. Then it hit me: Why am I going to
m ak e a c
a ke lla
a den w
uga r, w
h ite
ca
wiith ssu
wh
f lo ur, a
nd ffa
ats w
he n ssh
he h
a d ju
old m
e
an
wh
ha
jusst tto
me
how she wanted to keep eating healthy? I
couldn’t possibly make a cake for her.
So, as I was driving along, my brain went
to work. What could I possibly create
that was beautiful, easy to eat, and
healthy
healthy? Then I remembered the fruit
bouquets that I had seen on some late
night TV commercial. I thought for sure
that I could attempt to make one of
those, after all how hard could it be?
Iw
as a
g
wa
allways ttrr yin
ing
something new and
different. That is how I
stumbled upon the idea
f or m
yV
eg gi e B
ou quet.
my
Ve
Bo
Once I arrived to the grocery store I ran
into several roadblocks. Nothing that I
found at the store matched what was in
my mind’s eye. How was I going to
create this beautiful, leafy bouquet with
roses and such that I was visualizing? I
didn’t just want to skewer balls of fruit on
sticks. So I left the fruits behind,
switched sides of the department and
h e a d ed o
v e r tto
o tth
he p
e c ti o n .
ov
prro du ce sse
This is where my plan finally blossomed.
Pardon the pun.
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I actually spent quite a long time searching for the right vegetables, holding them,
studying them, watching how the leaves
fell. I looked for bright beautiful colors,
interesting shapes and textures. I
wanted this bouquet to be absolutely
vibrant like nothing I had ever seen
before! After I gathered up a cart full of
veggies to experiment with, I headed
home to start the masterpiece. Oh, trust
me, it came with many trials and errors.
And bless my husband’s heart who made
three (16 mile) round trips to the grocery
store to get more supplies. After over five
hours, my first Veggie Bouquet was born.
The next day we delivered my creation
along with some salad dressing, plastic
plates and napkins to my Aunt's workplace. It was an instant hit!
Since then I have made many of these
bouquets for all sorts of occasions. Some
of the most satisfying responses that I
hav e rre
e c e iv e d w
e re ffrrom c
hil dr
en . I
we
ch
dre
watched their faces light up when they
discover that this gorgeous creation
before their little eyes was edible! I have
even heard stories where they literally
gobble up the entire bouquet. What a
wonderful way to get your kids to eat
their veggies!
So next time you are “volunteered” to
bring the “veggie tray” just smile and
graciously accept, for they will have no
idea what you have up your sleeve.
I hope that you enjoy this eBook. Remember this is just a base from which to
b e gin
av e ffu
un , ttrr y o
ut n
ew a
nd d
in.. H
Ha
ou
ne
an
dii f fer ent ingredients and tools. Use your
imagination and create your own masterpiece! The possibilities are truly endless. I
would love to see your creations, or if you
have any questions, please feel free to
contact me at [email protected].
Many Blessings,
Amie Sue Oldfather
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Helpful Hints to K
ee
p in Mind
Kee
eep
Giv e y
o urs elf e
no ugh ttim
im
e lle
e arnin
g tto
om
ak e v
e ggi e b
ouq ue ts! My first bouquet
yo
en
ime
ing
ma
ve
bo
took me about 5 hours, but I had no idea what I was doing at the time. As I have
invested time in making several more, I have been able to shave my time down to
approximately 2½ - 3 hours. So, be patient and practice!
a se a
nd tth
he ffllo we rs tth
he n
e fore and
I have found that I like to ma ke tth
ba
an
nii ght b
be
he b
then assemble the bouquet about 1-2 hours before delivery the next day.
Make sure you have all of your supplies and veggies on hand prior to starting.
Nothing kills the flow more then having to run to the store in the midst of your
creation! (Unless you have a wonderful partner who will make runs to the store for
you. Bless my husband, for he has gone on as many as 3 trips to town, 16 miles
round trip! But that was with my first bouquet and I didn’t understand how much I
needed, or what I needed.)
Make sure you have ample room in your fridge to store the bouquet!
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Supplies / Equipment Needed
1. Several large bowls – these are
to soak your flowers in as you make
them. This will keep the flowers
nice and fresh.
2. Colander or a base to make your
arrangement in. You can be as
creative as you want here. (My next
arrangement will be made in a
flowerpot. How obvious is that?) So
far, I have been using colanders
because I find them to be functional gifts for the host. They come
in amazing colors these days and
range in several different sizes. You
can expect to pay anywhere from
$5-$20 for a colander.
3. P
wrrap – I use this to cover the arrangement when I store it in the fridge. You will
Plla stic w
also need some plastic wrap to lay in the base of the colander or any other container that
you may use that has holes in it. This prevent water from leaking through when you spritz
the arrangement to keep it fresh.
4. Spray bottle – I mist the veggies as I make the arrangement, prior to storing it in the
fridge and prior to delivering it.
5. Knives
Knives: Paring and chopping knives.
6. P
o t at o p
e e le r.
Po
pe
7. Garnish tool – this is the orange tool you see in the picture with a blade on it.
You can find these on Amazon.com under “Norpro Carrot Curler 5.5 in. by Norpro” or in
your local specialty cooking stores.
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8. Package of skewers – the thinner the better for piercing the veggies.
9. A m
a ndo lin – this allows you to cut thin slices of veggies for the hand-cut flowers. I have
ma
used a simple mandolin called the Kyocera Adjustable Mandolin Slicer. Your local kitchen
store or Amazon carries these. I have tried 3 different mandolins and this particular one
works great as it makes the cuts thin enough.
Bron Couke Slicer (~ $300)
Hand-held Mandoline (~ $20+)
(Kyocera brand shown)
Th e S
up
er -H
nd
Sup
upe
-Hiigh-E
h-En
Mandoline Solution
If / when you reach a point at which you’re
making these bouquets a lot and need a
tool that really allows you to produce the
necessary cuts somewhat easier, you may
want to consider what I’ve done. I bought
a special tool that allows me to cut long,
wide ribbons of many vegetables. It’s
called Bron Coucke Vegetable Lasagna
Slicer (also known as a “strips slicer”).
pe nsiv e machines
They’re rea lly ex
exp
($300+!), but very nice. However, you do
not need one of these to make the bouquets in this book. A regular mandoline
will work fine.
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Gr
ocery Shopping List
Grocery
This list will vary depending on
how large or small your arrangement is.
1. Ca
b. b
a g. You will cut
Carr ro ts – 10 llb.
ba
up ¾ of them into sticks for the
base. You will then need about 5
large carrots to run through the
garnish tool to make the roses.
2. Cucumbers – 3 large. These will
be cut up into sticks for the base.
Make sure they are firm and fresh!
3. Celery – 2 bunches. These will
be cut up into sticks for the base.
4. Red, yellow and orange bell peppers. These will be cut into sticks for the base.
5. Zucchini – 3 large. These will be cut into sticks for the base.
6. B
aby b
ok c
ho y – 3-5 h
e a ds. I use these are “fillers” in the bouquet. I always look for small
Ba
bo
ch
he
heads that are nice and fresh with really pretty leaves.
7. G
nio n s – 2 o
un ch e s. You will use the green stems to slide over the skewers to
Grre en o
on
orr 3 b
bu
hide them. You will then want to cut the heads off to use in the center of the flowers to
resemble the “pollen.”
8. B
e e ts / P
a rsni ps / T
ur nips / R
ut aba ga . How many you buy will depend on how large
Be
Pa
Tu
Ru
you want your bouquet. Look for healthy large bulbs that are even in shape. This will make it
easier to cut on the mandolin.
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9. C
he rr y tto
om a toe
o nta in
e r. These will be speared onto the skewers as filler in your
Ch
oess – 1 c
co
ine
bouquet. I love using multi-colored ones to add a greater splash of color.
10. B
n d Ca
u l i f l ow er – S
ma l l h
e ad . Broccoli can be used in several ways; break
Brro cco li a
an
Cau
Sm
he
into small bits to use as “pollen” in the center of the flowers. You can also spear a small
section to use as a “flower” for filler and color.
11. G
e af lle
e ttuce – 2 b
un che s. You will want to make sure that your leaves are nice
Grre e n lle
bu
and firm and free of bad spots. You will line the base with leaves of lettuce. You will also tear
the leaves into small sections to use under your flower heads. This adds a lot of beautiful
color to your bouquet and acts as filler.
acka ge. These are used for fillers in your
e pp e r s – 1 p
nd o
ed , y
in
12. M
pa
pe
an
orra nge p
ye
Min
inii rre
e l l ow , a
bouquet.
13. A
bu
Asspara gus – 1 b
un ch . These are used for fillers in your bouquet.
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Cr
ea
ting the Base
Crea
eating
1. Line your colander with
plastic. This will prevent water from
leaking through when you mist it.
2. Lay down a bed of greens as
sh own .
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3. C
ut up tth
he c
arro ts, c
el er y,
Cu
ca
ce
u cum be r, a
nd z
uc chin
cu
an
zu
inii
pe ppe rs, c
in
hin ssttic
k s. You will want to
intto tth
ick
cut them in the height of the container so that the top of your veggie
base is even with the top of the
container you use.
You will want to pack this nice and
tight since these veggies serve as
the foundation for holding your
flowers in place.
4. Spritz the filled base with your
water bottle and cover with
plastic. Now is the time to store
this in the fridge so it stays fresh
and vibrant.
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Cr
ea
ting the Car
low
er
Crea
eating
Carrrot F
Flow
lower
Have a large bowl filled with cold water
sitting aside. Then:
1. P
arro t ““d
di s c” o
n a ssk
ke we r.
Pll ac e a c
ca
on
This acts as a stopper for your flower
so it doesn’t slide down the stick.
Be gentle as you pierce the carrot with
the tip of the skewer. If you go too fast
or hard you could pop out the center
of the carrot, making it unusable.
ke w e r.
n tth
aye r lle
2. L
on
pii e ce s o
La
he ssk
e ttu c e p
This acts as the “foliage” (or the
“leaves”) to the flower.
You will want to tear these into
smaller pieces. That way when people
disassemble the flower to eat, it is
more manageable.
The more lettuce you use, the fuller
your bouquet will look.
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3. Creating the Carrot Flower
bud.
Make sure your carrot is peeled.
Use a FIRM medium to large carrot. Slide the carrot into the garnish
tool using firm pressure and start
twisting the carrot through the tool.
Keep twisting the carrot through
the tool until you have used up the
carrot.
gs a
e e lin
he c
arro und
ing
pe
ca
ar r o t p
Wrap tth
itself creating a rose bud. Do this
to the sizing you want.
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Slide the bud onto the skewer stick.
You only want about 1/8-1/4" tip of
the skewer to be left inside the
flower.
Now create the “pollen.” You can
use more carrot, broccoli, green
onion head, or cauliflower for this.
Poke it with the tip of the skewer,
stopping short of it poking through
your pollen tip. This “pollen” also
acts as a plug to keep the flower in
place.
Create the stem of the flower by
sliding the skewer into the “sleeve”
e p
a ge 20.
of the green onion. Se
See
pa
Tip flower upside down and place
in the bowl of water. This will keep
it fresh and crisp.
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Cr
ea
ting the Beet (lily) F
low
er
Crea
eating
Flow
lower
You can use beet, rutabaga, parsnip, or
turnip. Use large, evenly shaped bulbs.
1. Cr
e at e tth
he ffllo we r b
a se ju
ou
Cre
ba
jusst a
ass y
yo
di d ffo
o r tth
he c
arro t ffllo w er ((tth e c
a rro t
ca
ca
ba s e a
n d lle
e ttuce).
an
2. Using your mandoline, slice your
ulb ((o
of y
o ur c
ho ic
e) in
hin
bu
yo
ch
ice
intto tth
v e ggi e b
sheets.
This is the tricky part. You want the
petal sliced thin and even, not too thin
but not too thick. If too thin, it won’t
hold its shape. If too thick, they will
break and become unusable as you try
to mold the petal.
See pictures on this page. Mine may
look a bit different here since I have a
special tool that cuts my veggies into
thin ribbons.
Here’s a shot of the
same kinds of slices
made with a regular
mandoline slicer
(this time showing
rutabaga slices).
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3. Using a small paring knife, cut
out the shape of the petal.
It will look sort of like a teardrop
with a flat base. (see lower picture).
Then make a slit about ¼ to ½ of
an inch in the bottom. (Again, see
lower picture).
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4. Now form the petal by over
lap
pin
go
ne e
d ge o
v e r tth
he o
app
ing
on
ed
ov
otthe r.
Please refer to the picture here to
un de rs tan d tth
hi s a b
e tte r. IItt iiss
biit b
be
somewhat hard to explain in text.
Now poke the skewer through the
base of the flower and slide it down
until it touches the lettuce.
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Do this 3 more times to create the
lily looking flower. (You can do
more than 4 petals but it tends to
make the flower too thick on the
skewer.)
Be very gentle as you’re piercing
and sliding the flower petals onto
the skewer because the base of the
flower could split and this makes it
unusable.
This takes a little practice. Be
patient.
This is where you use the green
onion roots (the frilly white fringe)
as “pollen.” Slide this onto the tip of
the skewer, making sure not to
poke all the way through it.
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Create the stem of the flower by
sliding the skewer into the “sleeve”
of the green onion.
Tip flower upside down and place
in the bowl of water. This will keep
it fresh and crisp.
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Assemb
ly of the V
eggie Bouquet
Assembly
Ve
Now you can continue to complete the bouquet, or you can store everything in the fridge
until you are ready to assemble the bouquet.
It ’s b
e st tto
ow
a it u
nti l tth
he lla
as t p
o ssi bl e m
in
ute tto
oa
he b
o uqu e t sso
o iitt
be
wa
un
po
min
inu
asss e mbl e tth
bo
stays ffrre s h .
For a lla
arge b
o uq uet I u
a ke a tto
o ta l o
bo
ussua lly m
ma
off 20 ffllow e rs. Again, the quantity
depends on your base size and how full you want to make your bouquet.
Gett in
g R
e ady
ing
Re
1. Assembling the bouquet is just
l i ke a
g a rre
e a l ffllo we r b
ouarrran gin
ing
bo
qu et. IItt ’s imp
or ta nt tto
o rre
e m em b e r
impo
that iitt d
oe
av e tto
ob
ep
er fe ct;
doe
oessn’ t h
ha
be
pe
f lo we rs in n
a
t
u
r
e
c
o
m
e
w
i
t
na
co
wi h
beautiful imperfections.
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2. I like to start by placing the
he c
e n t er o
he
irsst ffllo we r in tth
ce
off tth
f ir
ba s e. I p
he b
e e t ffllo wplla ce a
all l o
off tth
be
ers first, then the carrot, then the
tur nip, a
n d sso
oo
n.
an
on
To get different heights, you may
need to cut some of the skewers
shorter.
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3. Fillers
At this time you can start adding the fillers.
Bok Choy – pierce the bottom of the bok choy
with the skewer and place it in your arrangement.
You can now use your cherry tomatoes, mini
peppers, broccoli and/or cauliflower as fillers,
too. Just pierce them, making sure not to poke it
out the top.
Shown at left is an asparagus filler. Below-left is
the bok choy filler, below right a tomato/pepper
one. Slide the skewer sticks into the base of the
bouquet.
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4. Y
o ur c
omp
o uqu e t!
Yo
co
mplle te d b
bo
Top view.
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5. M
o ur b
o u qu e t w
at e r,
Mii st y
yo
bo
wiith w
wa
cover in plastic, and store in the
fridge untill you are ready!
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The pictures shown on this and the
following page are samples from
other bouquets I’ve made. There is
no limit to your imagination, so
experiment! Try new veggies! Be
creative!
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In the picture shown at left, I used
a purple carrot. I had no idea when
I bought them from our local
farmers market that it would make
the rose two-toned! What a wonderful surprise. Every time I make a
bouquet I get new ideas.
I know these are time consuming
to make, but remember that it is a
labor of love.
When I deliver the veggie bouquets
as gifts or as a “veggie platter” (this
puts a new spin on bringing that ol’
boring veggie tray to a family get
together!) I always bring salad
dressing, plates and napkins. It
completes the ensemble!
The last and final thing that I will
pass on to you is that when you do
make it for someone else, make
sure you have someone promise
to e
a t tth
h e ffir
ir
ea
irsst ffllo we r. In my past
experience, I have had several that
didn’t get eaten because everyone
found the bouquet too beautiful to
take apart. Be prepared to WOW
everyone!
~Amie Sue
o m/v
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p://pu
.co
m/ve
www.PureJeevan.com
online at http://
27
Mak
ing a Business of V
eggie Bouquets
Making
Ve
Hey everyone! Jim here from Pure Jeevan
with a special bonus chapter on turning
Ve g gie B
o uqu e ts into a business! First of
Bo
all, I'd like to sincerely thank you for purchasing this amazing eBook, as doing so
helps support the natural health movement in two enormous ways: (1) educating
people about the nutritional benefits of
eating more healthy, nutritious, delicious
raw fruits and vegetables, and (2) directly
supporting those people who have committed themselves to spreading the word
o urs e, d
o in
g
about this! Yo u’re a
all so, o
off c
co
do
ing
something fantastic for yourself and for
anyone to whom you give or sell one of
these amazing bouquets.
For some, the reason for buying this book
was simply to learn how to make a veggie
bouquet. And, that’s great. We hope we've
done a reasonably good job of demonstrating how it’s done. As a bonus, yo u
also now have free lifetime access to a
sp e ci a l ““m
m e m be rs o
n ly ” c
o m mu ni t y
on
co
especially for everyone who has bought
this book. After purchasing it, you should
receive an invitation to an online group at
the address:
http://v
eggiebouquet.n
in
g.c
om/
p://ve
t.nin
ing.c
g.co
This is an extra place where you’ll have
direct access not only to others making
veggie bouquets, but to the author herself as
well!
That’s really a great segue into what I'd like
to talk about now, which is the concept of
g
“monetizing” veggie bouquets -- or, puttin
ing
your new veggie bouquet-making skills to
w o rk a
n in
co m e-p
or y
o u . The
ass a
an
inc
e-prro duc er ffo
yo
online forum mentioned above will nodoubt be useful to you for continued inspiration and idea-sharing as time goes by.
And, as everyone knows, as you get more
skillful at something, the speed at which you
can do it increases. And, when you’re talking about running a business, time is literally money! (Of course, it’s also FUN!)
But, for now, let’s assume that the technical
part of veggie bouquet-making is just something that you’ll come to master with a little
practice. After all, this isn’t rocket science,
right? And, if you ordered this book, it
probably means that you already pretty
much know that you can handle the technical parts, leveraging your own skills in the
kitchen as well as your own individual
ook h
ere iiss
creativity. In other words, thi s b
bo
he
r ea l ly m
o re o
gp
oin
or y
ou ,
mo
off a ssttar tin
ing
po
intt ffo
yo
technically speaking.
o m/v
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p://pu
.co
m/ve
www.PureJeevan.com
online at http://
28
So, again, let’s move on to the business
aspect. The question here is: How can I
turn this book into an income for
my se f ? Well, there are many ways to
accomplish this!
FIRST, let’s look at pricing out your bouquets. Keep in mind that these bouquets
are premium gift items, and need to be
marketed and sold as such. You’re not
going to ever make much of a profit, nor
will you impress anyone with the quality
of these, if you try to sell a custom veggie
bouquet for $20. So, don't think of this as
a volume business, or a competitive one.
R athe r, tth
hin
ko
hi s a
pe ci ali ze
d
ink
off tth
ass a ssp
zed
novelty available only from an artisan
l ike y
ours elf ! With that said, let's look at
yo
pricing.
When determining a price, here are the
things you’ll want to take into consideration:
the cost of the veggies used
the cost of the suplies used (the
colander, the skewers, paper
plates, napkins, etc.)
the cost of the dressing given
(and related supplies such as
containers)
the cost of supplies used for
storing your bouquets
all of your time in shopping for
supplies
all of your time in making the
bouquet
all of your time and expenses
incurred in delivering the bouquet.
in
g
As you can imagine, e
ev
prric
icin
ing
ve r yo n e’s p
could very well differ greatly! The first
item alone (the veggies) could range rather
widely, depending on what you purchase
and where you purchase it. Another major
contributing factor is whether you select
(and market) organic bouquets instead of,
or in addition to, conventional ones.
And, remember, you’re not limited by the
examples shown in this book. This book
really only shows many of the basics, using
a lot of normally available veggies. If you
find find some exotic stuff available only
in y
our llo
o c al a
h en b
y a
e a ns p
yo
arre a , tth
by
alll m
me
pllay
with it and try to incorporate that into
y ou r b
o uqu e t. I’m talking about things like
bo
unusual color variations on beets, more
interesting greens, edible flowers and herbs
-- whatever inspires you!
These variations are another reason we
started the online community, as discussed
o v e ffo
or e
v e r y o ne tto
o dr
o p in
above. We’d llo
ev
dro
and post the occasional picture to help
in
eo
e m e mb e r, tth
h e se a
insspir
ire
otthe rs. R
Re
arre n’ t
something you want to keep secret. When
you complete a bouquet or even just a new
flower idea, definitely take pictures, and
share your ideas with others. After all, you’ll
o m/v
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.co
m/ve
www.PureJeevan.com
online at http://
29
benefit from what others share -- and it’s
also not likely that anyone else in your
area is going to be competing with you in
this highly specialized area; so, it doesn’t
hurt you to share your best ideas and
discoveries (because there are no other
competing businesses around who will
steal them).
Feel free to forward this to your friends
and co-workers here in town, as I could
use all the help I can get in spreading
the word. Most people are fascinated
by the photos! If anyone has any questions, please feel free to drop me a line!
Thanks,
ST EP O
N E: To begin, once you’ve made a
ON
veggie bouquet, don’t keep it to yourself !
Make sure to show it off as much as possible. One really easy way to do this is to
take photos of it and email those photos
to everyone you know who lives close to
y ou . Here's a sample email you can use to
generate further interest. (Obviously, you
would only do this every so often -- not
every time you make a veggie Bouquet!)
[your name]
[your email address]
[your phone #]
(Don’t worry, you don’t have to type all that
in. I’ll post it for you on the community site
for this book at:
http://v
eggieb ouqu et.n
in
g.c
om
p://ve
t.nin
ing.c
g.co
Hi _______!
So, make sure to join up so you can just copy
and paste this!)
I wanted to send you an amazing
photo of something I'm newly into -making and selling edible veggie
bouquets. The attached photo
shows one of them in its full glory.
The neat thing is that *everything*
you see in this bouquet, with the
exception of the "vase" of course, is
fully edible. Even the "leaves" are
made of greens. (When I deliver one
of these, I also give people a container of dressing so that they can
dive right in!)
The beauty of the above email approach is
that you don’t even really hav e to have
already made one to send it. You could just
as easily use one of the pictures on the web
site that sells the Veggie Bouquet book
h ttp://p
ure j e e v a n .c
o m/v
e g gi e b o u qu e t/
(h
p://pu
.co
m/ve
t/),
or any of the pictures available at the Veggie
Bouquet community site mentioned above.
This is a brave approach, of course. But, it’s
possible to actually sell your first bouquet in
this fashion. In other words, you wouldn't
even make one until you get an order!
o m/v
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p://pu
.co
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www.PureJeevan.com
online at http://
30
Personally, I don’t advise that approach,
though. I really like the idea of doing
hin
k iitt ’s
emails as I wrote, above. But, I tth
ink
best if you actually make one first, as
y ou' ll g
ain a
n ap
pre ci ati on ffo
or h
ow
ga
an
app
ho
much time, effort, and expertise is required to pull off a fine-looking bouqu et. As a bonus, you’ll be able to experience first-hand the fun of eating one of
yor own creations. And, as another bonus, all of the research you do in learning
how to make these, as well as all of the
supplies you buy, may also qualify as
business expenses. (You need to ask a tax
preparer about that, of course. But, this is
a good time to also remind you to always
save all of your receipts for supplies, etc.)
Another great way to spread the word is
through the business world. One of your
goals should be to try to deliver these
things to people while they’re at work
rather than at home. While people might
like to receive these at home and share
o in
g tto
ob
eb
e st ffo
or
with their family, it ’s g
go
ing
be
be
you to deliver them into a business
atmosphere -- somewhere where other
p r of e s s i on a l p
eople w
e e tth
h em , e
n j oy
pe
wii ll sse
en
the m , a
n d tta
alk a
b o ut tth
hem .
an
ab
Even if you have to give away a few for
free to start out with, this is a great way to
get some buzz going. (Plus, as I said
above, it's a marketing expense, so track
your costs.) So, if you decide to go that
route, think of people you know who work
with a lot of others, and/or in a place
where there a lot of customers who might
see your handy work. Could be a hospital
nurse friend, a receptionist at some decentsized business, maybe a bank teller, a
worker in a local gym, a car salesman...
anything, really. Then ask that person if you
can deliver one of your bouquets to the
office along with some dressing, some paper
plates/napkins, and a stack of business
cards for yourself.
By the way, you absolutely must have business cards. Otherwise, how will people find
you? A super-great way to do that is at
an g
et 250 c
a rds ffo
or
ca
ge
ca
VistaPrint.com. Yo u c
under $6. (The cards are free, but the shipping is a few bucks.) They also have more
expensive options, of course.
Another great way to start the ball rolling
f a st w
o uld b
e b
y jjo
o in
in
g B
N I ((w
w hic
h
wo
be
by
inin
ing
BN
ich
sta nd s ffo
or B
usin
e ss N
e tw o rkin
g IIn
nte r naBu
ine
Ne
ing
tio na l). These are local networking groups
into which they allow just one of each type
of business locally. So, for example, each
local BNI group might have one accountant,
one lawyer, one real estate agent, one florist, etc. The groups usually meet once per
week (or thereabouts) for breakfast. The
whole purpose of these meetings is to share
what you do with the others in the room
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31
(you usually get 30-60 seconds to introduce yourself to everyone and give your
spiel), and then everyone takes turns
referring business to each other. I’ve been
to many of these meetings over the past
few decades. Something as novel as
Ve g gie B
o uq ue ts w
o uld lliikely g
oo
v er
Bo
wo
go
ov
amazingly well.
may want to prepare some press releases to
send out to local papers. On the next page,
I ’m in
clu din
g a ssa
amp
o r m at a
nd ttex
ex
inc
ing
mplle ffo
an
extt
de scriptio n tth
ha t y
ou c
an u
yo
ca
usse! To start, go
ahead and grab the main picture from the
Veggie Bouquet book page:
Another time-honored business builder is
advertising. For these, of course, you’re
going to want to keep to a budget. Fortunately, most of your target market will be
your local area -- and costs for local
(v e rsu s rre
e g i o n a l) a
dv e r ti sin
g a
ad
ing
arre u
ussu al ly
much less. Many areas have local papers,
local magazines, small classified advertising circulars, etc. In my area, we have a
weekly circular called the Penny Saver.
Ads are generally very affordable in these,
as many people use them for announcing
garage sales and selling household items.
Just right-click on the picture and select
“copy,” then paste it into your word processing document at the top. Then below that,
include the press release text found on the
following page (customized / edited to your
liking and your situation). For this example,
the person’s name will be Mary Smith, and
her business will be called Mary's Bouquets.
o n’ t h
av e tto
oa
ct u a l l y
(Don’t worry, y ou d
do
ha
ac
ty p e a
he ttex
ex
o st iitt ffo
or y
ou o
n
alll tth
extt in
in.. II’’ ll p
po
yo
on
the community site for this book at:
Of course, much better than paid advertising is FREE advertising, right? So, you
So, make sure to join up so you can just copy
and paste the press release!)
http://p
u re j e e v a n .c
o m/v
e g g i e b o u qu e t
p://pu
.co
m/ve
Amazing Press Release Sample
On Next Page ...
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32
[ Samp
e le a se]
mplle P
Prre ss R
Re
I would suggest making the Veggie
Bouquet picture larger on your press
release. Try centering it atop the page
for the most dramatic visual impact.
*** F
or IIm
m m e d i at e R
elea s e ***
Fo
Re
Contact: Mary Smith, (412) 555-1212
ema i l: [email protected]
web: http://TastyBouquets.blogspot.com
New L
o ca l C
omp
a ny O
di ble ““V
Veg g i e B
ouquets
Lo
Co
mpa
Off fe rs 100% E
Ed
Bo
ts””
For local culinary wizard Mary Smith, business is ... blooming! Mary just launched Tasty Bouquets, a
novelty service that’s one part traditional florist, one part health food deliery service, and two parts
fun. Tasty Bouquets crafts 100% edible floral bouquets using all sorts of interesting vegetables and
greens. Rutabaga flowers, carrot roses, and bok choy greenery are just some of the deliciously fun
features you’ll find on a Tasty Bouquet.
“There’s something magical about them,” Mary explains. “If someone says, ‘Let’s eat some raw vegetables,’ many people just ignore it. But, if someone says, ‘Hey, here’s a rose made out of an heirloom
carrot,’ people say ‘Cool, let me try that!’ ”
Smith says that the bouquets are surprisingly popular with children, many of whom are known to
shun veggies in favor of less nutritious snacks. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one
of the primary recommendations for increasing vegetable consumption among children is to simply
“make vegetables more appealing.” (Source: The USDA's web site at MyPyramid.gov).
But what’s most striking is the appearance. “Each one is a work of art, really,” says Mary. “I try to make
these look as much like a real floral bouquet as possible. They’re so gorgeous, many people don’t
want to eat them! But, I insist that they do.”
For further information about Tasty Bouquets, call Mary Smith at (111) 222-3333 or visit
TastyBouquets.blogspot.com.
# # #
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You’re going to want to do two things with
this information: First, as we stated
er v e a
o ur m
a in P
R
above, thi s w
wii ll sse
ass y
yo
ma
PR
piece. Now, feel free to spruce it up a bit
and customize it for your purposes and
local area. But, leave the formatting pretty
much as shown. The press likes to see
contact information, a headline, a few
paragraphs, and then your contact information again. (Leave those three pound
symbols -- standard for press releases -for a more professional look.)
hi s c
an sse
er v e
ca
Second, w ith a ffe
e w ttw
w e ak s, tth
a n dy p
or y
ou .
ha
prro m o tion al ffllye r ffo
yo
as a h
One handy trick for making flyers is to
leave room at the bottom so that you can
print your name and phone number many
times. Then cut between them so that,
when you tack the flyers up on bulletin
boards, people can tear off little pieces of
the flyer with your name and number preprinted. (You’ve seen that sort of thing
here and there, right?)
Now, in the sample PR / flyer piece, we
definitely mentioned a web site. This of
course begs the question: Do I really need
aw
e b ssiite? W
el l , n
o. But, notice in that
we
We
no.
example that I put down a fictitious address that pointed to a site called Blogger.
Now, that tastybouquets.blogspot.com
site isn’t real. But, the blogspot.com site
certainly is real. And you can use it to
build a blo g ffo
yo
or y
ourse lf ffo
o r ffrre e. It’s beyond
the scope of this article to teach you how to
o gge r.c
om (or
do that. But, you can go to Bl
Blo
.co
blogspot.com -- same site), and follow the
super-easy instructions. In no time, you can
come up with your very own blog for free
t h at c
a n sse
er ve a
o ur ssiite. Mainly, after all,
ca
ass y
yo
all you really need is some sort of online,
web-accessible address where you can post
your contact information along with pictures of what you do.
R e m e mb e r : P
ic
ic
ic
Pic
ictture s, p
pic
icttu re s, p
pic
ictture s!
This is what will sell veggie bouquets.
Another great thing about a blog site is that
it’s really a great format for displaying your
im
ey
ou d
oab
o uqu e t, II’’d
work. Ea ch ttim
ime
yo
do
bo
recommend taking a snapshot, and then
po stin
g iitt tto
oy
o ur b
ing
yo
bllo g. You don’t need to
say who it was for, or how much it cost. Just
the picture and maybe your thoughts on
how it came out would be fine. (Your contact
information -- name, email address, phone,
etc., can all be on the sidebar of your blog
pages.) It’s pretty easy to set all of this up,
too. You just need to invest a little time into
learning that free system.
Okay, so let’s get back to discussing the
pro m o tio na l ffllye r, w
hic
h w
as e
wh
ich
wa
essse nti a lly
t h at p
e l e a se w
e w ttw
w e ak s m
a de
prre ss rre
wiith a ffe
ma
to iit.
t. If you have a color printer, that’s great!
If not, you may want to look into a local
o m/v
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34
Kinko’s or something, as you’re going to
want to print out a nice stack of these to
use as marketing flyers. You can then keep
some at home, and another big stack in
your car. As you make your way around
your local community, take advantage of
many free advertising opportunities out
there. You can often hang flyers on community bulletin boards, in many grocery
stores, in libraries, and other places.
Some people may think that a local florist
is your competition, right? I mean, maybe
florists won’t like seeing what they may
oe
interpret as competitors. But, it d
doe
oessn't
hav e tto
ob
e llii ke tth
hi s! T
e: F
be
Trru st m
me:
Fllo ri sts
w il l llo
o v e tth
hi s p
prro duct. But they’re busy
enough keeping and managing real flowers to want to expand their business to
offer such a specialized, high-end product.
So, instead of competing with them,
c o n si d e r p
a rt n e rin
g w
hem .
pa
ing
wiith tth
This can be a hugely rewarding additional
marketing push for you. Once you have
your promotional flyers ready, approach
all of the florists in your area and explain
what it is that you want to do. Tell them
that, if they offer these bouquets to their
customers, then they can charge a premium for them over and above what
y ou c
h arge tth
hem . Y
ou m
ay o
hem a
ch
Yo
ma
off fe r tth
bit of a discount as well, since they will
be d
oin
gm
o st o
he sse
e llin
g ffo
or y
ou . But,
do
ing
mo
off tth
ing
yo
florists are usually accustomed to charging
relatively high prices for their bouquets.
Experienced ones will recognize that this is
something special and merits a much higher
price. So, I think the chances are fairly good
that you will be able to forge partnerships
with a lot of the florists in your area.
Another bonus to approaching florists now
is that the likelihood of anyone else in your
area already doing this is pretty low. So, you
have an opportunity to lock yourself in as
"the" source for veggie bouquets in the
a rea .
For further inspiration, definitely look to the
way that florists market their services. W ha t
do y
o u sse
ee w
hen y
ou w
a lk in
yo
wh
yo
wa
intto a ffllow e r
s hop -- o
o r tth
ha t m
a tte r, tth
he H
a llm
ar k
orr, ffo
ma
Ha
lma
Ca
ou g
o t iitt -- sse
e a so na l
Carrd a
aii sle o
off a ssttore? Y
Yo
go
and event-themed merchandise! So, this is
yet another way that you can tailor your
veggie bouquet business. Here’s an example:
Create special bouquets for special events.
Christmas coming up? Use a lot of red and
greens in your bouquets. Easter coming up?
Use a basket instead of a colander for your
bouquet base. You're only limited by your
imagination!
Also, if you create special baskets and special
themed bouquets, that gives you a reason
to stay in touch with your customer base
and your potential buyers year round.
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35
Drop them emails (with pictures if you
have them) of your newest creations from
time to time. Since this is so unique and
interesting, people will look forward to
each of your new creations!
might make a similar arrangement with a
local club, school, library, or other facility
where you might have some sort of existing
connection. Again, that’s only if this becomes a problem.
As a final note, I'll mention one caveat
related to selling Veggie Bouquets as a
business: Your local health code. As you
expand your business, you most definitely
will want to look into any local requirements you may be subject to in terms of
the health code.
As in any business, you’re going to hit
bumps along the way. And, you’re going to
have to put in extra effort -- especially at
first -- in setting all of the “infrastructure”
up. That just means, basically, all of your
systems, suppliers, marketing literature,
flyers, email messages such as the one I
posted above, kitchen procedures, and all of
the details. And, you’re going to need to
work to build your customer base. But, the
possibilities for success are, quite hone stly, llim
im
imiitle ss.
Preparing food, even if it’s just vegetables,
may well fall under these types of regulations, and you want to make sure that you
stay legal (as with any business). So, definitely look into this. And, if you do find
that there are special requirements for
such businesses, don’t be discouraged. Just
remember to look at such situations
with all of the creativity that goes into
making veggie bouquets in the first
place. I've heard of a few people who
started food-related companies, and have
heard a few tales of frustration. But, there’s
usually a solution. In one cases I heard of
where the health code presented a problem, the people selling the food made
arrangements with a local church to
borrow the church’s kitchen (which was up
to code) while preparing the bouquets. You
If you’re doing Veggie Bouquets as a business, I wish you all the success in the world!
Be sure to keep in touch with us via the
sp e c i a l V
e ggi e B
o uqu e ts o
nlin
e c
o mmuVe
Bo
on
ine
co
nity where you can share ideas and tips
with others around the world!
So, what are you waiting for?! Get started
now and have a blast!
Jim Dee
[email protected]
PureJeevan.com
Facebook.com/RawFood
o m/v
at h tt p://p
p://pu
.co
m/ve
www.PureJeevan.com
online at http://
36
About Pur
e Jee
van
Pure
Jeev
T
h e ssu
un ssh
ne rg y a
nd tth
he c
o ur tth
he ir rra
ain d
ow n o
nto tth
he e
a r th .
ine
en
an
cllo ud s p
po
do
on
ea
hin
e s iits
ts e
Plants absorb that energy and rain, allowing them to grow and produce even more
plants. When we consume those plants — their leaves, roots, fruits, vegetables, nuts,
and/or seeds — we are taking in the sun’s energy and the healthiest, purest filtered water in
the world. Life comes from life; nothing dead can give life. Eating raw (uncooked), live foods
is truly a vibrant way to live; it gives you pure life! Jeevan is the Hindi word for life. Thus,
Pure Jeevan means “pure life.”
o r ttrran sfor min
g
Founded in 2006 by Wendi Dee, Pure Jeevan offers a h oli stic ap
app
ing
pro a ch ffo
yo urse lf ! Wendi and her husband Jim, both enthusiastic raw foodists, are
committed to sharing their personal paths of change (in body, mind,
spirit, and emotion) and to offering inspiration for others during their
own transformations. Life isn’t stagnant; let’s all continually make
changes that move us into a more authentic way of living, loving, and
sharing.
cre a se d
inc
Since launching Pure Jeevan, Wendi and Jim have st ea di ly in
o mmitm e nt tto
o sse
er v in
g tth
h e rra
aw a
n d lliiv in
g ffo
ood s c
o mm unity.
co
ing
an
ing
co
th e ir c
In 2008, plans were put into motion to transition Pure Jeevan, along
with its many wonderful goals and visions for the future, into a fulltime effort for both of them. As of this writing, they’re closer than ever to
embarking on that exciting path.
Along the way, Pure Jeevan has launched and maintained a number of va lu ab le rre
e s ou r c e s
meant to assist other raw foodists, from newcomers through lifelong practitioners. These
resources include:
B
B
a web site at ww w.P
.Pu
eJe
.co
ureJ
e e v a n .c
o m, dedicated to information about raw foods
ureJ
e e va n .c
om/b
a blog at w ww.P
.Pu
eJe
.co
m/bllog featuring raw foods articles 5x/week!
>>> continued >>>
o m/v
at h tt p://p
p://pu
.co
m/ve
www.PureJeevan.com
online at http://
37
B
B
B
o ur F
o o d” video series, on YouTube and through the Pure Jeevan blog
Yo
Fo
the “ Kn o w Y
awD
ir
e cto r y.c
o m , a free raw food directory
the All Raw Directory at ww w.A
.AlllR
lRa
wDir
ire
.co
and several other major projects being worked on!
In addition, Pure Jeevan has given retreats, hosted raw food meetup groups, and offered
informational Q&A presentations. They participate in many online raw food communities
and continually field questions from
readers and friends about the raw
food lifestyle. Wendi and Jim are
thrilled beyond words to be very
close to expanding Pure Jeevan’s
outreach more than ever — and this
eBook is one small part of that! They
don’t do things in small ways, so
expect a lot and they promise to do
their best to meet your expectations.
Offered to you with love,
We n di D
ee
De
Jim Dee
k
We ndi D
e e: [email protected]
De
Jim Dee: [email protected]
o m/v
at h tt p://p
p://pu
.co
m/ve
www.PureJeevan.com
online at http://
38
notes
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o m/v
at h tt p://p
p://pu
.co
m/ve
www.PureJeevan.com
online at http://
39
Pur
e Jee
van
Pure
Jeev
www
.Pur
eJee
van.com
www.Pur
.PureJee
eJeev

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