Farmers seek link to area eateries

By Steven Cook
Gazette Reporter

March 19, 2002
JOHNSTOWN - Jill Gies cracked open a brown egg fresh from the farm Monday and emptied its contents into a pan.

The yellow yolk was surrounded by the white "like an eye," Gies' husband Ken said.

"That's how a fresh egg should look like in a frying pan," Ken Gies said at a gathering of local farmers and restaurant owners.

The Gieses, who live in the town of Minden, joined other local farmers at a food tasting event for local restaurants at Fulton Montgomery Community College on Monday.

The event was aimed at selling local restaurants on locally-grown produce and meats for use in the establishments.

Farmers and restaurant managers tasted the Gieses' eggs and poultry, along with lamb from Currytown Meats in Sprakers, maple syrup from the Damin Farm in St. Johnsville and others.

Attendance was low, with about 10 farmers and only two restaurants attending. Organizers blamed the low attendance on the Monday morning snow.

The restaurant food tasting marks a second phase in efforts to market local produce and meats by the Montgomery County Agriculture Economic Development Project.

Local produce has been sold in Price Choppers for approximately a year and a half, sold under the PROduced in the Mohawk Valley label.

Selling to local restaurants is a natural extension of that program, program coordinator Dona Tyler said.

The program was created last year through a $50,000 member item grant secured by Assemblyman Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam.

That money was scheduled to run out this month. The program is being continued, though, through a $15,000 contribution by the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors and other grant money.

The board settled on the $15,000 request after program officials initially requested $56,000 and the county administrator reduced that to $32,000.

No money for the program was included for 2002 in the budget passed in December. The board approved the $15,000 figure in February.

Supervisor William Hisert, R-Palatine, acknowledged difficulties in getting the money, but said the supervisors are firmly behind the concept.

"This program, I think, will do well with restaurants and farms working together," Hisert told the group.

Tonko could be heard complimenting the farmers with a "delicious" after tasting the offerings.

Marketing locally grown food to restaurants helps both farmers, restaurants and even the tourism industry, Tonko said.

"This is a very clever way to strengthen a couple of industries," Tonko said. "I hope it continues to grow."

Tony Abeel, owner and chef for the Valley Den restaurant in St. Johnsville, was one of the restaurant representatives to attend.

He said he already gets some of his food locally, but would like to get more.

He noted Currytown Meats' offering of lamb at the tasting.

"We have a lot of lamb specials, if we can get it locally, that's great," he said.

Posted July 13, 2002