The 10^th Annual Taste of Tioga, which was scheduled to take place on Friday, September 9th, 2011 at the Owego Treadway Inn has been postponed as a result of the flooding that has occurred in the Southern-Tier.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tioga County will announce a new date for the event within the coming weeks. Information will be posted on our website here at cce.cornell.edu/tioga and at tasteoftioga.com.  For more information, contact Tyler Poole at 607-687-4020.

Southern-Tier “Top Chefs” prepare for the 10th Annual Taste of Tioga.

Fan’s of the popular Bravo TV show Top Chef know that when it comes to making award winning dishes that the most important element is the ingredients they choose.  Many of the challenges feature cooking with local ingredients to not only give the dishes local flavor, but also to promote sustainability and deliver the best tasting dishes to the judges. You too can have the chance to be a judge of local Southern-Tier flavor at the 10^th Annual Taste of Tioga, which will be held Friday, September 9^th from 5:30 to 8:00 pm at the Owego Treadway Inn.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tioga County along side the area Top Chefs will tantalite your taste buds with the high quality foods grown and prepared right in your own backyard.

Tickets are now available for purchase at our office or at the door. Please visit tasteoftioga.com for more info.

You may have noticed newly hung purple triangular boxes in area ash trees. These are Emerald Ash Borer monitoring traps. In addition to the purple being an attractant to the Borer, they are covered in a sticky lure. The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a small green beetle whose larvae feed on the living tissue under the bark. They are non-native and therefore do not have any predators to keep their populations in check. Originating from Asia, this invasive insect was first found around Detroit, Michigan in 2001. Since then, EAB has spread to 15 states and two provinces, killing tens of millions of ash trees. None of our native ash trees are safe. As of 2010, New York has 6 known infestations affecting 7 counties, as well as two infestations just across the border in Canada.

The purple traps have been hung by APHIS are for monitoring only, not for control. These traps are hung along commonly used roads, in campgrounds, and around sawmills through a national monitoring program; they are not available to landowners. Right now, we do not know of an EAB infestation in Tioga County or any of our immediate neighboring counties. But, now is the time to make thoughtful decisions about managing woodland, park, yard, and street ash trees.

Quick EAB (Emerald Ash Borer) Facts:

It attacks only ash trees (Fraxinus spp).

Adult beetles are metallic green and about 1/2-inch long.

Adults leave a 1/8” D-shaped exit hole in the bark when they emerge in late spring.

Woodpeckers like EAB larvae; heavy woodpecker damage on ash trees may be a sign of infestation.

One of the factors that has led to the rapid spread of the EAB is through the movement of infested ash firewood. EAB is one of the reasons to “Don’t Move Firewood.” http://www.dontmovefirewood.org/
 
 
For more information about the Emerald Ash Borer, including how to plan and manage for it, what signs and symptoms to look for, and how to report EAB.
Go to http://nyis.info or call Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tioga County at 607-687-4020

Questions and Answers: Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine

Tags: EAB, Emerald Ash Borer

Do you know someone who is 8 to 12 years of age and is interested in learning how to cook, garden, eat healthy and be active?

Register for Tioga County’s Kitchen Kids summer camp today!

Classes are held at 56 Main St, Owego, in the CCE Tioga Conference Room/Kitchen. 2 sessions are offered – join one or both sessions.
The cost per session is $30.00

Session 1 – Mon June 27th to Fri July 1st
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm

Session 2 – Mon. July 11 to Fri July 15th
2:00 pm to 3:30 pm

Seats are limited so register today by calling 607-687-4020.

Master Gardener Plant Sale

Check out our facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=123406644407498

The Tioga County Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension are having their Annual Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, June 4th. The sale will begin at 8:00 AM and runs until noon or until the plants are gone.  The sale will be held on the lawn of the County Office Building at 56 Main St. in Owego. There will be a variety of perennials, bulbs, shrubs, trees, annuals, herbs and vegetable starts available. You’ll find perennial favorites like hosta, iris, daylily, peonies, columbine and black-eyed Susan and many more unusual selections like sedum, hops, ferns, anemone, astilbe, perennial geranium, borage, ground covers, castor bean and dahlias.

The Master Gardener volunteers carefully divide perennials from their own gardens or grow plants from seed to donate to the sale. You’ll find reasonably priced treasures for your garden. Most plants are priced between $1 – $10.  Funds raised go towards the Master Gardener’s many educational and beautification projects in Tioga County. Come out and buy plants and support a great cause. Call Cornell Cooperative Extension, Tioga County at 687-4020 for more information.

The May calendar for the Family Resource Centers of Tioga County (FRC) is now available for download on our FRC page at http://blogs.cce.cornell.edu/tioga/frc/

The Tioga Flood Mitigation Group would like to remind area residents to review their family emergency plans and information about what to do before, during and after a flood. An informational brochure containing this information was developed and sent to all Tioga County residents in 2009.

Additional copies of the “Flooding: Are You Ready?” brochure are still available from the Tioga Emergency Management Officer at the Tioga Public Safety Building, Cornell Cooperative Extension Tioga County located at the Tioga County Office Building, 56 Main Street, Owego, and the Tioga County Soil and Water Conservation District at 183 Corporate Drive, Owego.

The information can be also be accessed by going to the Tioga County website at www.tiogacountyny.com by clicking on the Tioga County Flood Mitigation Group link.

Some basic information to remember during a FLOOD WATCH:
• Keep a Disaster Supply Kit near (prepare one if you have not, include plenty of water.)
• Use a NOAA Weather Radio or listen continuously to a local radio station, such as WEBO 1330 AM / 107.9 FM on a portable HCR or battery-powered radio or watch a local television station.
• Be ready to act quickly—visit the Tioga County, United States Geological Survey (USGS) or National Weather Service websites — all have information on river levels.
• Be alert to signs of flooding, and if you live in a flood-prone area, be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice.
• Have a plan for evacuation of larger animals and pets.
• Follow the instructions of local authorities—they are the most informed about affected areas to avoid.

Emergency Contact Information:
Tioga County Sheriff
687-1010

Tioga County Emergency Management Office
687-2023
First Call for Help Tioga
1-800-227-5353 or 211
Southern Tier Red Cross
785-7207
Salvation Army
722-2987
Tioga Opportunities
687-4222
USGS
266-0217   waterdata.usgs.gov/ny/nwis/rt
National Weather Service
newweb.erh.noaa.gov/ahps2
Tioga County

http://www.tiogacountyny.com/agencies/flood-mitigation-group.html

WEBO Radio Station
1330 AM and 107.9 FM
TV Stations
WBNG, WIVT, WICZ

The April calendar for the Family Resource Centers of Tioga County (FRC) is now available for download on our FRC page at http://blogs.cce.cornell.edu/tioga/frc/ no joke!

The Waverly Farmers Market will be open from 4:00 to 7:00 PM on Thursdays beginning June 23^nd and continuing until October 13^th, 2011. The Market will be located in beautiful Muldoon Park.

Download the updated Rules and Application form here:  .pdf or .doc

The Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tioga County will be offering a class on seed starting class at Tioga Gardens (2217 State Rt. 17C Owego)

Thursday, April 7th 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

You’ll get a jump on the gardening season and save money by starting your own vegetable, herb and flower plants for your garden. You’ll learn inexpensive and practical techniques from experienced gardeners to ensure success. We’ll cover lighting, soil, fertilizing,timing, temperature, disease and pest control and the best varieties to try in our climate. This will be a hands-on class and everyone will leave with their newly planted seeds, instructions and supplies to continue your success at home.

The cost of the class ($10 for one person, $15 for two) includes a kit with seedlings, pest control supplies and more.

Please call Cornell Cooperative Extension to register 687-4020