Janowski Gardens

A Great Corn Season!

2011-08-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

Mr. Mini Mirai

Hello,

Well its August and we are in the middle of a great corn season. If you haven’t tried it yet - try our "Mr. Mini Mirai" corn (pronounced “ma-rah-ee”) in a special bin on the table in our farm stand.

Mr. Mini Mirai is a small-eared, specialty high quality, gourmet sweet corn. It is the very BEST that we grow. Very tender and delicious. Try it and you won't go back.

In our farm stand today we have our regular blue-ribbon-winning "Delectable" corn, our even better Mirai corn, green peppers, tomatoes by the piece or by the bushel, the tail end of our "Superstar" & "Atlantis" melons, cabbage and lettuce.

Tomorrow, Thursday, August 18 we will be the “Guest Vendor” at Elmira’s Wisner Market. You can find us in our old spot right across from Vincenzo’s Pizza from 10am-2pm.

Summer is in Full Swing.

2011-08-02T04:56:00.000-07:00

Finally that awful heat is gone. That was too hot.

Summer is in full swing at Janowski Gardens. In our farm stand we have corn, new potatoes, cabbage, mixed lettuce, yellow and zucchini squash, basil, parsley, flamingo peppers, and melons are just starting.

Here’s a dinner idea for tonight….new potatoes in a butter and parsley sauce. Just heavenly. Nothing better.

Pickle Dreams

2011-07-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Well, it’s been a rough week. My dreams of pickle stardom have been destroyed. I have been working hard on my blue-ribbon pickle recipe for the Chemung County Fair for the past 10 months (the fair is in 2 weeks). So I printed off the entry rules for canned goods only to find out that pickles are not judged by taste - they are judged by LOOKS only. They don’t even open the jars to smell them. What?!

I will just have to know in my heart that I have excellent pickles, ribbon or no ribbon. My secret ingredients are brown sugar and apple cider vinegar. We need a local Pickle Festival.

The better news is that we have CORN - not a whole lot yet, but enough for whomever gets it first. Also in our farm stand we have green and yellow beans, zucchini and summer squash, all kinds of lettuce, basil, parsley, cucumbers and pickle cucumbers, and zinnias.

Melons are coming along nicely as are peppers. The tomato crop is looking great, too. We have resorted to irrigation as the ground is really dry.

"We Grow What We Sell"

Hurray, it rained!

2011-07-07T06:49:00.000-07:00

Hurray, it rained last night! It has been very dry and this will be great for everything.
After an unusual spring, summer is going much better. Beans are just starting. Corn is coming soon. Tomatoes are big and green, and the melons are coming along nicely. The peppers are in blossom.

In our farm stand today we have cucumbers, pickles, lettuces, mixed greens, swiss chard, and yellow beans.

This weekend is the Hammondsport Outdoor Art Show. If you want to go on a day trip - come on up. I will be showing paintings of Janowski Gardens -- made from our own dirt!
This one is called “Left Barn”….

The flood sign has been repainted!

2011-06-24T14:26:00.000-07:00

Peppers, peppers, and more peppers!

2010-09-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

Hello Folks,

Ok, my freezer is filled to capacity. There are at least a bushel of peppers, sweet, hot, and jalapenos, edamame, tomato sauce, and okra crammed in there – and it is just a regular Sears refrigerator. We are ready for the winter – hopefully, without any power outages.

Now is the time to freeze peppers. It’s very easy and you will thank me for suggesting it.

Just wash them, cut them open, get out the seeds, and slice or chop them the way you want them. Then put them into freezer bags. Come January and you want a pepper and onion sandwich they will be great. Frozen peppers work fine for pizza, pasta, and in anything cooked. Not good if you want them fresh in a salad, but good for everything else. Not that Wegman’s peppers aren’t good but they can cost $3 a piece in the winter. I do suggest rubber gloves if you are freezing our Italian hot peppers or jalapenos. Both will burn your hands. I always freeze jalapenos two ways – sliced and halved the long way. Slices work great if you need some extra heat but not too much heat. I throw in slices in anything. I half them the long way for baked chile rellenos. Then fill them with mozzarella or cream cheese, cover with bread crumbs and bake until bubbly and brown.

If you haven’t tried our hot peppers this summer they are HOTTER than usual. Must have been the weather.

Ours have great flavor right now and we have them by the bushel, ½ bushel, or basket. So come and get some!

Barn painting - It's rough going!

2010-09-07T15:58:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to paint!

2010-08-27T04:36:00.000-07:00

It's Melon Time!

2010-08-20T10:57:00.000-07:00

Melons, melons, and more melons. If you haven’t noticed yet it’s been a great year for them and they are huge. We grow “Superstar” melons… “lusciously flavorful and tantalizingly aromatic fruit.” Traditional cantaloupe-colored flesh is thick, dense, and sweet with ample to go around.

The great summer weather has given us excellent melons. If you really love really good melons take advantage now as they won’t be around much longer.

Mirai corn

2010-08-13T04:02:00.000-07:00

Hello folks,

Last time I told you about our prize-winning “Delectable” corn.

Today in our farm stand we have our even better corn “Mirai” pronounced mah-rah-ee. It means “taste of the future” in Japanese.

Mirai? What is it?

Well in one simple word - it’s different. It’s a new class of sweet corn. Supersweet types (SH2) have high sugar for shipping but are tough and do not have good corn flavor. Sugar Extenders types (SE) are very tender and have good flavor but are not sweet and sugary. Types (SU) have old-time sweet corn flavor but are not tender or sweet. Combining these 3 types of sweet corn give Mirai customers their truly unique, one-of-a-kind “Mirai Experience” of the best taste, flavor and texture available in sweet corn today. It can even be eaten raw.

The kind that we grow is “Mr. Mini Mirai” a small but well-formed yellow variety. Look for it in a special bin in our stand.

It is our best corn.

Best week of the summer!

2010-08-07T04:19:00.000-07:00

Hello Folks,

I am writing this newsletter with butter on my lips.

This is it! The most perfect week of the summer. Our “Delectable” corn is at its peak. Come over right NOW for our best corn of the summer. Denny and I just finished a half-dozen for dinner tonight. You will see why we got the blue ribbon at the fair. Oh my gosh.

The summer heat has made everything great. Tomatoes are perfect. Peppers are perfect. Melons, too.

I am not kidding. Come over now and get some.

Chemung County Fair blue ribbons!

2010-08-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

Hello folks,

Janowski Gardens won some prizes at the Chemung County Fair during the judging on Monday. We won blue ribbons for our “Delectable” corn, red cabbage and cranberry beans. We won a red ribbon for our black-eye peas and pickling cucumbers, and a yellow ribbon for cucumbers. So we’re feeling pretty good about ourselves today.

This week on the farm we have corn, tomatoes, wonderful sweet melons, peppers, potatoes, basil, parsley, beets, squash, cabbage, cucumbers and pickles.

Speaking of pickles – I’ve made my fourth batch of pickles. Mmm mm good. Here is a link to my revised pickle recipe. I should have entered these in the fair. Oh, well there is always next year.

"We Grow What We Sell"

Diane Janowski

Join us on Facebook!

First Corn of the Season

2010-07-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

Hello Folks,

Corn!

Yes, finally the first corn of the season. Denny and I each had 3½ ears for lunch and he wants more for dinner. I want beans. Today we have young tender beans – green and yellow.

This first corn is very good - the ears are small but the kernels are big. We have 9 staggered plantings of corn so far with more to come. We plant several different varieties mostly butter and sugar and also our popular gourmet-style Mr. Mirai variety. The hot nights and rain have been good.

Peppers are just starting – we will be picking soon. Sweet, Italian hot, jalapenos are all looking good. Tomatoes are coming soon. We have 4 kinds of cabbage. The St. Nicholas Ukrainian festival is July 25 from noon to 8pm. Their cabbage rolls will be made with Janowski cabbage – the food sells out by mid afternoon so go early! So keep the date.

*On Saturday July 24, we will be closing early at 4pm for a big family event. I know many of you come just before dinner but on that day please come earlier so you don’t miss out on what you need. And on the following morning it will take us a little time to get set up again.

PS I have whole plants of catnip that I am drying naturally upside down. If anyone has a need for quantities of catnip please let me know.

"We Grow What We Sell"

Diane Janowski

Pickles - Thumbs UP!

2010-07-08T09:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, the pickles came out great. Very crunchy. I might have gone too easy on the salt, but otherwise they were very good.

Pickle Experiment

2010-07-07T11:41:00.000-07:00

Hello Folks,

A Polish woman at the Ithaca Farmers’ Market reprimanded me this past Sunday for never having made pickles. She said somebody named Janowski should know how.

Fine, you want pickles; I’ll show you pickles.

Step one. Get some fresh pickling cucumbers. Decide how many jars you want to make and what kind of flavors you want on your pickles – dill, garlic, jalapeno – your choice. Today I don’t want dill - I want garlic, onions, and mustard. So get some of them and chop them up.

Step two: Sterilize jar or jars and lids for 5 minutes – in my case I’m using a Smucker’s jar – just one this time. Be careful getting them out of the water – very hot.

Step three: Slice cucumbers into pickle spears. I sliced four but only three will fit into the jar.

Step four: Boil equal parts of vinegar and water and a dash of kosher salt. This time I used 2/3 cup plain white vinegar - maybe next time I will use something more exotic – and 2/3 cup water. Add in a dash of kosher salt. You want enough liquid to cover the pickles in the jar.

Step five: In the jar add cucumber spears, some chopped garlic, chopped dill, or whatever you like (I used garlic, mustard seeds, and chopped onion). I got 3 cucumbers worth into the Smucker’s jar.

Step six: Pour vinegar and water over pickles. Seal, cool, shake, and refrigerate.

Step seven: Wait at least 24 hours or longer before tasting. I will try mine tomorrow for lunch. If you want to know how my pickles turned out, check out my blog tomorrow after lunch!

Zucchini!

2010-06-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

Hello Folks,

My father and I have always depended on hand signals to communicate with each other. He’s usually just too far that I can’t yell loud enough for him to hear, and on a tractor I couldn’t hear him if he yelled to me. So we learned a long time ago to understand each other’s hand signals even from a good distance. But something changed this summer – he got a cell phone. Now we can call each other from opposite sides of the farm.

Today on the farm we have beautiful beets, zucchini, yellow squash, basil, parsley, and young tender Swiss chard. Coming soon are beans and corn.

If you’re out for a Sunday drive in the Ithaca area – Janowski Gardens is over at the Ithaca Farmers’ Market every Sunday from 10-3. Come visit us.

Also you can join us on Facebook and we’ll keep you updated daily on what is available.

Thanks.

We're open for the season

2009-06-05T08:58:00.001-07:00

Janowski Gardens is open for the season with strawberries, lettuce, flower and bedding plants.

Denny and I have been doing the Ithaca Farmers' Market every Sunday from 10-3 at Steamboat Landing. We will be there until October.

Second week at the Ithaca Farmers' Market

2009-05-11T03:19:00.001-07:00

Last year we did the Ithaca Farmers' Market in Dewitt Park on Tuesdays. This year we are at the IFM on Sundays at Steamboat Landing. Yesterday was Mother's Day at the market. It was cold and windy but a great day nonetheless. We sold our wonderful spinach! See you again next Sunday.

Diane Janowski

158 geese

2008-10-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
One our our customers counted the geese in our cornfield – 158 to be exact. I tried to get a picture of them but they were suspicious of me. Well its October and we still have produce – tomatoes, beans, yellow squash, winter squash, pumpkins, Native American corn, Swiss chard, eggplant, lettuce, and onions. We had purple lettuce on our sandwiches today and it was good.

If you folks are in need of some entertainment this weekend, come on over to our house – Denny and I are, once again, on the Elmira Open Studio Tour. Denny is showing his new drawings and I am showing new films and sculpture.

Octagon Fair

2008-09-18T09:44:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
Frost tonight??? We’ll find out, but for now Janowski Gardens still has corn, tomatoes, yellow beans, squash of all kinds, radishes, potatoes, cabbage, basil, and Swiss chard.

This Saturday, September 20 is the Octagon Fair of my alma mater Elmira College and I will be signing books in the New York History Review tent. Come on over and visit me - 10:00 to 5:00, rain or shine. Hopefully shine! The Octagon Fair is located on the campus between Park Place and the Campus Center. Lots of things to do, see, hear, and eat!

All my books including the new Our Own Book – A Victorian Guide to Life and the Janowski Gardens Cookbook will be on display and available for purchase.

Perfect Corn RIGHT NOW!

2008-09-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
Hurry and enjoy summer as fast as you can. We still have PERFECT corn – at the best of the season right now, PERFECT tomatoes – the best in years – we even have them by the bushel for the first time in I can’t remember when.

Also lettuce, spinach, squash and winter squash, potatoes (in half bushels if you want), onions, Native American corn, cornstalks for decorating, radishes. We are “in between” on beans – will have more shortly.

It was a very good year for corn and tomatoes. Not good for peppers. I have been drying herbs for winter – did a whole shopping bag each of basil and parsley. Been making homemade spaghetti sauce every few days. Pretty good eating.

Heirloom Tomatoes

2008-08-24T08:57:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
This week in our farm stand we have corn, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini and yellow squash, kale, collard greens, basil and zinnias.

Our heirloom tomatoes are great – if you haven’t tried them yet, please do. They aren’t as pretty, but they sure make up in flavor and texture. We also have a trial corn – a yellow corn called “Mr. Mira.” Small plump ears with lots of yellow kernel and great flavor.

Today should be beautiful. If you’re not doing anything - the Olde Tyme Festival in Brand Park today – from 10 –5. Lots of stuff to see and do. Food, music - a swing band this afternoon, kid stuff, ice cream, and me signing books in the Janowski Gardens tent.

“We Grow What We Sell”

Mmmmm mmmmmm mmmm

2008-08-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
First, our corn, melons, and tomatoes are PERFECT right now. The perfect flavor of the summer is now. Don’t wait, get some. I’m not kidding. We had corn for lunch today. Denny’s comment was “Mmmm, mmmm mmmm.”

Second, a homemade creamy tomato sauce recipe for you. We had this last night and loved it. I’ve made this a couple of times. This is my version of a recipe in Gourmet magazine.

Creamy Tomato Sauce (enough for 1/2 pound your choice of pasta)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 really big tomatoes – pureed
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup sweet red vermouth
3/4 cup heavy cream – we use fat-free half and half
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice – I did forget this last night

Puree the tomatoes with a blender or hand blender. In a heavy skillet, heat oil, and add garlic, and oregano. Stir in vermouth and tomatoes. Add cream and lemon juice. Gourmet says to simmer 5 minutes, but I let mine simmer about 30 minutes – so anywhere in between there. Then salt and pepper to taste. Add over your choice of cooked pasta.

Third, the Olde Tyme Festival in Brand Park next week – Sunday, August 24 from 10 –5. Lots of stuff to see and do. Food, music, and me signing books in the Janowski Gardens tent. I will have copies of….

The Janowski Gardens Cookbook, of course
Our Own Book – A Victorian Guide to Life
Victorian Pride – Forgotten Songs of Central New York
Victorian Pride – Forgotten Songs of Upstate New York
Victorian Pride – Forgotten Songs of Pennsylvania
Victorian Pride – Victorian Wedding Songs
The Great Inter-State Fair, Elmira, New York 1890

Fourth, the cookbook
The cookbook will be unavailable on the website for a few weeks while it becomes the “second edition.” The original book is now the “collector’s edition.” The two differences will be that the new one will be a regular paperback – won’t have a spiral thing, but it will be available through bookstores anywhere. Everything else is the same. If you want a cookbook before the new one comes out, or prefer the spiral – which I like in a cookbook because it lies flat on your counter – please email me. I have about 40 of the spiral ones left.

This week in our farm stand we have corn, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini and yellow squash, kale, collard greens, basil and zinnias. Our giveaway this week is packets of Tony’s Creole Seasoning – use as you would salt. Denny’s and my all-time favorite seasoning. Best thing that ever happened to corn. We’re not kidding. Not hot, just flavorful. Not a salt substitute because there is a lot of salt in it, but because of all the flavors it has about half the sodium. You can’t find it locally, but there is a website listed on the back should you want some. We buy it by the case.

Brand Park Olde Tyme Festival

2008-08-08T08:48:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
It has been kind of a tough season for vegetables, weatherwise. My dad says we have had 14 inches of rain including yesterday’s brief downpours. Not good for growing peppers and tomatoes. Let’s hope for some dryer weather this month.

This week in our farm stand we have corn, onions, potatoes, a few peppers, tomatoes, zucchini and yellow squash, kale, collard greens, basil and zinnias. I just added some beautiful zinnia t-shirts (from Denny’s drawing) to our gift shop – you can get there from our website.

Coming up is the Brand Park Olde Tyme Festival on August 24. I will be doing a booksigning in the Janowski Gardens tent. I will tell you more about that next week.

Hope to see you soon.

What perfume do farmers wear?

2008-07-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,

What perfume does a farmer wear?

I found this great perfumery called Demeter Fragrance Library that makes “comfort scents” - scents based upon real life objects and experiences. My current favorite is “Dirt” - smells to me like, well, DIRT - brings back my most favorite early memories of visiting my Grampa and Father in our greenhouse in the middle of winter. Warm, green, and moist. I also wear their “Greenhouse” which doesn’t smell like our greenhouse because we never grew flowers in ours - I like to mix it with “Dirt.” I also have their “Wet Garden” which smells like April - I also mix that with “Dirt”. “Sugar Cane” smells like Louisiana - also mix it with “Dirt”. I like their “Rain” - again mixed with “Dirt”. And their “Snow” just by itself - reminds me of wet snow pants and sledding on the dike. Other ones I want to try are “Fresh Hay,” “Grass,” “Green Tomato,” “Tomato,” and “Parsley.”

They make hundreds of fragrances not just garden smells. Check them out at http://www.demeterfragrance.com

This week in our farm stand we have corn, tomatoes - including those fabulous heirlooms, zucchini and yellow squash, new potatoes, nice small cabbages, swiss chards, onions. Peppers and melons coming soon.

Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change. Visit our website if you need a map. Please pass this email on to anyone who may like it.

Our motto is "We Grow What We Sell"

New Emailers

2008-07-18T08:36:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
Welcome to our new Emailers. My goodness a lot of you joined in the last two weeks – over a 100 new addresses. Welcome. I’ll give you a brief intro into our family farm….

My name is Diane Janowski and I write this newsletter once a week or so to let you folks know what’s what on the farm. Besides working on the farm I have 4 or 5 other occupations – depends on the time of day. Anyway, this is our 135th growing season here on Esty Street. We’ve been here since 1873. I am the 5th generation. Homegrown vegetables at Janowski Gardens in 2008 will include sweet corn, cabbage, squash, potatoes, beans, strawberries, lettuce, Swiss chard, onions, collards, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and melons. Lots more family history, photos, nice slideshow, and recipes from our cookbook can be found at our website www.janowskigardens.com.

Check out our new page – “Watch our Flowers Grow” – click on the flower on the homepage. All our archived newsletters (3 years worth) are available on our Blog – off of our homepage.

We also have a vegetable hotline (recorded message) to let you know the availability of produce on any day 734-4406.

This week in our farm stand we have CORN, lettuces, beets, Swiss chard, basil, green onions, kale, collard greens, zucchini and yellow squash, and our favorite zinnias.

Tomatoes will be along soon – including those great Heirlooms.

Please pass this email on to anyone who may like it.

Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change. Visit our website if you need a map.

Japanese Beetles are here

2008-07-16T03:47:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,

Yikes, the Japanese beetles have attacked. They were interested in two things – each other, and eating my zinnias. They have calmed down since I put up 5 beetle traps. I probably caught two thousand.

This week in our farm stand we have spinach, several kinds of lettuces, mixed baby greens, beets, Swiss chard, basil, green onions, kale, collard greens, zucchini and yellow squash, zinnias. Some of you lucky people may have gotten my special mixed baby greens on Thursday - I added some beet sprouts, baby spinach, golden purslane, and one other green but I lost the label so I don’t remember its name right off hand. Corn is coming soon. Tomatoes, too - they are huge.

I started something new on the website “Watch our Flowers Grow” - you can see the progress of our zinnia crop week by week. I did start selling zinnias at the Ithaca Farmers Market this past Tuesday. Went well except it was really hot!

We Grow What We Sell

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

Farmers' Market Day

2008-07-16T03:45:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
Kind of a damp week on the farm. I went to the Big Flats Farmers’ Market yesterday and just beat the rain at 6:00 - it was a downpour.

This is an in-between week. Strawberries and peas are just about gone. Zucchini and yellow squash in about 7 days, beans in about 10 days, corn about July 14.

This week at our farm stand we have spinach, lettuce, and young beets. Our stand is open daily from dawn to dusk - although our best choices are after 9:00am.

We Grow What We Sell.

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

Strawberries!

2008-07-16T03:43:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
That was too hot. Today is quite refreshing. The rain helped a little but we have been irrigating everyday because of the dryness. Everything is growing better now.

This week at our Farm Stand we have STRAWBERRIES, an extremely limited quantity of PEAS (first-come, first-served - please no orders for peas), lettuce, mixed greens, spinach, and radishes.

We are open seven days a week – please stop by and visit us.

"We Grow What We Sell"

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

First Newsletter of 2008

2008-07-16T03:41:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,

It has been a slow spring on the farm – with the cool nights so far. This week we planted tomatoes, including those great Heirloom Tomatoes we had last year, peppers – sweet, hot, and my favorite - jalapenos, and zinnias.

We had to purchase a new New Holland tractor this past winter. It makes planting much easier.

Our first corn was ankle-high by Memorial Day. The cabbages for the St. Nicholas Ukrainian Festival are coming along nicely. The blackberry bushes are in bloom. Killdeers are making nests in the fields.

Dramatic News from Janowski Gardens!

Farm Stand News…
Our stand on Esty Street is open for business, and will be open “dawn to dusk” all through the summer. (You’ll find a better selection by about 9am.)

This week we have spinach, mixed green lettuce, and radishes. Strawberries and peas are coming soon.

2. Farmers Market News…

After 11 years, Janowski Gardens will not be returning to Wisner Market in downtown Elmira. We will concentrate our produce offering at our stand on Esty Street.

Diane has decided to sell Zinnias (only) at the Tuesday Ithaca Farmers Market in DeWitt Park, Ithaca, NY.

Please visit us at home, 517 Esty Street. Janowski Gardens is the only farm garden located within the city limits of Elmira. It’s fun for the whole family. Remember to bring exact change for the honor box.

Thank you.

Janowski Gardens

Harvest Day at Janowski Gardens

2007-10-03T05:09:00.001-07:00

Hello Elmira,
Although Wisner Market is over for the season, Janowski Gardens is still going strong. We still have plenty of vegetables for hungry Elmirans. If you’ve never been to our farm stand to see what we offer, tomorrow is your day.

Harvest Day at Janowski Gardens
Celebrate the Harvest Season with us
Thursday, October 4 from 3 to 6pm
Donuts and Cider
Seasonal produce
517 Esty Street on Elmira’s Southside

Seasonal produce this week includes corn, lettuce, spinach, mini-cabbages, collards, kale, squash – winter and summer, eggplants, Swiss chard, beans, and potatoes. We also have corn stalks, corn wreaths, pumpkins, and gourds.

The Janowski Gardens Cookbook will also be available - every recipe includes at least one ingredient that is grown in our garden. Our vegetables, fruit, and herbs can help you eat sensibly and stay healthy - and they taste GREAT, too! Enjoy our innovative, yet simple and easy to prepare recipes. I’ll be happy to sign copies.

Denny and my parents will be there, too.

So, come on over tomorrow to find Elmira’s best kept secret – check out our produce and have some donuts and cider. Here’s a link for a map to our location
MAP to our farm
Janowski Gardens will be open at least until the last frost this autumn.

Thanks again to our Wisner Market patrons –
Diane, Denny, Bob & Hilde Janowski

PS Don’t forget the Elmira Open Studio Tour this weekend.
Elmira Open Studio Tour
Denny and I are artists on the Tour. Come on over.

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

Loose Ends

2007-10-03T04:55:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
Today is a day of loose ends.

First, let me say "thank you" to those who have asked about my foot and the tractor incident. It’s been three months, most of the pain is gone, but there is still a good sore lump. Bone bruises sometimes last forever.

2. I added new fall/winter shirts on our Gift Shop website. If you would like to see them they’re at OUR GIFT SHOP

3. Thursday is our last day at Wisner Market. Come on over, but if you miss it my father and I have decided to have our own “at-home farmers’ market day” –
Janowski Harvest Day - on Thursday, October 4 from 3pm to 6pm at our farm stand.
We will have our expanded produce line – like what we bring to Wisner Market and full sales service. Denny and I, and my parents will be there. Come visit us! We still have a lot of farm produce to pick before fall arrives.

4. Denny and I are again on the Elmira Open Studio Tour
Saturday, October 6 from 10 to 5, or Sunday, October 7 from 12 to 5.
The website for the tour (with a map and artist info) is Elmira Open Studio Tour

Denny will be showing his recent drawings and I will be showing my short films and my history books. My film “Waking Up in the South” recently won the Editors’ Choice Award on Crackle.com if you would like to see it – it’s at CRACKLE

5. We will have plenty of Tony’s Creole Seasoning samples to give away this week at the Wisner Market. Creole is not hot, but rather very well-rounded. We use it on everything instead of salt. Be sure to get some.

This week at Elmira’s Wisner Market we will bring corn, pumpkins, gourds, beets, eggplants, squashes, lettuce, beans, kale, collard greens, and cabbage, green peppers, and really hot jalapenos.

Please pass this email on to anyone who may like to come.

Please remember that Wisner Market opens at 10:00AM.

For those who can’t wait until Thursday for veggies – Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change.
Visit our website if you need a map.

Visit Janowski Gardens Website now

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

A Secret Fantasy

2007-09-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
I’ve always had a secret fantasy. I want to host a German Festival, complete with steaming vats of sauerkraut, hot dogs, bratwurst, mustard, hot potato salad, and cabbage salad. Of course, a polka band, and dancers. Kind of like the annual Sauerkraut Festival in Phelps, New York – only BIGGER! I could do it.

Well, anyway I can give you some ideas of making your own German Dinner. First, you need some good hotdogs or bratwurst – for this get Hofmann brand (out of Syracuse) German Franks or Bratwurst– they even have a package of half franks half bratwurst. Hofmann’s are the best. Thick, crunchy skin. Or you can be good and get the fat-free Oscar Meyer’s – the trick with them is to fry them in a little olive oil get a good brown skin going– helps disguise the texture. Next, you need some good sauerkraut – SilverFloss in the bag. Be sure to rinse off all the salt water. Then you need some....

Hot German Potato Salad (from the Janowski Gardens Cookbook)

3 medium potatoes - cooked and sliced into 1/4” slices
4 slices bacon - diced
1/2 onion - chopped

Sauce
1/2 cup white or apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt and black pepper to taste

In pan, fry bacon and onion - when brown enough for you add sauce ingredients and heat to boiling. Pour over hot potatoes and serve.

Now, true Germans wouldn’t put a hotdog or bratwurst on a bun – they would cut the meat into chunks and dip it into brown mustard. A mustard like Kosciusko mustard – not German but ok, or a Creole Mustard like Zatarains – you want something brown and chunky – no offense to French’s Mustard (incidentally George French was born in Elmira, accidentally). His parents were on their way by train to New York City. His mom, who was expecting a baby, didn’t feel too good and needed to stop in Elmira to rest. As these things happen, George, the baby, was born in Elmira. Dad was a spice merchant and had to get to a meeting in NYC, and left his family here for several weeks. As soon as Mom and George were able to travel, they rejoined Dad in NYC. Eventually, George grew up, went to Rochester and discovered yellow mustard in 1904. But, I digress…..

You can fix your hotdog on a bun if you like with French’s mustard.

PS Hofmann’s hotdogs, SilverFloss sauerkraut, Kosciusko and Zatarains Creole Mustard are available at Wegman’s – potatoes are available at Janowski’s.

I made several corn wreaths yesterday - they are available in our stand for $20 each - first come first served (see attachment). This week at Elmira’s Wisner Market we will bring corn, pumpkins, gourds, beets, eggplants, squashes, lettuce, beans, kale, collard greens, and cabbage, green peppers, and really hot jalapenos.

Please pass this email on to anyone who may like to come.

Please remember that Wisner Market opens at 10:00AM.

For those who can’t wait until Thursday for veggies – Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change.
Visit our website if you need a map.

Visit Janowski Gardens Website now

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

I'm from Elmira

2007-09-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
That was some rain. Nearly six inches on Esty Street – my father is a rain/snow spotter for the National Weather Service. Not good for tomatoes – they split right open. They were good while they lasted.

In Janowski news this week, our farm was accepted into the “Pride of New York” program. It is a network of New York growers and food manufacturers who proudly provide a rich and diverse array of quality products such as locally grown produce, syrups and sauces, cheese, honey, meats, pasta and baked goods. You can check it out on line at
Pride of New York

The Pride of New York Program promotes and supports the sale of agricultural products grown, and food products processed within New York State. The Program’s membership includes 2,000 farmers and processors, retailers, distributors, restaurants, and related culinary and support associations - all working together to bring you wholesome, quality New York State products. Not bad!

At this week’s Wisner Market I will have cute little “I’m from Elmira” lapel buttons. Produce this week: Corn, beets, eggplants, squashes – summer and winter, lettuce, kale, collard greens, and cabbage, green peppers, red peppers, spicy peppers, hot peppers, and jalapenos. Three more weeks of the Market.

And pass this email on to anyone who may like to come.

For those who can’t wait until Thursday for veggies – Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change.
Visit our website if you need a map.
Visit JanowskiGardens.COM

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

It's Ragweed Season........

2007-09-09T04:10:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
Are you sneezing and coughing, too? Yes, its ragweed season. The ragweed is nose-high on the farm. I can’t use antihistamines or decongestants because of my thyroid disease – but homeopathy works good for me. I’m hoping for a good rain soon to wash the pollen away. I get the daily pollen email letter from

http://www.pollen.com/
That’s always interesting to know what pollen is attacking me.

This week at Elmira’s Wisner Market we will bring corn, tomatoes - regular and heirlooms (heirlooms are our best tasting), beets, eggplants, squashes – summer and winter, lettuce, beans, kale, potatoes, collard greens, and cabbage, green peppers, red peppers, spicy peppers, supersweet peppers, hot peppers, and jalapenos.
And pass this email on to anyone who may like to come.

Please remember that Wisner Market opens at 10:00AM.

For those who can’t wait until Thursday for veggies – Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change.
Visit our website if you need a map.

Visit JanowskiGardens.COM

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

Thanks for coming to my Book Signing!

2007-09-09T04:07:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,

Thanks to everyone who came to my book signing at the Olde Tyme Summer Festival in Brand Park on Sunday. We had a great time.

What can I say about this week? Saturday was way too hot. This week I froze edamame and red peppers – and dried catnip, basil, and oregano. Yes, it’s time to think about winter. The attached photo is "Corn Pickers of 1910."

This week at Elmira’s Wisner Market we will bring corn, tomatoes - regular and heirlooms, beets, eggplants, melons, squashes, lettuce, beans, kale, collard greens, and cabbage, green peppers, red peppers, spicy peppers, supersweet peppers, hot peppers, and really hot jalapenos.

Please pass this email on to anyone who may like to come.

Please remember that Wisner Market opens at 10:00AM.

For those who can’t wait until Thursday for veggies – Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change.

Visit our website if you need a map.

Visit JanowskiGardens.COM

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

Too dry!

2007-09-09T04:05:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
Yes, the rain is good – it has been bone dry all summer and we are tired of irrigating. Its hard work moving those pipes around every day. Because of the dryness everything’s had a tough time this summer. Especially the peppers, beans, basil and lettuce. It could rain for a few more days, and we would be happy.

As long as it doesn’t rain on Sunday for the Olde Tyme Summer Festival in Brand Park. I will be there to sign my cookbooks (just look for the familiar Janowski Gardens tent). The craft and antique fair is from 10:00am to 5:00pm, the classic car show from 12:00pm to 3:00pm, music in the park from 12:00pm to 5:00pm with Donal O'Shaughnessy Irish Music and Prism, the duck race at 3:00pm, the firetruck from 12:00pm to 3:00pm and games, rides, costume characters, food vendors, and fun for the whole family all day!

This week at Elmira’s Wisner Market we will bring corn, tomatoes - regular and heirlooms, beets, eggplants, melons, squashes, lettuce, beans, cauliflower, kale, collard greens, and cabbage, green peppers, red peppers, spicy peppers, supersweet peppers, hot peppers, and if they’re not hot enough for you we also have jalapenos.
And pass this email on to anyone who may like to come.

Please remember that Wisner Market opens at 10:00AM.

For those who can’t wait until Thursday for veggies – Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change.
Visit our website if you need a map.

Visit JanowskiGardens.COM

Thanks,
Diane

Janowski Gardens Cookbook

2007-08-14T02:51:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
Well, I finally did it. I am very happy to announce that my cookbook is available. Here’s the press release:

HEALTHFUL HISTORIC COOKBOOK PUBLISHED

What happens when you stir up recipes with fresh vegetables and the history of a German family that emigrates to Elmira, New York in 1872?

Author, local historian, and cook, Diane Janowski answers this question and more in the Janowski Gardens Cookbook, a collection of her favorite recipes. Janowski Gardens Cookbook offers healthy-eating recipes ranging from soups and sauces, meat, poultry and fish, eggs and cheese, to desserts. Every recipe includes at least one vegetable ingredient grown at Janowski Gardens and it’s all served up with the history, humor and wit for which Diane is well known.

Interspersed throughout the book are photos and stories of the Janowski family and farm, one of Elmira’s best-kept secret wonderful places. Janowski Gardens has been a family-owned and operated vegetable growing enterprise on Esty Street on Elmira’s Southside for 134 years.

Diane Janowski, a local history writer in Elmira, New York, who served as the editor of the Chemung Historical Journal from 1999 to 2006, now publishes the New York History Review. Janowski has written two other history books this year through New York History Review Press - The Great Inter-State Fair, Elmira, New York 1890, and Victorian Pride – Forgotten Songs of Central New York 1841-1885.

New York History Review Press is proud to release the Janowski Gardens Cookbook (112 pp., $18.95) available at:
Janowski Gardens

or visit the Janowski Gardens stand at Elmira Wisner Market

or order online at: JanowskiGardens.com

This week at Elmira’s Wisner Market we will bring corn, tomatoes - regular and heirlooms (heirlooms were a big hit last week), edamame, beets, eggplants, melons, squashes, lettuce, beans, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, collard greens, and cabbage, green peppers, hot peppers, and if they’re not hot enough for you we also have jalapenos.
And pass this email on to anyone who may like to come.

Please remember that Wisner Market opens at 10:00AM.

For those who can’t wait until Thursday for veggies – Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change.
Visit our website if you need a map.

Visit JanowskiGardens.COM

Diane Janowski
"We Grow What We Sell"
Janowski Gardens

A Good Time at the Chemung County Fair

2007-08-14T02:49:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
Last week was the Chemung County Fair. Janowski Gardens did very well in the Farm Produce category - see attached photo. We received 9 first prize blue ribbons for Swiss chard, yellow beans, cauliflower, corn, beets, cucumbers, broccoli, cabbage, and green peppers. We received 2 second prize red ribbons for pickles and tomatoes.

Other than that, it’s been hot and dry. We’ve been irrigating round the clock. Moving those pipes is a very hard job by itself.

My edamame (soybeans) are finally ready and I will have some at Wisner Market. They have been a struggle for me to grow them – Japanese beetles really like them, and they are planted in a place where I’ve had to hand-water them for many weeks now.

Also, new this week are our heirloom tomatoes – we have two kinds - Pruden's Purple and Brandywine. They are the best tomatoes I have ever eaten. Denny and I had BLTs yesterday with heirloom tomatoes. Oh my gosh are they good. They are much meatier than regular tomatoes.

This week at Elmira’s Wisner Market we will have corn, tomatoes (regular and heirloom), beets, eggplants, melons, squashes, lettuce, beans, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, collard greens, and nice little heads of cabbage – perfect for two people, green peppers, hot peppers, and if they’re not hot enough for you we also have jalapenos. We love jalapenos at our house. I put them in everything.

And pass this email on to anyone who may like to come.

Please remember that Wisner Market opens at 10:00AM.

For those who can’t wait until Thursday for veggies – Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change.
Visit our website if you need a map.

Visit JanowskiGardens.COM

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

The Crazy Time of the Summer

2007-08-14T02:47:00.001-07:00

Hello Elmira,
Right now is the crazy time of the summer for us. Everything is growing great. We have big tomatoes this year. Peppers are just starting. Wonderful corn. Melons are almost ready. Come on over to our stand on Esty Street and see what we have.

This week at Elmira’s Wisner Market we will have corn, tomatoes, beets, green peppers, hot peppers and if they’re not hot enough for you we also have jalapenos, eggplants, squashes, lettuce, beans, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, collard greens, and nice little heads of cabbage – perfect for 2 people.

And pass this email on to anyone who may like to come.

Please remember that Wisner Market opens at 10:00AM.

For those who can’t wait until Thursday for veggies – Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change.
Visit our website if you need a map.

Visit JanowskiGardens.COM

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

Let's Go Swimming

2007-07-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
It’s been a good week on the farm. The rain was surely welcomed. The soybeans (edamame) are coming along nicely – should be ready for picking by next week.

I’ve been using my food dehydrator to dry herbs for the past week. So far I’ve done basil, catnip, thyme, summer savory, and mint.

Today’s photo is good for this time of the summer – swimming in the Chemung River – my great Aunt Anna is third from the left.

Thursday at the Wisner Market we will have our wonderful CORN, Swiss chard, potatoes, kale and collards, zucchini and yellow squash, cucumbers and pickles, basil and parsley. Maybe some tomatoes and peppers if I can find some. Come on down – the weather should be great! And pass this email on to anyone who may like to come.

Please remember that Wisner Market opens at 10:00AM.

For those who can’t wait until Thursday for veggies – Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change.
Visit our website if you need a map.

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

Janowski Gardens' Exciting Day

2007-07-29T13:32:00.001-07:00

Hello Elmira,
Yesterday was sure an exciting day for Janowski Gardens. Last week Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chemung County asked us if we would like to meet Hillary Clinton who would at the Big Flats Farmers’ Market. They said she especially wanted to meet farmers and discuss the farm bill. Of course, we said yes.

So, we worked all day Sunday to prepare for the market. On Monday, we followed the instructions on when and where to be in Big Flats. We had a great location for our tent and worked hard on our display – something we thought that Hillary would like – with some eye-catching zinnias. And we waited. It was hot, and there were a lot of people.

Hillary arrived and went inside the Community Center, which is very nice by the way. She spoke about the value of local farmers and the farm bill.

After her meeting, she came out, and the Secret Service pushed everyone aside so she could visit our tent. Hillary came up to me and said, “It’s so nice to see you again.” (She had met Denny and I in 1999.) I introduced her to my mom and dad, and Denny reintroduced himself. Attached photo is Hillary shaking Denny's hand. She said that our produce looked wonderful and that she enjoyed local farmers’ markets. I gave her a Janowski Gardens Cookbook. She got the very first copy. She looked through it and said, “Well, these recipes look very good.” Then she went along the side of the tent where the zinnias had been – they had already sold out. She said, “Oh pickles, how do you fix them?” My mom told her how to fix them in a salad. She said she would like to buy some. I gave her six in a bag and handed them to her. Her aide paid me. Hillary said, “Thank you, I will enjoy these.” She continued into the main tent and spoke to some more vendors then left to go to Binghamton.

Not our typical Monday. It was a great day.

At this week’s Wisner Market, Janowski Gardens will have our famous “Presidential pickles,” cucumbers, zucchini and yellow squash, cabbage, lettuce, beets, kale and collards, potatoes, spinach, and BEANS. Maybe some peppers if I can find some. Come on down! And pass this email on to anyone who may like to come.

Please remember that we open at 10:00AM.

For those who can’t wait until Thursday for veggies – Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change.
Visit our website if you need a map.
Visit JanowskiGardens.COM

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

Is it Hot enough for you?

2007-07-29T13:27:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
Is it hot enough for you? Yes, actually yesterday was TOO hot and today might be just as bad. Heat exhaustion feels crummy so here’s some summer heat tips from us farmers:

* Drink lots of liquids. Don't wait until you're thirsty, by then, there's a good chance you're already on your way to being dehydrated. Electrolyte drinks like Gatorade are good for replacing both water, and minerals lost through sweating. We drink gallons of Gatorade on the farm. Keep your potassium and sodium levels up on really hot days – eat more potatoes (potato chips are great for salt and potassium), and bananas.

* Take a break if you notice you're getting a headache, or you start feeling overheated. Cool off for a few minutes in the shade before going back to work.

* Wear light weight, light colored clothing when working out in the sun.

* Take advantage of fans and air-conditioners.

* Get enough sleep at night.

This week at the Elmira Wisner Market we will have zucchini and yellow squash, beets, kale and collards, spinach, and GREEN AND YELLOW BEANS. Come on down! And pass this email on to anyone who may like to come.

Please remember that we open at 10:00AM.

For those who can’t wait until Thursday for veggies – Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change.
Visit our website if you need a map.

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

Happy Fourth of July!

2007-07-29T13:24:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
Happy Fourth!

This week at the Elmira Wisner Market we will have zucchini and yellow squash, cucumbers, pickles, lettuce, beets, kale and collards, spinach, and BEANS. Come on down! And pass this email on to anyone who may like to come.

Please remember that we open at 10:00AM.

For those who can’t wait until Thursday for veggies – Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change.
Visit our website if you need a map.

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

Skin Care on the Farm - Or White Like Me

2007-06-26T13:48:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
Me and my father are cut from the same cloth – white blond cloth with freckles. We have to be careful with our skin. We take skin care seriously on the farm.

My dad always wears sunscreen with SPF 50, a big brimmed hat, long sleeves and long pants, everyday no matter how hot it is. I can’t stand being that hot so I wear shorts and t-shirts and Lands End water shoes – they let the dirt and water in and out easily. The attachment is Van Gogh's self portrait - check out his big sun hat.

I wear Eucerin SPF 30 on my face because its one of the few you can put near your eyes. The rest of me gets Coppertone oil-free SPF 30. Oil free is great because the dirt sticks less than the greasy kind and it lets skin breathe much better in the heat. I mix the Coppertone with Coppertone Endless Summer Gradual Tan in medium because I like to at least look like I’m brown, well, beige anyway in the summer. On my lips I wear Chapstick Ultra SPF 30. I even wear a hair cream with SPF 20 - Neutrogena Triple Moisture – because the sun fries my hair. I always tie up my hair under the hat brim. I do go “white blonde” in about an hour if I don’t wear a hat.

I used to always burn, but then I got thyroid disease in 2002 and for whatever reason I hardly burn anymore. I think it’s the medicine, but I’m not sure.

So that’s what I do in the morning. When I come home for lunch, I slather on another coat of everything.

By the end of the day, I wearing 2 or 3 coats of sunscreen, tanning lotion, dirt, plant and weed juice, sweat, dried up bugs, and tractor grease. Oh, the tractor grease. I keep a bottle of Ajax dish washing detergent in the barn to wash my hands. It also works great as a spot treatment for my clothes – they are just as dirty as me by the end of the day.

When I get home, I use a Kirk’s Coconut Soap – a good strong soap – and a long handled brush to get all the yuck off. Then I have to clean the bathtub because the black tractor grease comes off of me and onto the tub.

This week at the Elmira Wisner Market we will have strawberries – not enough for everyone so if you got to have strawberries COME EARLY, spinach, lettuces of all kinds, beets, kale and collards, and peas. Come on down! And pass this email on to anyone who may like to come.

Please remember that we open at 10:00AM.

For those who can’t wait until Thursday for veggies – Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change.
Visit our website if you need a map.

We Grow What We Sell
Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

Bruise in a rainbow of colors

2007-06-26T13:42:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
I am “sort of” back to work this week after an altercation with my tractor a week and a half ago. Worst bruise I have ever had – and in a rainbow of colors. Still have a pretty good lump. I made good use of my home-sick week proofreading my upcoming cookbook “The Janowski Gardens Cook Book.” I’m in the home stretch with it – hope to have it out soon.

This week at the Elmira Wisner Market we will bring strawberries, spinach, lettuces of all kinds, beets, PEAS both sugar ann and regular, and whatever bedding plants are left. Come on down! And pass this email on to anyone who may like to come.

Please remember that we open at 10:00AM.

For those who can’t wait until Thursday for veggies – Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change.
Visit our website if you need a map.

http://www.janowskigardens.com

PS the corn is looking GREAT! About 5 feet high this week.

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

Be Nice to Toads

2007-06-13T09:26:00.001-07:00

Hello Elmira,
I’ve been thinking about toads this week – I saw 2 really big ones while driving the tractor – I always stop and let them pass as it is bad luck to run over a toad.

Big toads used to be very prevalent in our neighborhood but have become rare in the last 20 years, so I was glad to see them. When I was little, us neighborhood kids would “collect” toads in buckets – 4 or 5 buckets of easy collecting. Uncle Henry made sure we didn’t keep them for more than a couple hours. We never hurt them and always let them go. Given the rarity of toads in our neighborhood today it would probably take me an hour to find six of any size.

Toads are very susceptible to pollution and acid rain in the environment – as they sit in the dirt and rain water. My 2 big guys were looking pretty healthy. I looked up toads on the internet to see what their story was, and it seems that we have 2 types of toads in this area – the Eastern American Toad and the Fowler’s Toad - see attachment.

The Eastern American Toad has big warts, while the Fowler’s Toad is somewhat smoother and not as warty. Both generally grow to 3 to 4 inches long – the ones I saw were bigger. Life span can be as long as 10 years but most don’t make it past the first year. Females are bigger than males.

They eat a wide variety of insects and other invertebrates, including snails, beetles, slugs, and earthworms. Unlike most toads, who wait for prey to come along and pounce on it, American toads can shoot out their sticky tongues to catch prey. They also may use their front legs in order to eat larger food. They grasp their food and push it into their mouths. One American toad can eat up to 1,000 insects every day. Unlike most toads, who wait for prey to come along and pounce on it, American toads can shoot out their sticky tongues to catch prey. They also may use their front legs in order to eat larger food. They grasp their food and push it into their mouths.

Toads do not drink water but soak it in, absorbing moisture through their skin. That’s why you see them sitting in puddles.

Remember – toads are your friends. As my Uncle Henry always said, “Be nice to toads.”

Well anyway, this week at the Elmira Wisner Market we will have strawberries – not enough for everyone in Elmira so if you've got to have strawberries COME EARLY, spinach, lettuces of all kinds, beet greens, kale and collards, radishes, plants including- zinnias, morning glories, geraniums, marigolds, impatiens, petunia, salvia, and ageratum. Come on down! And pass this email on to anyone who may like to come.

Please remember that we open at 10:00AM.

For those who can’t wait until Thursday for veggies – Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change.
Visit our website if you need a map.

PS our Cookbook is almost ready - visit the website for more info on it.

And our new summer of 2007 t-shirts are available through our website!

Visit our Website

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens
"We Grow What We Sell"

Elmira Wisner Market

2007-06-05T09:31:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,

Well we finally got everything planted in the ground last week. And, the rain was great.

The Elmira Wisner Market starts this Thursday – June 7. We will have lettuce, spinach, beet greens, radishes, plants including- zinnias, morning glories, geraniums, marigolds, impatiens, petunia, salvia, and ageratum. Come on down! And pass this email on to anyone who may like to come.

Please remember that we open at 10:00AM.

For those who can’t wait until Thursday for veggies – Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change.
Visit our website if you need a map.

Visit our Website

Thanks – and see you soon,

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens
"We Grow What We Sell"

Spinach recipes

2007-05-16T16:12:00.001-07:00

Hello Elmira,
It’s been a good week on the farm. My father and uncle and I planted cabbage, collard greens, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and bok choy. We also planted broom corn, and something new this year – soybeans - now known in the 21st century as edamame. We’ll get to that later.

But for now, in honor of the first vegetable of our season - SPINACH - I give you 2 spinach recipes – spinach salad and creamed spinach. Happy eating!

Spinach Salad with Strawberries, Feta, Pecans, and Raspberry Vinaigrette

6 cups spinach
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup sliced pecans
Several sliced mushrooms
Raspberry Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
1/2 pint fresh strawberries (or 1 cup dried cherries)

In a large serving bowl, toss spinach with feta cheese and almonds. Dress with raspberry vinaigrette, as desired. Divide salad among 4 salad plates; garnish with fresh raspberries; serve immediately. Refrigerate any remaining dressing.

Raspberry Vinaigrette
1/4 cup raspberry vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon or Creole mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon raw or brown sugar
3/4 cup olive oil

In a small plastic container with a tight-fitting lid, combine the vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper and sugar; shake well. Pour in olive oil and shake until well blended.

Creamed Spinach

1 pound chopped spinach
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon minced onion
1/3 to 1/2 cup half & half (fat-free is fine)
freshly grated nutmeg to taste
salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, combine spinach, butter, water, and onion. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for a few minutes. Remove cover and continue to simmer. Drain off excess water. Add cream, nutmeg, and salt and pepper.
Taste and adjust seasonings. Continue simmering for a few more minutes to reduce the cream slightly. Serves 4.

Thanks,
Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens - Open Daily

Our first vegetable is.....SPINACH!

2007-05-16T16:10:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,

Our farm stand is open! Right now we have tender early spinach – nice and green. Perfect for salads or, my favorite, spinach sandwiches.

After a warm winter and a cold start to spring it looks like spring really is here. Only one month until the first Elmira Wisner Market – JUNE 7. Janowski Gardens will be there – in our usual space in Wisner Park along Church Street opposite Langdon Plaza.

I’ll tell you more of what we’ll be having there on opening day when we get closer to the date.

Please visit our website where you’ll find a map and weekly vegetable updates.
http://www.janowskigardens.com

PS I published a new book this spring called “ The Great Inter-State Fair, Elmira, NY 1890” it’s about an annual fair that Elmira hosted in the Dunn Field area. If you want more information about it, or to see its cover visit
http://www.chemunghistory.com/bookstore.html

If you would like a copy they will be available at Janowski Gardens and the Wisner Market for $20 (includes tax). I have a shipment coming in about 10 days. If you would like one - let me know and I’ll put you on my list.

Looking forward to seeing you this season. Thanks very much.
Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens
“We Grow What We Sell”

Seed catalogs

2007-02-15T14:46:00.000-08:00

Oh, the joy of seed catalogs during a blizzard. Heirloom tomatoes and herbs. My dad reports 16" during this last go 'round.

Diane

Celery was one of our specialties

2006-09-27T03:26:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,

Attached is a picture of our celery crop circa 1913. It used to be one of our specialties. Horseheads was also a big celery growing area. From left to right is my Aunt Margaret, cousins Mildred and Eleanor, and my great-grandma Louisa.

Tomorrow is the last Wisner Market day of 2006. We will be there no matter what the weather. The morning might be best as rain and thunder are predicted in the afternoon. We will bring corn, peppers, potatoes, beets, collard greens, kale, parsley, and basil. It’s not to late – yet. We have had a good summer, except for the lack of tomatoes. Oh that Mother Nature. We’ll try again next year.
I will also have a few more corn wreaths on hand tomorrow.

If you have been to our farm this week, you’ve seen that we’re getting a new barn roof. That’s a fun job to watch – not so much fun though if you have to listen to the sawing and hammering all week.

I will continue to send weekly newsletters as long as our stand is open with produce to sell – and then probably monthly over the winter until we open again in early spring.

Thanks and have a great day,
“We Grow What We Sell”
http://www.janowskigardens.com

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

First Day of Fall

2006-09-20T03:15:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,

Well Saturday is the first day of fall. Corn stalks and pumpkins.

I am taking orders for my corn wreaths – see attachment. They measure approximately 28" and cost $15 includes tax (local customers only - no shipping). We will have some for sale at the Wisner Market. Ordered wreaths will be available for pickup at the farm. Due to the nature of handmade articles, appearances will differ slightly.

If you want one please email me and I will make it as soon as I can.

We still have excellent sweet corn, along with peppers, kale, collard greens, and wonderful lettuce.

Come on over to the Wisner Market on Thursday – just 2 Thursdays left. Use your WIC coupons if you have them.

“We Grow What We Sell”
http://www.janowskigardens.com

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

Why Esty Street?

2006-09-15T03:36:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
Our farm is on Esty Street. Why Esty? Around 1870, when Elmira needed names for two streets on the Southside, it chose the names of two business teachers - Esty and Caldwell.

Sherman C. Esty, born in Elmira, was a business teacher at the (Nathan) Caldwell Business School on East Water Street in 1861. Caldwell as in “Caldwell Avenue” - several blocks from Esty Street.

The short story of business schools in Elmira is ….
Augustus Warner joined Caldwell Business School as a teacher in 1863, continued school after Caldwell’s death. Eventually became Warner’s Business College.

Around 1900, Sherman Esty bought Miller’s School of Commerce at 115 West Water Street and renamed it the “Elmira School of Commerce.” After many years, he sold it to Burton Meeker who renamed it “Meeker’s Business College.” Meeker bought out and combined Warner’s Business College. In 1931 changed the name to “Elmira Business Institute.”

Sherman Esty did not live on Esty Street – he lived on Jay Street on the Eastside. The attached photo is my Uncle Fritz and cousin Mildred on Esty Street (looking west) circa 1915 - when it was still a dirt street.

4 MORE WEEKS AT WISNER MARKET. This week at the Wisner Market we will be bringing corn, jalapeno, sweet, and hot peppers, potatoes, beets, yellow and zucchini squash, eggplants, kale and collard greens, cherry tomatoes, and more. 10:00-2:00 in Wisner Park. We are on W. Church Street opposite Langdon Plaza.

We are also open daily on Elmira’s Southside. Visit our website if you need directions.
http://www.janowskigardens.com

“We Grow What We Sell”
Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

Janowski - Janovsky

2006-09-15T03:35:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,

The German Empire in 1200 included Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, part of Italy, and part of France.

My earliest records of the Janowski family show us in the year 1279 living in Pilsen (as in Pilsner beer) in today’s Czech Republic. We lived there until around 1490 when we moved to Tuchel, West Prussia – West Prussia later became East Germany and was taken by Russia for Poland in 1945. My mother’s ancestors came from towns about 50 miles from my father’s ancestors lived. All our ancestral towns are now in Poland.

The surname Janowski starts in my records as Janovsky, although it might have been Janovich or Janecek earlier. Most people incorrectly assume the name is Polish but is actually probably of Czech origin – when the Czech Republic was part of the German Empire. Janowski translates as “son of Jan” or Johnson, and is a very common name in Europe today.

This week at the Wisner Market we will be bringing corn, Anaheim, jalapeno, sweet, and hot peppers, potatoes, beets, yellow and zucchini squash, eggplants, MELONS, kale and collard greens, cherry tomatoes, and more. If you haven’t been yet it is downtown 10:00-2:00 in Wisner Park. We are on W. Church Street opposite Langdon Plaza.

We are also open daily on Elmira’s Southside. Visit our website if you need directions.
http://www.janowskigardens.com

South of the River Chili

2006-09-15T03:33:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,

We had nearly 2 inches of rain on Saturday – very good for the crops. This week, the corn still gets my highest mark - 5 stars. It is a little bigger and turning more to starch, so those of you who like it that way are in luck. Me, I’m still picking out the smallest ears.

The melons are great too this year. We have regular sized, and also a mini melon that is very popular. Our watermelons didn’t make it.

I’ve been thinking about chili so here is a Janowski vegetable-chocked chili recipe that I frequently make:

Janowski's South of the River Chili

1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. hot sausage
1 packet chili mix - any brand
1 diced each - anaheim pepper, green pepper, red pepper, onion, and carrot
6 diced mushrooms
12 cherry tomatoes - whole
Corn - remove kernels from 2 ears
1/2 cup cooked rice
1/2 bottle of your favorite beer
1 can tomato sauce and 3 cans of water
1 can of beans - your choice but I like the big white ones
Salt & pepper to taste
Extra cayenne, tabasco, cumin, cilantro if you want

In a big pot brown and crumble meat. Add tomato sauce and water. Add chili mix packet. Add vegetables (except beans), rice, and beer. Bring to boil. Add salt & pepper. Then simmer 1 to 1 1/2 hours stirring occasionally. Add beans during last 15 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips and sour cream on the side.

Pretty good.

This week at the Wisner Market we will be bringing corn, Anaheim, jalapeno, sweet, and hot peppers, potatoes, beets, yellow and zucchini squash, eggplants, MELONS, kale and collard greens, cherry tomatoes, and more. If you haven’t been yet it is downtown 10:00-2:00 in Wisner Park. We are on W. Church Street opposite Langdon Plaza.

We are also open daily on Elmira’s Southside. Visit our website if you need directions.
http://www.janowskigardens.com

The sweetest corn he ever ate

2006-09-15T03:32:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,

It’s the middle of August. What a summer. Too cold, too wet, too hot, now its too dry. We started irrigating yesterday.

Mostly it has been a good growing season – the potatoes (I have attached a photo of us picking potatoes) and onions are huge, many peppers, great melons, big cabbage, perfect corn. More carrots than we have had in a long time. The tomatoes have struggled all summer – not the greatest year for them. The Swiss chard has begun suffering from the effects of acid rain.

If you haven’t tried our corn this week – this crop is the best of the summer – nice long ears with perfect, extremely sweet kernels that haven’t turned to starch yet – nice and easy to eat. It gets 5 stars from me this week. Denny says it the “sweetest corn he ever ate.” My mom says the kernels are like pearls.

This week at the Wisner Market we will bring corn, potatoes, melons, beets, peppers – sweet, hot, Anaheim (medium hot), Jalapeno (super hot – the hottest peppers commercially grown in Elmira), basil and parsley – good to dry for winter, collards and kale, cabbage, eggplant, big onions, and yellow and zucchini squash. Remember we open at 10:00AM.

Visit us on the Southside any day of the week – we are at 517 Esty Street – if you need a map get one from our website http://www.janowskigardens.com. We are open every day from 9:00 to 6:00. Just bring the correct change.

“We Grow What We Sell”

How to cook corn

2006-09-15T03:29:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,

New York is 4th in the nation in fresh market and processing sweet corn production. The peak season for fresh corn in New York State is July through September. Sweet corn is a good source of vitamin A, magnesium, and potassium, and is often considered a vegetable, instead of a grain.

Horticulturists developed the two most popular varieties of sweet corn today--white (Country Gentleman) and yellow (Golden Bantam) corn. Yellow corn has larger, fuller-flavored kernels; white corn kernels are smaller and sweeter.

We grow the hybrid “Butter & Sugar” corn that produces ears of yellow and white kernels. B&S has been a longtime mainstay of roadside stands and farmers' markets in the Northeast.

The sugar level in corn immediately after picking begins its gradual conversion to starch that, in turn, lessens the corn's natural sweetness. Look for ears with bright green, snugly fitting husks and golden brown silk. The kernels should be plump and milky and come all the way to the ear's tip; the rows should be tightly spaced.

Fresh corn should be cooked and served the day it's purchased, but it can be refrigerated up to a day. But why wait? Eat now – get more tomorrow. Strip off the husks and silk just before cooking.

We way we cook it is to get a big pot of water boiling and put the corn in for 3 minutes – we like them crunchy and lively. Rearrange them in the water every minute to ensure equal cooking. Then served with margarine and Tony’s (a seasoning from Opelousas, Louisiana).

This week at the Wisner Market we will be giving away samples of Tony’ Original Creole Seasoning – a seasoning that Farmer Denny and I cannot live without – an extraordinary blend of flavorful spices prized by cooks everywhere. Enhances the flavor of meats, seafood, eggs, salads, and VEGETABLES! Especially Janowski’s Butter & Sugar corn. Denny and I use it on everything.

Vegetables at the Wisner Market, and our farm stand include corn, beets, squash, potatoes, melons (just starting), cabbage, kale, collards, basil, parsley (now’s the time to start drying or freezing herbs for winter), peppers – sweet, hot, and jalapeños.

Visit our website
http://www.janowskigardens.com

“We Grow What We Sell”

Thanks,

Our salute to KALE

2006-09-15T03:27:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,

OK enough of corn, its time to do a salute to our LEAST popular vegetable - KALE - and tastes good too. Don't curl your nose - it does too.

Kale is a cancer-fighting vegetable (non-Hodgkins Lymphoma). A one-cup serving of kale has 20.5 mg of Lutein and Zeaxanthin - the highest carotenoids of ALL vegetables.

So, on the home page of our web site http://www.janowskigardens.com we're giving you 2 versions of the same KALE recipe - one for Southerners and one for Northerners. Farmer Denny and I prefer the Southern version of course, as we (some of the time) hail from New Roads, Louisiana - but you can decide for yourself. Our recipes make 2 large side dishes or 4 small and are freezable. I literally have a freezer full of kale.

All we are saying is, "Give Kale a Chance."

This week at the Wisner Market (the Weather Channel says Thursday will be a 20 degrees cooler) we plan to have KALE, sweet corn, beets, Swiss chard, cucumbers, pickles, lettuce, squash, potatoes, cauliflower, and basil. This list may change due to the excessive heat this week - as I am writing this letter two days before these veggies are picked. The veggies may not like the heat and us picking them will depend on their condition. Us farmers, also do not like the heat, and have needed to slow down our picking schedule this week to preserve our conditions. We’ve been drinking gallons of Gatorade on the farm.

To slightly cooler days,
Diane

Cabbage, cabbage, and more cabbage

2006-09-15T03:16:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,
I must admit – I do like boiled cabbage. It’s an eastern European thing. See this attachment – picking cabbage circa 1910. My 2 great-uncles are on the ground and my grampa is up on top. Those poor horses – would you want to pull that wagon?

Yesterday, my father, my uncle, Denny, and me picked cabbage for the St. Nicholas church festival on Sunday. By the time you read this newsletter, the ladies of the church will be up to their elbows in cabbage for their delicious holubtsi (cabbage rolls). We supplied them with 150 big cabbages – about 1,500 pounds. Think of how long – and how many pots – it takes to boil 150 cabbages. St. Nicholas will also be serving pirogi – 10,000 pirogi. My family will be in the food line on Sunday – you all are welcome to come too. Get there early for food– they do sell out.

56th annual St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church Festival
Noon to 8 p.m. July 30
Ukrainian Park at Garfield Street and McCauley Avenue in Elmira Heights.

Today’s bonus is the secret Janowski Sauerkraut recipe used for many generations of sauerkraut suppers at the old German Church (the First United Church of Christ) on Madison Avenue. This should keep you busy:

40# grated cabbage
1# salt

Pack cabbage with salt on top. Cover with a clean cloth or plate or any board except pine. When fermentation begins, remove scum daily and change cloth daily. Best sauerkraut is made at temperatures 60 degrees or lower for at least one month. When fermentation has stopped, seal with a layer of paraffin over surface.

If you are still interested in cabbage, there is a big Sauerkraut festival next week up in Phelps, NY. http://www.phelpssauerkrautfestival.com/

This week at the Wisner Market, we will be selling CABBAGE, corn, potatoes, lettuce, sweet and hot peppers, cooking onions, yellow and zucchini squash, and cauliflower. Beans are gone temporarily, and this will not be the best year for tomatoes.

Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. If you need a map – check out our website
http://www.janowskigardens.com

We Grow What We Sell

My mom came over in 1957

2006-09-08T03:09:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,

Like I was saying last week, my mom came over from Germany in 1957. Her parents endured both World War I and II, and before the end of World War II in 1945, they decided that they had had enough, and that East Germany was not the best place for their 5 daughters. So they walked from East Germany to West Germany in 30 days - eating potatoes and rhubard along the way. In those 30 days, all except two of the family had typhoid and all survived. If you have seen the movie The Sound of Music when they walked out - you get the picture.

In West Germany, my mom worked on a big farm for 10 years in the kitchen. Her relatives had been coming to America (Illinois) since the 1830s, and it sounded good to my mom's family to come over too. They saved money and sent each one over one at a time. My mom was one of the last. She came over on the ship General Lankfitt, courtesy of the Lutheran church, as the Lutherans were greatly involved in the Refugees Relief Act. This ship made 32 trips between 1954 and 1957 from Bremerhaven to New York bringing Europeans who wanted to live in America. It was an eleven-day crossing to New York, and then 1 1/2 days on a train to Toluca, Illinois to where our relatives lived. Our Illinois relatives had big farms with corn, soybeans, cows, and pigs.

My mom had met my dad in Germany when he in the army (same time as Elvis – but never saw him). In America, they wrote letters and visited each other by train. One thing led to another, and here we are in Elmira.

This week at the Wisner Market, we will bring corn (not enough for everybody – so come really early if you want it), green and yellow beans, squash – yellow and zucchini, potatoes, beets, cabbage, carrots, kale, collards, basil and parsley.

PS if you are interested in art – Diane and Denny will be exhibiting their art - Rural Research Laboratories, in collaboration with The ARTS of the Southern Finger Lakes, has mounted Outside The Box, an exhibition of contemporary arts.

Few people know that Rural Research Laboratories is the organizational pseudonym of Tom Oberg's artwork (but don't let on that I told you so). The show includes works in all media from nearly 50 regional artists, and not your run-of-the-mill artworks, this is some wacky stuff.

The venue is 100 Market Street in Corning, the first floor of Maureen Gonta's dental building (you know - the TV ads with the talking cartoon tooth). The opening is this Thursday evening, July 20th, 5-8pm. The space will be open weekends, Sat & Sun, noon to 5, through August 13th.

Thanks. Hope to see you this Thursday evening.

My father's people came over in 1871

2006-09-08T03:04:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,

My great-great grampa Frederick brought his entire family over from Germany days after the end of the Franco-Prussian war in the summer of 1871 on the boat “Bark Louis” – see attachment. The Louis’s Atlantic crossing took 46 days from Bremen to New York City, and held 136 passengers – 10 were Janowskis. As we are not a sea-going people, the trip was probably very interesting.

We came to Elmira for a couple of reasons – we already had cousins and people from our church here, and the climate and landscape were very similar to eastern Germany. Not a bad place to grow cabbage. There was already a big group of Germans in Elmira on the Southside when we got here, so it was natural that we settle here. The first summer (1871) we built a house on Robinson Street and settled in, and the family worked in the orchards around Brand Park. The second summer (1872) was more orchard work. By May 1873, my great-grampa Karl had saved enough money to buy some land and started a big vegetable garden. The original tract is the area of our strawberry field today. One of the first things he built was his own levee to hold back the Chemung River (still standing and it came in handy in 1946 and 1972). He built some barns and got some horses, and eventually built a new big house on Esty Street.

Interesting to note – my mother’s people also all came over from Germany– but her’s came one at a time over period of about 100 years, and they settled in Illinois. My mom was one of the last – she came over in 1957.

We grow what we sell, and bring what is in season to the Wisner Market. Corn is coming soon – maybe 2 weeks – I’ll let you know. This week our homegrown specialties include cabbage, squash, potatoes, beans, lettuce, Swiss chard, onions, collards, and kale.

Janowski Gardens is open on Esty Street. Please visit our website where you’ll find a map (we’re the best kept secret in Elmira) for weekly updates.

http://www.janowskigardens.com

Looking forward to seeing you. Thanks very much.

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

“We Grow What We Sell”

Cell phones, Massey-Fersuson, and Collie Dogs

2006-09-08T03:01:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira and Happy Fourth of July,

We got much work done after the ground dried. I got to do all the cultivating that I put off because of last week’s rain. While I was driving the tractor (and talking to my mom on my cell phone), I concluded that Janowski Gardens has truly jumped into the 21st century. After the phone call, I looked down and saw a horse tooth – and I knew what to right about in this newsletter. Horses and tractors.

I got out the oldest family photo album (from 4 and 5 generations back) and looked for our horses. I found photos of 4 horses – Hans and Otto were our big working horses, and Minnie and Sam were pets. Attached is a photo of my Uncle Gus with Sam the horse. There were probably more horses over our first 45 years– but they must not have been as photogenic.

Our farm had horses from around 1875 – 1920. In 1920, Mr. Harry Ferguson, of Massey-Ferguson fame, in person, demonstrated to my grandfather the marvels of owning a tractor. We have a photograph dated 1920 of my grandfather driving a new tractor with a collie dog on his lap “steering.” My father says that during World War II our cultivating tractor broke, and parts were not to be gotten, so we hired a man from Miller’s farm (down past Miller Street along Maple Avenue) who came and cultivated with a horse. After the war, we got our tractors running again and put horses out of work.

In vegetable news - strawberries are gone – too much rain. Vegetables in season this week are peas – old-fashioned and sugar ann, young beets –with greens, kale, collard greens, basil and Swiss chard, and broccoli. Check our “Watch Corn Grow” page on our website - notice that corn is “shoulder high on the Fourth of July.”

Elmira’s Wisner Market continues this Thursday 10:00-2:00 – rain or shine. Remember that we open at 10:00AM. We can now accept WIC coupons (at the Wisner Market location only).

You can visit us on Elmira’s Southside – Janowski Gardens is open every day. Remember to bring exact change.
Visit our website if you need a map.
http://www.janowskigardens.com

For those of you interested in art:
The Keuka Lake Art Association's outdoor show at Hammondsport is this weekend Saturday and Sunday, July 8 & 9. Hours: Saturday 10-5, Sunday Noon - 5. It's the 40th anniversary of the show and they're promising even more entertainment.

I will be showing 12 short films (a first for Hammondsport - not even a category). Denny will be drawing. My brother, Tom Janowski, will exhibit this year. Kathy Huddle, too.

I expect other local artist friends will be present - Lucretia West, Dorrie Tanner, Connie Berberian, Amelia Harnas, Joanne Sonsire, Dean Aldrich and many more!

If you would like more information or a map, please visit the KLAA web site:
http://www.angelfire.com/art3/klaa/

“We Grow what We Sell”

Thanks, and see you soon,
Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

Strawberries are still hanging on

2006-09-08T03:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,

Well, it was a wet week on Esty Street. If it’s not one thing, it’s another. As of 4:30 this afternoon, our rain gauge measured 2.68” rain. Enough is enough. You can only wear rubber boots so long – three days is too long.

Strawberries are still hanging on – they are very dark and very sweet – last few days. Other vegetables in season are peas – old-fashioned and sugar ann, young beets –with greens, radishes, kale, collard greens, basil and Swiss chard – still young. I didn’t get a chance to update our “watch corn grow” web page because of the weather. I’ll do it on Wednesday if it stops raining.

Elmira’s Wisner Market continues this Thursday 10:00-2:00 – rain or shine (we prefer shine, please).
Remember that we open at 10:00AM and also note that we can’t accept WIC coupons until next week (July 6).

For those who can’t wait until Thursday for peas and the last of the strawberries – Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change.
Visit our website if you need a map.

http://www.janowskigardens.com
“We Grow what We Sell”

Thanks – and see you soon,

The Buttonwoods

2006-09-08T02:58:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,

My father’s side of the family has lived on Robinson and Esty Streets for five generations, and in an upcoming issue I will tell of how we got to Elmira, but today I want to tell you about “The Buttonwoods.”

Like other cities, Elmira neighborhoods had quaint local names – Frog Hollow, Pickaway, The Patch, Slabtown. Well, the Brand Park area and the land east to the river was commonly called “The Buttonwoods.” Buttonwoods are another name for sycamore trees. There was once a large stand of buttonwood trees in our area. Today I counted 12 of the beautiful trees still standing in Brand Park and along the river bank by the pool. We have one buttonwood left on our property. You’ll know a buttonwood, because they are very big, with peeling beige bark, big leaves, and big round “buttonball” seeds on the ground. See attachment for a photo of a buttonwood tree.

Look for the trees on your next trip to Janowski Gardens and remember that you are in “The Buttonwoods.”

We are in the last week of strawberries and have saved the sweetest ones for last – get them before they are gone. Other vegetables in season are peas, curly & bibb lettuce, mixed green lettuce, young beets –with greens, young radishes, kale, collard greens, basil – just starting.

Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change. Visit our website if you need a map.

http://www.janowskigardens.com

Thanks – and see you soon,

Brrrr....42 degrees

2006-09-08T02:55:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,

It was a little too cold last week. Sunday morning got down to 42º. Brrrrr. Some crops look a little frostbitten – melons, watermelons, winter squash. Let’s hope for the best and see what some heat and sunshine can do. Think summer.

The Elmira Wisner Market continues this Thursday – from 10:00-2:00. Janowski’s will have our homegrown STRAWBERRIES, spinach, curly and bibb lettuce, mixed baby green lettuce, collard greens (very tender right now and quick-cooking), kale, radishes, and bedding plants.

We will also have PEAS – probably not enough for everybody so if you really want some come early - say between 10 and 11.

Picnic Paks will be back – small servings of strawberries for those of you who might like berries with your Wisner Park picnic lunch or maybe to take back to your office to enjoy an afternoon snack.

Please remember that we open at 10:00AM.

For those who can’t wait until Thursday for strawberries and peas– Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change.
Visit our website if you need a map.

http://www.janowskigardens.com

Thanks – and see you soon,

The chain up and broke

2006-09-08T02:52:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,

Well last week was kind of crummy – weatherwise. While my dad and I were riding on the back of the tractor, handfeeding the 35-year old mechanical planter, the chain up and broke. Thanks to modern technology and overnight delivery, and the Janowski Farm mechanics (Uncle Paul, Dad, and me) - we finally got everything planted in the ground. Let’s hope the rain did some good.

The Elmira Wisner Market starts this Thursday – June 8. We will have STRAWBERRIES, spinach, lettuce, mixed green lettuce, radishes, and bedding plants. We are offering something new this week – small servings of strawberries for those of you who might like berries with your Wisner Park picnic lunch or maybe to take back to your office to enjoy an afternoon snack.

Please remember that we open at 10:00AM.

For those who can’t wait until Thursday for strawberries – Janowski Gardens is open every day on Elmira’s Southside. Remember to bring exact change.
Visit our website if you need a map.

http://www.janowskigardens.com

And, if you’re interested in the progress of our corn crop – click the link “Watch Corn Grow” on the home page.

Thanks – and see you soon,

Two weeks until Wisner Market

2006-09-07T02:43:00.000-07:00

Hello Elmira,

After a cold start it’s SPRING again and only 2 weeks until the first Elmira Wisner Market. Janowski Gardens will be there – in our usual space in Wisner Park along Church Street opposite Langdon Plaza.

On opening day we’ll be stocked with our famous mixed green lettuce, spinach, collard greens, bedding and vegetable plants including tomatoes, morning glories, zinnias, and more.

Remember this is New York and it takes a while for Mother Nature to cooperate with us farmers. We grow what we sell, and can only bring what is in season. Soon we’ll be providing our homegrown specialties of sweet corn, cabbage, squash, potatoes, beans, strawberries, lettuce, swiss chard, onions, collards, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and melons.

To get your own jump on the season, Janowski Gardens is already open on Esty Street selling lettuce, spinach, and bedding plants.

Please visit our website where you’ll find a map (we’re the best kept secret in Elmira) for weekly updates.

http://www.janowskigardens.com

Looking forward to seeing you this season. Thanks very much.

Diane Janowski
Janowski Gardens

“We Grow What We Sell”

Summer 2006 Newsletters

2006-09-07T02:27:00.000-07:00

Hello... Since you folks seemed to like our Summer 2006 Newsletters, we have decided to post and archive them here for you to enjoy again.

Janowski Gardens