-------------

1st Agriculture Column: Gearing up for Spring

The following is the first in a series of columns on Agriculture in the Southern Tier, written by Chemung and Schuyler County Agriculture Advocate Alicia Dickinson.

WATKINS GLEN, April 30 -- Vegetables are an important source of nutrients in all diets because they are healthy as well as delicious, but not all consumers are knowledgeable of where their vegetables come from.

Chemung and Schuyler Counties have a large number of greenhouses that produce locally grown vegetables, so a small group of these greenhouse owners were interviewed to give you a glimpse of what goes into “Gearing Up for Spring” and producing our food.

The owners of Muddy Fingers farm in Hector N.Y, Matthew Glenn and Liz Martin, gave me a look into how a Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA program, works. CSA is a great way to support your local farmers and feed your families healthy, fresh and local vegetables.

The basics of a CSA are this: a farm offers a certain number of "shares” of its produce for the year to the public. Typically the share consists of vegetables or cut flowers and fruit, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share and in return receive a box, bag or basket of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.

The owners of Muddy Fingers germinate their plants by using horse manure. “We have found a way to combine sustainable agriculture and home-grown vegetables,” Liz said while we were looking at their greenhouse.

“This is great for the environment and a great way to reuse horse manure," added Matt. "This means that we do not have to keep our greenhouses as warm, and we use fewer materials to heat the greenhouse for the plants.”

Muddy Fingers can be contacted in a number of different ways: by phone at (607) 546-4535; by email at maglenn_1990@yahoo.com, or through a Blog at muddyfingersfarm.blogspot.com. Or you can research their CSA at http://www.localharvest.org/csa/M8832.

If you have any questions for Matt or Liz or are interested in their CSA (spots are filling up fast) feel free to contact them. You can also visit them at the following Farmers Markets: Watkins Glen on Fridays from 3-7 p.m. starting the last Friday in May; Corning on Thursdays from 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. starting the first Thursday in June; and at Elmira Grove Park on Mondays from 4-7 p.m. starting the first Monday in June. They will also have transplants for sale.

Stillman’s Greenhouse, located on State Rt. 14 in Montour Falls, NY has been a staple of the gardening community for many years. It provides many of the local gardeners with the transplants that will fill their gardens as spring warms up. Stillman's is growing plants right now ranging from onions and leeks to patio and hanging basket tomatoes; both are a great way to have fresh vegetables with only a small amount of space.

Stillman’s also has many types of tomatoes. It has been exploring heirloom tomatoes for some years due to customers’ interest in fresh, new flavors and variety.

“Along with the older heritage and different flavors," says Sharie Beaver, co-owner of Stillman’s with her husband, Stan, "one of the best things about the heirloom tomato is the names they have. Some examples are ‘Kellogg’s Breakfast’ with a bright orange color; ‘Green Zebra’ which has green strips, and ‘Brandy Wine’ which is a rich, dark pink.”

Stillman’s is also unique in the fact that it sells peppers in a six-color pack. You buy one pack of peppers but will have six plants of different colors.

“Eating vegetables that are a variety of colors is very good for you, and this is a great way to have it right in your back yard,” said Sharie as we were examining her growing pepper plants.

Currently Stillman’s is gearing up its plants for transplants, and when they are big enough they will be moved into a consumer pot. Once the weather starts to warm up, go check out Stillman’s for your gardening needs. It also has a flower shop, gardening supply store, and a country store, all of which have a great selection of high-quality items.

Sharie said she feels that one of her jobs as a greenhouse owner and a gardener herself is to teach other people about gardening and to help them start right when planting their gardens. If you want to stop and check out Stillman’s, the address is 251 State Route 14, Montour Falls NY, 14865, or visit their website at www.stillmansgreenhouse.com.

They are open year-round.

Photo in text: The column author, Alicia Dickinson, Chemung and Schuyler Agriculture Advocate