Finding Minnesota

MONTROSE, Minn. (WCCO) ― This is the time of year that many of us like to get up early in the morning to check out what's for sale at the local farmers' market. Last weekend we showed you the opening of the Minneapolis Farmers Market. Now we can tell you about the other end of the process.

In Wright County is one of the many local farms that grow the vegetables and flowers we buy at the farmers markets. When you drive by, there's not much to see from the roadside, except high tunnels and greenhouses, side by side in fields.

Step inside and you are instantly overcome by warmth and color at Untiedt's Vegetable Farm in Montrose. It's a family-run business that's supplied flowers, herbs, tomatoes and corn to the Minneapolis Farmers' Market for more than 30 years.

Paul Nelson runs this farm with the help of about eight workers.

"For us, especially, we do a lot of hand-watering. We don't have a lot of automated systems out here, we do everything by hand," he said. "I believe tou have to look at everything everyday. If you can look at every plant every day you will see the flaws, you can correct the flaws, pinch them an extra time, fill them out and get them nice and full. Maintain them the way they should be maintained."

In early spring, they plant seeds or seedlings and then pour on the tender loving care until the plants are big enough and healthy enough to be sold at the farmers' markets.

There's a lot of pride that goes into nurturing these flowers and vegetables and Nelson said their customers appreciate that.

"They want to know where things are coming from. They want to know who's growing it? Who's taking care of it? What do you do to your crop that is different? What gets sprayed on your crop? And when you are buying directly from the farmers themselves, we can answer those questions," Nelson said.

Most of the tomatoes sold here are "Super Sweet Sensations," which is a variety bred just for flavor, to be sold at local markets, not shipped long distances to grocery stores.

Untiedt's farm also supplies much of the corn that we'll eventually see out at the State Fair in August.

Growing produce to sell at the Minneapolis Farmers' Market is a tradition that goes back to the 1870s. St. Paul's first farmers' market opened around the same time and there is one thing that hasn't changed in all those years.

"It is an awful lot of work. This is not a job, this is a livelihood," Nelson said. "If you look at it as a job, you are not going to be happy. It's not 8-5, five days a week. We oftentimes start at 6 in the morning and are done at 8 at night."

Nelson doesn't think the recession will put a dent in business this year at farmers' markets across the state. He believes folks will still want their locally-grown produce and their pretty flowers.

"Flowers are one of those things, that we want to beautify our homes, as homeowners, and if you can't go to the lake or to the cabin every week, you want to have a hobby around your home, whether it's growing your own vegetables in your own backyard or taking care of plants in your front yard, just something to do to get your mind off the economy," Nelson said.

The temperature inside the tunnels and greenhouses ranges from 60 to 75 degrees depending on the type of plant, and Nelson said there are certain things you can plant outside now, including pansies, petunias, snapdragons and kale. They can survive and even thrive in cool weather.

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