Bring spring and summer inside your home with the help of the talented florists at Major Market. Their experienced staff can make fragrant, beautiful arrangements with their vast selection of flowers.

“We have the biggest inventory of imported and local grown product in town,” said Kerry Doney, floral manager for Major Market. Doney has worked in the floral department for over 18 years, and 16 years of her tenure have been as floral manager.

Their exceptional inventory includes premium fresh flowers and potted plants. A blend of extraordinary inventory and talented florists creates the recipe for floral beauty.

The floral department at Major Market is quite unique, said Doney. Although their floral department is located in a grocery store, make no mistake about it, they are a full service florist specializing in floral arrangements for any occasion.

“We do anything and everything,” Doney confirmed.

The Major Market Floral Department has earned a distinguished reputation as one that can create everything from the exclusive, elaborate, and exotic, to the trendy, or desired traditional arrangements. .

Whether the flowers are for a wedding, funeral, party, birthday, quinceniera, or any other special occasion, Doney and her associates perform pure floral magic.

“One of the nice things about us is that you can give us a budget and we can work around it,” said Doney. “We start our arrangements at $20.”

Even when working within a tight budget, this team has a way to make each arrangement special, lovely and fragrant. “What makes a great arrangement is in the eye of the beholder,” Doney said.

With FTD and Teleflora affiliations, Major Market can send flowers anywhere and happily deliver locally.

“Our floral department is something that continues to be popular in the market because we have so many options,” said Doney. Many shoppers find it easy to take care of their floral needs with an easy stop by the store.

“We always suggest that people call ahead and order just so that something gets made specifically for their needs,” said Doney. However, if pre-ordering isn’t possible, the Major Market cooler offers lots of floral goodies.

“We have a cooler full of arrangements, a big selection of potted plants, fresh cut arrangements, and fresh cut bouquets, which are locally grown,” added Doney.

Aside from the lovely floral arrangements, the florists at Major Market are known for their professionalism and personalized customer service. Listening to the customer is something Doney says is priority. “A lot of things are involved in every order,” she noted.

In addition to floral arrangements, they also offer a fantastic gift basket program, said Doney. Being located in a grocery store means access to an array of basket items, including spirits. A customer can either shop for the items themselves or place an order with the floral department.

“You can bring me a basket, or we have them in stock; we have zillions of baskets,” she said.

The florists at Major Market guarantee beautiful, fresh arrangements, and attractive gift baskets. Their dedication and attention to detail is destined to make any event memorable.

Major Market is located at 845 South Main Street. To contact the floral department, call (760) 723-0857.

FALLBROOK — On Tuesday, June 13, Sam Logan of Major Market was commended for his contributions to Fallbrook Village Rotary’s efforts in supplying their “Adopted Battalion,” Combat Logistic Battalion 5 (CLB5), which is presently deployed in Iraq, with items not available through the military.

Mr. Logan helped the club, through Major Market, to purchase items available in his store at a very reasonable price. The items purchased in Major Market made up the majority of the items, with which club members filled 28 boxes destined for shipment to CLB5. These are items are not normally furnished by the military and included dehydrated soups, juices and batteries, to mention a few items. Without Sam Logan and Major Market’s help, the club says this project could not have been accomplished.

$60,000 in contributions in 2007 alone

FALLBROOK — By November, Major Market, hometown grocers to Fallbrook, Bonsall and Escondido, will have been giving back to the North County communities for 20 years!

“We love to support our local communities, especially when it involves children,” said Sam Logan, partner and vice president. “We especially enjoy partnering with schools, churches and nonprofits to help them grow.”

Two of the successful ways that local organizations can take advantage of Major Market’s generosity are by cashing in on the “Reach For the Stars” program, in which the market gives back one percent of the total register receipts collected, and the Scrip program, which allows up to a seven-percent return on the organization’s purchases.

These discounts can add up to thousands of dollars for an organization. Last year in Scrip alone, Major Market sold $447,280 and gave back $30,343 to the following local organizations: St. Peter’s Catholic Church and School, Potter Junior High School, Zion Lutheran Church and School, Fallbrook United Methodist Church, St. Timothy’s Catholic Church, VFW, Brown Volleyball, Grace Lutheran Church, St. Mary’s Church and School, First United Methodist Church, San Marcos Community Youth, St. Stephen’s Catholic Church, Escondido Christian Church, First Congregational Church, Escondido Adventist, the Fallbrook Beautification Alliance, Fallbrook Youth Soccer, Christ The King Lutheran Church, Bonsall Woman’s Club, Baha’i Faith, Fallbrook Football Boosters, Fallbrook Montessori School, Sullivan Middle School, Calvary Chapel, Fallbrook Presbyterian Church and Soroptimist of Fallbrook.

The “Reach For the Stars” discount gave back $32,784 to the Assistance League of Escondido, Bernardo Elementary, Bonsall Women’s Club, California Retired Teachers, Calvary Chapel of Fallbrook, Children’s Hospital Escondido Unit, Christ The King Youth Group, Community Lutheran Preschool, Fallbrook High School Cheer, Fallbrook United Methodist Preschool, Fallbrook Woman’s Club, Fallbrook Child Development Center, Fallbrook Chorale, Fallbrook Community Baptist, Fallbrook Food Pantry, Fallbrook High School Choral Boosters, Fallbrook High School Gymnastics, Fallbrook Hospital Auxiliary, Fallbrook Land Conservancy, Fallbrook Methodist School, Fallbrook Presbyterian Church, Fallbrook senior citizens, First Church of Religious Science, Grace Lutheran School, Kiwanis Club of Fallbrook, La Paloma PTA, VFW Ladies Auxiliary, Live Oak Elementary School, Living Waters Christian Fellowship, LR Green Educational Foundation, Maie Ellis Elementary School, MOPS/REFC, North County Quilters Association, PEO Chapter B, PEO Chapter WL (Escondido), PEO Sisterhood Chapter IV, PEO WK Chapter, Potter East Coast Trip, RC Hospital Auxiliary of Escondido, Reche Community Club, Soroptimist of Fallbrook, St. Stephen Lutheran School, St. Mary’s School, St. Peter’s Academy, St. Stephen Catholic Church, William H. Frazier Elementary and Zion Lutheran School.

“Major Market is glad to provide these great programs,” Logan said. “If you would like to team up with us to earn money for your organization, please contact us.”

For more information on using Major Market programs for fundraising, call Ann Logan or Kelcie Abeyta at the corporate office at (760) 723-7306.

It was very exciting when I discovered that Major Market is stocking several different Christmas items from various European countries. Some of these items, such as Christmas crackers from England, I have previously had to purchase at out-of-town import shops. The manager said that more Christmas items would be in stock after Thanksgiving.

Speaking of Christmas crackers, the store carries the Tom Smith brand. Tom Smith lived in London in the mid-1800s and is the inventor of the Christmas cracker, which be began to market in 1847.

The cracker is an elongated party favor that is covered in colored foil and makes a cracking sound when both ends are pulled at the same time. Traditionally, the crackers contain a tissue paper hat, which usually looks like a paper crown, and a “motto,” which can be a witty saying or joke.

The crackers also contain a small favor such as a plastic ring or comb. However, the more expensive Tom Smith Christmas crackers that are stocked at Major Market contain more useful metal favors such as pens, key rings and tape measures. On the back of the box it shows what you can expect in your cracker.

Other items from England are the pink and white “sugar mice.” Not familiar with sugar mice? They are mice-shaped sugar lollypops that were very popular in Victorian England. Children were delighted to find them in their Christmas stockings. The Major Market sugar mice have a harder exterior with a softer sugar center and taste a bit like a softer version of rock candy.

Weissella gingerbread cookies from Germany are soft cookies with a soft white sugar glaze on the top and bottom. These airy cookies are made with small bits of almonds, cashews, walnuts and hazelnuts. Bits of orange peel give the cookies a citrus flavor and minced apricots and figs add to the delicious mélange. This is definitely one cookie to be savored.

The Lambertz company in Germany has been making pfeffernüsse cookies since 1688 and now, more than 300 years later, we can find them at Major Market! The cookies are lighter and moister than other imported pfeffernüsse I have tasted.

Pfeffernüsse are traditionally made with ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, anise and a bit of pepper. The name of the cookie means “peppernuts” in German. The Lambertz pfeffernüsse cookie has a heavier ginger flavor and a delicate licorice flavor, probably from the anise. These delicious cookies are frosted all around with a white sugar glaze.

Scotland exports many varieties of shortbread biscuits and the Border brand is one of the best I have tasted. The cookies are billed as “All Butter,” which seems to make a difference in the flavor.

The recipes used are traditional and these in the “Legends Collection” are made with glacé cherries. The box I chose was the “Legend of the Loch Ness,” which shows the Castle Urquhart and “Nessy” poking its head out of the lake. It would make a cute no-wrap or clear-wrap gift for Christmas.

Delightful candy canes found at Major Market aren’t from Europe, but from a little closer to home: Denver, Colorado. They are made by Hammond’s Candies, who have been cooking candy since 1920. The canes are handmade and come in various flavors such as cinnamon, apple pie, peppermint and strawberry. I tried the cinnamon and it tasted fresh and delicious.

Other international finds

• Whiskey fudge from Scotland in an attractive tin

• German stollen with raisins – some are packaged in boxes with Christmas scenes

• Brandy butter from England

• Tiptree Mincemeat in a jar from England

• Walker’s Mincemeat Tarts from Scotland

• Walker’s Fruit Cake from Scotland

• Brandy Christmas Pudding from England

• Foil-wrapped chocolate tree decorations in the shape of bells and Christmas presents from Germany

• Clotted cream biscuits from England

• Cadbury Dairy Milk bars in Christmas stockings from England

• Asbach chocolate liqueur candy with brandy filling from Germany

• Chocolate Santas from Germany

• Chocolate Santa advent calendars from Germany