Five weeks, 88 grapevine wreaths and 1,000 blown and embossed eggs later, students from Davis High School’s FFA program will finally reap the rewards of their labor when their spring wreaths go on sale Saturday at the Davis Farmers Market.

The wreaths were handmade by students, parents and teachers, and feature a stunning array of colored eggs, ribbons and spring decorations. The wreaths will sell for $20 or $25 each depending on size, with all funds raised going to the FFA Booster Club at DHS, which provides funds for students to travel to FFA competitions and conventions, as well as to purchase animals.

Dixon-based Vega Farms donated 540 eggs for the project and FFA members purchased the remainder.

DHS junior Amelia Crary said students used an assembly line for the time-intensive process of preparing the eggs. First, they poked a small hole in the shell of each raw egg and blew out the insides. Then they cleaned, embossed and baked each egg. The resulting colors range from a deep magenta to sparkly silver to forest green and every color in between.

“It was really fun to see the colors that turned out,” Crary said.

The grapevine, donated by UC Davis, was shaped into wreaths by students and then it was just a matter of letting the creative juices flow, choosing from eggs, ribbon, moss and other decorations. Since many of the FFA students have been in the floral design class at Davis High, they’re old hands at this sort of thing.

“You pick whatever you like and whatever matches and whatever you think will sell,” explained student Cassie Miguel as she worked on a wreath featuring shades of pinks and purples.

In addition to completed wreaths, the students also will sell wreath kits at the Farmer’s Market, with customers able to choose eggs and ribbons to take home and make their own wreaths.

Also on sale will be baskets full of colorful eggs, egg ornaments and more.

The fact that FFA students are able to have a booth at the Farmers Market is pretty unique, said Dorothy Peterson, president of the Davis Farmers Market Foundation.

“This is the only farmers market that has a process for schools to be vendors and keep the profits,” she said, explaining that projects that fall under the Davis Farm to School mission — such as gardening and agriculture — can participate.

Peterson was one of those on hand on a recent Sunday afternoon to make the wreaths at the home of FFA Booster Club member Sally Albertson. Also there was DHS ag teacher and FFA adviser Alex Hess, who said fundraising like this is critical for FFA students to do the many projects they do. So are the boosters.

“Without them, I don’t know what we’d do,” he said.

— Reach Anne Ternus-Bellamy at [email protected] or (530) 747-8051. Follow her on Twitter at @ATernusBellamy

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Handmade wreaths will be sold at Saturday’s Farmers Market to raise money for Davis High School’s Future Farmers of America chapter. Sue Cockrell/Enterprise photo

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Amelia Crary arranges some of the wreaths that were made by FFA students. Sue Cockrell/Enterprise photo

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Some of the 1,000 eggs that were blown and decorated are incorporated into wreath designs by Eva Dicker, left, Ashley Dufresne, seated and Amelia Crary. Sue Cockrell/Enterprise photo

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Sue Cockrell/Enterprise photo

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