Glacier Valley Farm will have beautiful zucchini, tender green beans, tomatoes, crisp English cucumbers, cabbage, a variety of lettuces and big, sweet, strawberries! 

Arctic Choice will have a great selection of fresh Alaskan seafood.  Fresh King and Silver Salmon, Sablefish (Black Cod) and Halibut fillets for the BBQ. Also fresh SideStripe Shrimp, Cod & Rockfish fillets will be there along with large Spot Shrimp, Razor Clam meats, Halibut Cheeks, Scallops and always a favorite King Crab, along with other seafood treats. 

For the Saturday Anchorage South Side Farmers’ Market:
SPECIAL EVENTS

Northrim Bank, who is a wonderful sponsor of the South Anchorage Farmers’ Market, will be here with information for their Purple Plant contest.  Here is a link to see last year’s winners.  http://www.northrim.com/home/home/purpleplant They will also have a limited supply of very cool totes that will make your shopping very stylish!

We are very excited about an upcoming event on August 7th.  WineStyles is holding a wine tasting benefit for the Alaska Farmland Trust!  The benefit will start at 11:00 a.m. and continue until 3:00.  For just $10.00 you get to enjoy 3 samples of wine and keep your special Govino wine “glass!” It is shatterproof, reusable and recyclable.  You’ll have fun and also benefit a great cause.  So bring a friend (or two or three) and have a great time sampling wine and visiting the market!

TOURS AND INFORMATION

Last chance to sign up for the Farm Bureau Farm Tour.  The tour is July 31st.  It is an absolutely fabulous tour!  You will visit five different farms, be served an all Alaskan Grown lunch, knosh on sweet rolls and coffee on the bus and everyone will receive a Farm Bureau t-shirt, with the special “Grown Here Not Flown Here” graphic.  To register for the tour contact Patricia O’Neil at Patricia.ONeil@alaska.gov .  You really don’t want to miss this tour and I’m not just saying this because lunch is at Carol Kenley’s house.  I just know that everyone who went last year loved it!

Bison & Elk Tours at Little Pitchfork Ranch
Located near Lazy Mountain in Palmer this tour is absolutely beautiful and informative.  The bison and elk come right up to the truck!  If you would like to take the tour, just send an email to:  littlepitchforkranch@hotmail.com. 

The 6th annual AK Renewable Energy Fair is Saturday, August 7, but Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP) will be here to give you a sampling of all the information they have.  Stop by and see what the latest developments are in the area of renewable energy. 

Alaska Farmland Trust will also be here sharing information about the state of farmlands here in Alaska.  Did you know that only 4% of Alaska’s farmland is accessible and viable for farming, and less than 10% of food consumed in Alaska is locally grown?  Stop by and get more information on how this impacts you!

PRODUCE

VanderWeele Farms has a great variety of lettuce including Red Oak, Bibb, Lollo Rosso, green and red leaf, and Red and Green Romaine.  Radishes and cabbage will also be there along with their famous potatoes.

Glacier Valley Farm will have beautiful zucchini, red, ripe tomatoes, tender green beans, crisp English cucumbers, a variety of lettuces and big, sweet, strawberries!  If people would like to know what is going on at Arthur’s farm he has a Facebook page.  Here is the link:  http://tinyurl.com/29rgvfo

Stockwell Farms will have a wide variety of greens including baby bok choy, kale, Asian kale and other greens, chard, new potatoes, and homemade relishes.

Rempel Family Farm reports:  The rain is appreciated as it makes the potatoes and carrots size up nicely, however, a little sun is needed to make the winter squash grow and the peas, and the beans.  This week Rempel Family Farm will have a few ( if the sun does not shine ) peas, carrots, Snow Apple turnips, cucumbers, green onions, several kinds of potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages, lots of greens, spinach, beets, and more.

Wolverine Farm will have their delicious tender peas!

Earthworks Farm will be there with a great assortment of lettuces and greens. 

Northern Lights Mushrooms will be there with their beautiful oyster mushrooms. 

FFA (Future Farmers of America) will have rose hips, local duck eggs, and nettle tea.  Nettle tea is incredibly good for you and they have mixed it with peppermint so it tastes nice and refreshing.

Gray Owl Farm will have a variety of produce including sweet European (English) cucumbers, pickling cucumbers, fresh fennel and cilantro, Napa cabbage, scallions, raddichio, beets, cauliflower and broccoli, some tasty mustard greens and spinach, and a nice selection of potted herbs.

You have probably noticed more greens appearing at the market.  If you are hesitant to try something you are unsure of, here is a great recipe from Alison’s Lunch http://alisonslunch.com/ using collards.  You have to try this especially if you don’t think you care for collards because you will never know you are eating something that is good for you!  It’s absolutely delicious and you might just be seeking out those healthy greens before you know it.  It is on the SAFM website as well as on Alison’s blog.  Here is a link for toast with collards and green olive pesto.  Collards and Green Olive Pesto.  Thanks Alison for this and all your other delicious and healthy recipes!

BAKERY AND FOOD
Rise & Shine Bakery will be bringing their SPENT GRAIN bread again this week, as well as their signature LEVAIN. Both loaves are 100% whole grain sourdough pan loaves, great for toast, sandwiches, and open-faced treats (check out http://www.AlisonsLunch.com for ideas for things to put on toast, if you’d like some new ideas). The spent grain bread has a touch of honey, in addition to the sweetness in the malted barley in the bread, left over from Midnight Sun Brewing Company’s beer-making process, while the levain has just four ingredients: organic whole wheat flour, water, salt, and sourdough (wild yeast). The three-day process of feeding the sourdough gradually to create the bread gives the whole grain bread flavor complexity, nutrition, and keeping quality that you don’t get from loaves made more quickly with commercial yeast.

Dan & Alison will also be bringing their little RAISIN & TOASTED PECAN pan loaf, great for breakfast toast and snacks, and extra healthy because it’s 100% whole wheat. Also look for the FRESH ROSEMARY hearth loaf, a lighter loaf (made with 60% whole wheat) that is fantastic for sandwiches and as a dinner bread with soups and salads. And for you TOASTED SEED fans out there, expect those hearty loaves, packed with sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, and flax seeds, plus a little polenta for extra crunch.
You might want to stock up a bit this Saturday (July 31), since Dan and Alison will be taking their customary “first Saturday of the month off” on August 7th. The bread freezes and thaws extraordinarily well because of the long action of the sourdough on the whole grains.

Mary Jane will be bringing baked goods from French Oven Bakery.  Huge loaves of marble rye, cheddar, jalapeno cheddar, white, and wheat and white sourdough.  Lots of pastries including palmiers, macaroons, and those tempting cinnamon rolls.

Arctic Choice has a great selection of fresh Alaskan seafood.  Fresh King and Silver Salmon, Sablefish (Black Cod) and Halibut fillets for the BBQ. Also fresh SideStripe Shrimp, Cod & Rockfish fillets will be there along with large Spot Shrimp, Razor Clam meats, Halibut Cheeks, Scallops and always a favorite King Crab, along with other seafood treats. 

Matanuska Creamerywill be introducing something interesting and yummy at the market on Saturday.  They are making pepper cheese curds with big grain pepper and spices. I think people will like it if they like spicey or hot things.  They will also have all sorts of cheese including their new mozzerella cheese!  Lots of ice cream as well.  They will also have Alaska Grown hoodies and t-shirts.  All of their products are made from hormone free, grass fed cows. 

Nonessentials has Alaskan honey, barbecue sauce from Apple Branch Pantry and balsamic vinegars made with local fruit such as ligonberry!  Also check out their fresh roasted coffee by Coffee Roastery.  Check to see if they have their tasty salmon wraps!

Southfork Jams will have a limited supply of their popular zucchini relish during August.  The sweet-sour condiment is very versatile, good mixed in tuna or salmon salad, or in deviled eggs for the barbeque.  The relish also makes a nice tartar sauce, to compliment that fresh halibut and grilled salmon.  Of course, you can also use it on those hot dogs and hamburgers.  For those of you who want to stock up for the winter, Southfork will take orders and set aside your jars. 

Three Bearswill be bringing their jams and jellies as well.  A wide variety made with local fruit at terrific prices.

Fat Boyz Ribz will be there grilling up their delicious ribs and hot dogs.  Great cole slaw too!  Just follow your nose!

PLANTS

Country Garden Farms will also be there with their direct from the field sod. Great prices too!

Gray Owl Farm still has many perennials that they will bring to market including Johnson’s Blue Geranium, Ligularia, Asiatic Lilies, Hosta, Penstemmon, Perennial grasses and Cerastium.  They have a large variety of houseplants and tropicals to choose from including a rainbow of colors in Coleus, Pink Philodendron, Ferns, Red Banana Plants, Scented Geraniums, Hawaiian Ti Plants and New Zealand Flax (Phormiums).  They have locally grown Nugget Bluegrass Seed in 2# bags available and offer free estimates on Delivery and Placement of their pure Nugget Bluegrass Sod.  Stop by and pick up a card to plan an appointment for a free estimate for “Instant Grassification.” Can’t we all just get a Lawn?  The garden is producing and they will offer Kohlrabi, Beets, Napa Cabbage, tender Mustard Greens, Arugula, Spinach, Bunching Onions (Scallions), and from the greenhouse their “so sweet” European Cucumbers and crunchy Pickling Cucumbers as well as a variety of herbs. 

MILE 5.2 Greenhouse will have their great selection of plants, plant starts and tropicals as well.

For more information about the market, contact Nancy, South Anchorage Farmers’ Market, at 907-529.7630, or safm@gci.net.

Read On »

Have you ever had a friend who tried to coax you into trying something?  You have got to try this restaurant, or you have to hike this trail.  You get the picture.  I’m about to do the same thing.  You really have to see Little Pitchfork Ranch!

Arthur kept telling me not only how scenic, but how incredibly mind blowing it was to see bison charging over the hill.  Last Friday I went on the tour at Todd and Roxann Pettit’s bison and elk ranch and I have to say, even though the weather was less than perfect, it was spectacular! 

The drive up, with Lazy Mountain in the background, is reason enough to take the tour.  But then once you get there you are warmly greeted by Todd and Roxann.  You can tell their heart and soul is in this ranch.  Hot coffee or tea was there to warm us up and Todd’s grandfather showed us around the many buildings that he built with the help of their hard working Percheron draft horse, Fred.  I couldn’t imagine hauling all those trees by horse and building these cabins by hand!  If you have never seen a Percheron, think of a bigger Clydesdale.  A real beauty!

Todd’s grandfather also showed us the many antique stoves, small steam engine train, farm tools, pictures, and maps that he has collected over the years.  It was a living museum full of stories. 

We all got on the back of the open truck filled with comfy hay bales and started through the fields to where Todd saw the buffalo that morning so we didn’t drive around aimlessly.  In case you are wondering bison and buffalo are one in the same.

I was surprised at how beautiful these huge animals were and awestruck at the thunderous sound of their hooves as they came running towards us.  I was glad I was in the back of the pick up!  Todd jumped out and started dispersing some treats to bring them in a little closer to us.  These bison are grass fed and allowed to roam even during the winter.  These big guys knew a good deal when they saw it and immediately started coming towards us.  The cows were with their calves and the big males were milling around.  Todd answered all our questions and told some great stories.  We then moved on to where the elk were last seen.

The elk were hiding in the trees at first, but then quickly realized Todd was there.  They moved in for the treats that Todd was putting down on the ground.  The bull elk was breathtaking!  The elk cows were very protective of their newborn calves and let the bull have first chance at the treats.  Todd explained that in just a week or so the bull elk will not be able to be approached like he was doing now.  He will be doing what bull elk were made to do and will be full mating mode.  It sounded to me like college spring break gone berserk!

We had gone way over our expected time so we slowly headed back to the ranch.  I ran out of memory on the camera back when we were still with the buffalo!  Darn.  I guess I’ll have to go back to get those elk pictures.  Everyone was chatting and kept saying over and over, “I can’t believe what we just saw.  It was amazing!”

We ended the tour with a little more hot coffee or tea and some local strawberries that Arthur brought.  Todd answered any questions that we didn’t think of when we were out in the field.  I think we were all dumbfounded with amazement over these prehistoric looking creatures. 

Even though it was a little cool and damp, Todd and his family made you feel warm and invited.  It will be a day I’ll never forget.

If you would like to see some pictures, please go to Glacier Valley Farm’s Facebook page.  Here is a link:  http://tinyurl.com/29rgvfo Scroll down a bit for the buffalo video and pictures.  More pictures are coming soon so become a friend!  That way you’ll know when those new pictures are posted.

If you would like to take the tour, just send an email to:  . 

Let’s see what is going on at the market this Saturday!

Eagle River Farmers’ Market on Saturday will have Glacier Valley Farm, Arctic Choice Seafoods, and other vendors from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm located outside of Mike’s Meats. 

Glacier Valley Farm will have beautiful zucchini, tomatoes, crisp English cucumbers, tender lettuces and big, sweet, strawberries!  If people would like to know what is going on at Arthur’s farm he has a Facebook page.  Here is the link:  Glacier Valley Farm Facebook page

Arctic Choice will have a great selection of fresh Alaskan seafood.  Fresh King and Silver Salmon, Sablefish (Black Cod) and Halibut fillets for the BBQ. Also fresh SideStripe Shrimp, Cod & Rockfish fillets will be there along with large Spot Shrimp, Razor Clam meats, Halibut Cheeks, Scallops and always a favorite King Crab, along with other seafood treats. 

For the Anchorage South Side Farmers’ Market:

PRODUCE

VanderWeele Farms has a great variety of lettuce including Red Oak, Bibb, Lollo Rosso, green and red leaf, and Red and Green Romaine.  Radishes and cabbage will also be there along with their famous potatoes.

Glacier Valley Farm will have beautiful zucchini, red, ripe tomatoes, crisp English cucumbers, tender lettuces and big, sweet, strawberries!  If people would like to know what is going on at Arthur’s farm he has a Facebook page.  Here is the link:  Glacier Valley Farm Facebook page

Stockwell Farms will have a wide variety of greens including baby bok choy, kale, Asian kale and other greens, chard, new potatoes, and homemade relishes.

Rempel Family Farm will have certified organic new potatoes, carrots, green onions, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, a few pickling cucumbers and sugar snap peas, squash flowers, kohlrabi, red and green cabbage, sweet slicing cucumbers, and a score or more greens and herbs, not to mention the Original Snow Apple turnips.

Wolverine Farm will have their delicious tender peas!

Earthworks Farm will be there with a great assortment of lettuces and greens. 

Northern Lights Mushrooms will be there with their beautiful oyster mushrooms. 

FFA (Future Farmers of America) will have spruce tips, rose hips, local duck eggs, and nettle tea.  Nettle tea is incredibly good for you and they have mixed it with peppermint so it tastes nice and refreshing.


BAKERY AND FOOD

Rise & Shine Bakery will be bringing their 100% whole grain SPENT GRAIN pan loaves to the market this week—bursting with good flavor, nutrition and moist texture from the barley used in Midnight Sun Brewery’s beer-making process. The other 100% whole grain pan loaf will be GOLDEN MAIZE, with fresh-ground cornmeal and a hint of honey.

Dan & Alison’s savory hearth loaves this week will be the KALAMATA OLIVE bread, which Dan loves best of all the breads for sandwiches—never mind that the mayonnaise sometimes leaks out of the olive holes. The other savory loaf will be the CHEESE & GARLIC bread, which is always fun—especially reheated, or toasted, slice by slice—it’s like a toasted cheese garlic bread!

Rise & Shine is also baking the ever-popular FRUITED ALMOND hearth loaves this week, packed with dried apricots, cranberries, golden raisins, and toasted almonds. It makes great breakfast toast, snacks with tea, or slices to share with folks at work or on your camping trip!

Mary Jane will be bringing baked goods from French Oven Bakery.  Huge loaves of marble rye, cheddar, jalapeno cheddar, white, and wheat and white sourdough.  Lots of pastries including palmiers, macaroons, and those tempting cinnamon rolls.

Arctic Choice has a great selection of fresh Alaskan seafood.  Fresh King and Silver Salmon, Sablefish (Black Cod) and Halibut fillets for the BBQ. Also fresh SideStripe Shrimp, Cod & Rockfish fillets will be there along with large Spot Shrimp, Razor Clam meats, Halibut Cheeks, Scallops and always a favorite King Crab, along with other seafood treats. 

Matanuska Creamery will have something new-mozzerella cheese!  Lots of ice cream as well.  They will also have Alaska Grown hoodies and t-shirts.  Check out some of their cute notepads that they will bring.  All of their products are made from hormone free, grass fed cows. 

Nonessentials has Alaskan honey, barbecue sauce from Apple Branch Pantry and balsamic vinegars made with local fruit such as ligonberry!  Also check out their fresh roasted coffee by Coffee Roastery.  Check to see if they have their tasty salmon wraps!

Northfork Jams & Jellies will the Blueberry Rhubarb, Jalapeno Peach and other great flavor combinations.  She will also have heirloom tomato plants that are perfect for your deck.

Three Bears will be bringing their jams and jellies as well.  A wide variety made with local fruit at terrific prices.

Fat Boyz Ribz will be there grilling up their delicious ribs and hot dogs.  Great cole slaw too!  Just follow your nose!

PLANTS

Country Garden Farms will also be there with their direct from the field sod. Great prices too!

Gray Owl Farm still has many perennials that they will bring to market including Johnson’s Blue Geranium, Ligularia, Asiatic Lilies, Hosta, Penstemmon, Perennial grasses and Cerastium.  They have a large variety of houseplants and tropicals to choose from including a rainbow of colors in Coleus, Pink Philodendron, Ferns, Red Banana Plants, Scented Geraniums, Hawaiian Ti Plants and New Zealand Flax (Phormiums).  They have locally grown Nugget Bluegrass Seed in 2# bags available and offer free estimates on Delivery and Placement of their pure Nugget Bluegrass Sod.  Stop by and pick up a card to plan an appointment for a free estimate for “Instant Grassification.” Can’t we all just get a Lawn?  The garden is producing and they will offer
Kohlrabi, Beets, Napa Cabbage, tender Mustard Greens, Arugula, Spinach, Bunching Onions (Scallions), and from the greenhouse their “so sweet” European Cucumbers and crunchy Pickling Cucumbers as well as a variety of herbs. 

MILE 5.2 Greenhouse will have their great selection of plants, plant starts and tropicals as well.

Don’t forget to sign up for the Farm Bureau Farm Tour.  The tour is July 31st and space is limited.  It is an absolutely fabulous tour.  The tour will be visiting five different farms, be served an all Alaskan Grown lunch, be served sweet rolls and coffee on the bus and everyone will receive a Farm Bureau t-shirt, one with the special “Grown Here Not Flown Here” graphic.  To register for the tour contact Patricia O’Neil at Patricia.ONeil@alaska.gov .  You really don’t want to miss this tour and I’m not just saying this because lunch is at Carol Kenley’s house.  I just know that everyone who went last year loved it and it will be even better this year. 

For more information about the market, contact Nancy Lampman, South Anchorage Farmers’ Market, at 907-529.7630, or safm@gci.net.

Cheers! And see you at the market!
Nancy Lampman
South Anchorage Farmers’ Market Reporter

Read On »

As you all know by now I love to try new things.  I often buy something at the farmers’ market, bring it home, and then try to figure out how to use it.  It drives my husband nuts.  “What’s this?” “I don’t know, but we’re having it tonight!”

I had an interesting cooking adventure recently.  I used zucchini squash blossoms for the first time.  They really don’t have a particular flavor all on their own, but are more a flavor vehicle for all sorts of tasty fillings.  Squash blossoms are commonly used in Italian and Latin cooking so the fillings tend to follow those flavor profiles.  In the world of zucchini there are females and males and the female blossoms tend to be pricier.  So men, maybe you’re right; females can be a little more expensive!  The females are often seen at a market with the tiny zucchini attached and the flowers tend to be larger overall.  But most people use the male blossoms because they are less expensive and slightly smaller.

You want to buy blossoms that are fairly closed.  This cuts down on the bug factor as well.  If the blossom does have a few freeloaders, just brush them out.  You then fill them with all sorts of goodies: firm cheeses, chopped mushrooms and breadcrumbs, even ground meat with herbs.  I tried all three fillings and had good success.  The frying was the tricky part for me and I quickly learned the batter needs to be very thick in order to keep those blossoms closed.  I also oven fried a few blossoms and maybe it was the mess factor of frying, but I liked the oven fried version better.

You can use the uncooked blossoms in salads, which lend a beautiful color to those greens.  And in Italy, they toss warm pasta with anchovies and torn blossoms. 

Our friends loved them and they made a great appetizer.  So if you are looking for something a bit different give them a try!

It turns out a little sun can do a lot of good for our farms!  Here is what we hope to see at the market this Saturday.

EAGLE RIVER MARKET
The market in Eagle River is now open!  Right in front of Mike’s Meats from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm.  Glacier Valley Farm will be there along with a few other vendors.

UPCOMING EVENTS
A great farm tour is the one of a family owned dairy farm!  Be sure to stop at the Matanuska Creamery and sign up!  See the cows and an actual colonist farm first hand.  Jean’s husband has been here 70 years and Jean has been here 50 years. Their farm has been a working farm for 75 years. They started with horses Payday and Prince, and then acquired a Ford 8N tractor.  See happy cows first hand!

The Mat-Su Farm Bureau is hosting a special tour July 31st.  They will be touring Valley Farms, eating an Alaska Grown luncheon and meeting with Valley farmers.  It was a huge success last year, so sign up early if you want to go.  The cost is only $55 which is a real bargain.  The price barely covers the cost of the motorcoach so the lunch, t-shirt and guided tour are practically free.  The Farm Bureau is doing this as a service to our market customers so that you can see where your food is grown.  Contact Patricia O’Neil to register at 907-763-3858 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              907-763-3858      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or Patricia.ONeil@alaska.gov.

Alaska Farmland Trust Corporation will also have a booth here this week.  AFTC is a private, non-profit land trust dedicated to assisting landowners in preserving their working agricultural lands.  The Alaska Farmland Trust envisions a future with thriving local food markets that will give Alaskans access to fresh, healthy food and keep our farmers farming.  Because only 4% of Alaska’s farmland is accessible and viable for farming, and less than 10% of food consumed in Alaska is locally grown there is an immediate need to protect agricultural lands in production and educate the public about the agricultural opportunities available in Alaska.  Come visit their booth to learn more about the organization and find out how you can help keep our farmers farming.

PRODUCE
Glacier Valley Farm will have beautiful zucchini, tomatoes, crisp English cucumbers, and tender lettuces.  The first of the strawberries will be making their debut!  Check out Glacier Valley’s Facebook page and look at Arthur’s photo journal of life on his farm.  Here is the link:  http://tinyurl.com/29rgvfo You’ll always find it interesting and informative.  There is a great recipe showing off those beautiful English cucumbers on the SAFM website.  A sauce that goes great with fish too!  http://tinyurl.com/2ad68bg

VanderWeele Farm has a great variety of lettuce including Red Oak, Bibb, Lollo Rosso, green and red leaf, and Red and Green Romaine.  Radishes, and cabbage will also be there along with their famous potatoes. 

Stockwell Farms will have a great assortment of greens including baby bok choy, Asian kale and other greens, chard, and homemade relishes.

This week Rempel Family Farm will have certified organic CARROTS, lots of greens and lettuces, some new red potatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, dill, cilantro, arugula, basil, broccoli, green cabbage, and maybe cauliflower.

Country Garden Farms will also be there with their direct from the field sod. Great prices too!

Northern Lights Mushrooms will be there with their beautiful oyster mushrooms. 

FFA (Future Farmers of America) will have spruce tips, rose hips, local duck eggs, and nettle tea.  Nettle tea is incredibly good for you and they have mixed it with peppermint so it tastes nice and refreshing.

Earthworks Farm will be there with a great assortment of lettuces and greens. 

BAKERY AND FOOD
This week, Rise & Shine Bakery will be bringing two different 100% whole wheat sourdough pan loaves with Alaskan ingredients: the BAKED POTATO bread and the ALASKAN BARLEY loaves.  The barley is grown in Delta Junction, and adds an interesting tang to the bread. The potatoes are grown in Palmer, of course, and add a moistness and keeping quality to the whole wheat bread that makes it a perennial favorite.

As for hearth loaves, Dan and Alison will be baking their 100% whole wheat TOASTED WALNUT bread, which is great with any kind of cheese, or as a dinner bread or toast with breakfast, soups, or salads. The other savory hearth loaf will be the ONION RYE loaves, with their distinctively cakey texture and a slight grassy texture from the rye flour. And the sweet loaf this week will be the much-awaited DARK CHOCOLATE & CHERRY loaves, not just for breakfast anymore!

Mary Jane will be bringing baked good from French Oven Bakery.  Huge loaves of marble rye, cheddar, jalapeno cheddar, white, and wheat and white sourdough.  Lots of pastires including palmiers, macaroons, and those tempting cinnamon rolls.

Matanuska Creamery will have something new-mozzerella cheese!  Lots of ice cream as well.  They will also have Alaska Grown hoodies and t-shirts as well!  Check out some of their cute notepads that they will bring.  All of their products are made from hormone free, grass fed cows. 

Nonessentials has Alaskan honey, barbecue sauce from Apple Branch Pantry and balsamic vinegars made with local fruit such as ligonberry!  Also check out their fresh roasted coffee by Coffee Roastery. 

Southfork Jams & Jellies will the Blueberry Rhubarb, Jalapeno Peach and other great flavor combinations.  She will also have heirloom tomato plants that are perfect for your deck.
Arctic Choice has a great selection of fresh Alaskan seafood.  Fresh King Salmon or Sockeye Salmon, Sablefish (Black Cod) and Halibut fillets for the BBQ. Also fresh SideStripe Shrimp, Cod & Rockfish fillets will be there along with large Spot Shrimp, Razor Clam meats, Halibut Cheeks, Scallops and always a favorite King Crab, along with other seafood treats.

Three Bears Jam will have a great variety of homemade jams and jellies.  They have a great sample policy too.  It’s so nice to be able to taste something before you buy you it!

Fat Boyz Ribz will be there grilling up their delicious ribs and hot dogs.  Great cole slaw too!  Just follow your nose!

PLANTS
Janet at Bearsden Gardens will have lots of basil along with pineapple sage, cilantro, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and eight other varieties of herbs.  Scotch moss is ready for brightening up your garden beds, and some of the hostas are ready to bloom.  She’ll have large pots of forget-me-nots again, and several blooming ground covers.  We’ll also be bringing in the showy double blooming English petunias in purple, pink, and red.  Don’t forget to look for their rhubarb muffins too.  The perfect size to munch on while you shop the market!

Gray Owl Farm will have a nice variety of perennials this week including 4 colors of hardy Pixie Lilies, Ligularia, Johnson’s Blue Geranium, Dark Towers Penstemon, Creeping Phlox, and Karl Forester Calamagrostis grass (about as close to Pampas Grass as we can grow here in Alaska).  We also have some of our New Zealand Flax Phormiums and grasses available.  They are just the perfect size to make a statement in your garden plans. 

MILE 5.2 Greenhouse will have their great selection of plants, plant starts and tropicals as well.

For more information about the market, contact Nancy Lampman, South Anchorage Farmers’ Market, at 907-529.7630, or safm@gci.net.

Cheers! And see you at the market!
Nancy Lampman
South Anchorage Farmers’ Market Reporter

Read On »

UPCOMING EVENTS

This week Todd Pettit will be at the market to sign people up for a tour of his Pitchfork Ranch.  Pitchfork is a working bison and elk ranch nestled in the mountains.  Alaskans become a little numb to seeing jaw dropping scenery, but you have not seen anything quite like this!  Check out a breathtaking video of bison running over the hills on his ranch on Glacier Valley Farm’s Facebook page.  There are also pictures where you’ll just keep thinking “amazing” and “beautiful.” Here is the link:  Glacier Valley Farm’s Facebook. 

Todd is a great source of information and would love to share his experiences with you.  This would be a great opportunity for families and something really unique to do with your visiting friends and family too. Be sure to stop by his booth early to make certain you get a spot reserved!

While you are on Glacier Valley’s Facebook page, look at Arthur’s photo journal of life on his farm.  You’ll also realize that this year things are not progressing as fast as last year.  The lack of warm sun is really slowing things down.  But that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty do to every day.  You’ll always find it interesting and informative.

Another great farm tour is the one of a family owned dairy farm!  Be sure to stop at the Matanuska Creamery and sign up!  See the cows and an actual colonist farm first hand.  Jean’s husband has been here 70 years and Jean has been here 50 years. Their farm has been a working farm for 75 years. They started with horses Payday and Prince, and then acquired a Ford 8N tractor.  Now they have great big cases.

There is also a Mat-Su Farm Bureau Tour on July 31 that is a great event.  It connects you with the farm, the farmer, and you get to see where your food is actually coming from.  Kids of all ages will enjoy it.  To register and receive more details, you must contact Patricia at the Division of Agriculture:  Patricia O’Neil 907.761.3858 or
Alaska Farmland Trust Corporation will also have a booth here this week.  AFTC is a private, non-profit land trust dedicated to assisting landowners in preserving their working agricultural lands.  The Alaska Farmland Trust envisions a future with thriving local food markets that will give Alaskans access to fresh, healthy food and keep our farmers farming.  Because only 4% of Alaska’s farmland is accessible and viable for farming, and less than 10% of food consumed in Alaska is locally grown there is an immediate need to protect agricultural lands in production and educate the public about the agricultural opportunities available in Alaska.  Come visit their booth to learn more about the organization and find out how you can help keep our farmers farming.

The Eagle River Farmers’ Market will start this Saturday.  Right in front of Mike’s Meats from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm.  Glacier Valley Farm will be there along with a few other vendors.

At the South Anchorage Farmers’ Market we will have:

PRODUCE

VanderWeele Farms has a great variety of lettuce including Red Oak, Bibb, Lollo Rosso, green and red leaf, and Red and Green Romaine.  Radishes will also be there along with their famous potatoes.

Glacier Valley Farm will be there with those yummy English cucumbers.  These are also known as “burpless” cucumbers.  What I particularly love about them is that you don’t have to peel them!  Arthur will also have lettuces, cherry and vine tomatoes, and possibly some zucchini.  Here is a link to Glacier Valley Farm’s Facebook page.  http://tinyurl.com/29rgvfo

Vern Stockwell will be there with his selection of lettuce, baby bok choy, turnips, and some really interesting Asian greens.

This week Rempel Family Farm will have certified organic arugula, spinach, our ever-changing salad mix, cucumbers, zucchini and their blossoms, Snow Apple turnips, basil, cilantro, dill, summer savory, mint, three kinds of lettuce, beets, chard, mustard, kales, bok choi, napa cabbage, asian greens, parsley, and maybe....just maybe, carrots and green onions.

Northern Lights Mushrooms will be there with their beautiful oyster mushrooms. 

FFA (Future Farmers of America) will have spruce tips, rose hips, local duck eggs, and nettle tea.  Nettle tea is incredibly good for you and they have mixed it with peppermint so it tastes nice and refreshing.

BAKERY AND FOOD
Rise and Shine Bakery will have their FRUITED ALMOND hearth loaves this week.  Hearty little sourdough loaves packed with toasted almonds, golden raisins, dried apricots and cranberries. Slices of this loaf make great road food and hiking fare, as well as dessert, breakfast and snacks!  Dan & Alison will also be baking FRESH ROSEMARY hearth loaves for your sandwiches, dinner bread, and toast. The final hearth loaf will be TOASTED SEED, full of crunch and nutrition from sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, and a little polenta. 
The 100% whole grain pan loaves will be Rise & Shine’s signature LEVAIN (just 4 ingredients: organic whole wheat flour, water, sea salt, and sourdough) and SPENT GRAIN, with texture, flavor, moistness and keeping quality provided by the malted and cooked barley discarded by Midnight Sun Brewing Company’s brewing process. 
Mary Jane has those famous or should I say infamous, whole wheat cinnamon rolls that make people look forward to the market every week; tender whole wheat swirls with fragrant cinnamon.  A wide variety of breads including cheddar jalapeno, local fresh eggs and tender greens also available.

Matanuska Creamery will be there with their myriad of ice cream flavors.  They always have something new so stop by early.  And don’t forget those addictive cheese curds!  They will be bringing aged white and yellow cheddar.  All of their products are made from hormone free, grass fed cows.  They are all such happy cows! 

Arctic Choice has a great selection of fresh Alaskan seafood.  Fresh King Salmon or Sockeye Salmon, Sablefish (Black Cod) and Halibut fillets for the BBQ. Also fresh SideStripe Shrimp, Cod & Rockfish fillets will be there along with large Spot Shrimp, Razor Clam meats, Halibut Cheeks, Scallops and always a favorite King Crab, along with other seafood treats.

NonEssentials will be there this week with a wide variety of Alaskan made products that will make your meal a great success!  Sauces for salmon, poultry and meat, great coffee, and all sorts of yummy treats.  Denise also has a store in Palmer which is always fun to stop in and visit.

Northfork Jams & Jellies will their Blueberry Rhubarb, Jalapeno Peach and other great flavor combinations.  She will also have heirloom tomato plants that are perfect for your deck. 

Three Bears Jam will have a great variety of homemade jams and jellies.  They have a great sample policy too.  It’s so nice to be able to taste something before you buy you it!

Fat Boyz Ribz will be there grilling up their delicious ribs and hot dogs.  Great cole slaw too!  Just follow your nose!

PLANTS
Country Garden Farms will be here with their high quality sod at great prices.  Buy direct from a local farm in Palmer and know you are getting the best sod available.

Janet at Bearsden Gardens Bearsden Gardens will be bringing more beautiful in-bloom perennials this week, hanging herb baskets, and their fine selection of fresh herbs in 4” and 6” pots.  Come early for the best selection!

Gray Owl Farm has a nice selection of Alaska hardy perennials including Pixie Asiatic Lilies, Ligularia, Johnson’s Blue Geranium, ground creepers and Bronze Spirea.  Their produce is coming on with pickling cucumbers, European cucumbers, rhubarb and some eggs.  Each week they will be expanding their offerings. 

If you are planning a lawn or repairing an existing lawn, they also sell Alaskan Grown Nugget Bluegrass Seed in 2 lb. bags.  Stop by and pick up a card and talk with them about delivery and installation of sod for “instant grassification”.  They give free estimates at your location and also have sod available for pickup at our farm in Palmer.  “Can’t we all just get a lawn?”

The Blue Poppy is obviously known for their gorgeous Himalyan Blue poppies, but they also have other great plants and plant starts. 

MILE 5.2 Greenhouse will have their great selection of plants, plant starts and tropicals as well.

For more information about the market, contact Nancy Lampman, South Anchorage Farmers’ Market, at 907-529.7630, safm@gci.net.

Please respond to this email if you’d like to be removed from the newsletter list.

Cheers! And see you at the market!
Nancy Lampman
South Anchorage Farmers’ Market Reporter

Read On »

One of the reasons I wanted you to check out these pictures is that Todd Pettit is going to be at the SAFM this Saturday, July 10th. He is going to hold a tour of his ranch and has just a few spots open for his tour.  Come by his booth early so you can be sure to reserve your spot!

I can’t believe it is July 1st.  Living in Alaska you monitor your summer by the holidays.  Memorial Day starts off the summer and you feel you have plenty of summer ahead of you.  July 4th means that solstice has come and gone and we are almost halfway through those treasured summer months.  For our farmers though, it means that all that planting is now coming to fruition. Tender tiny seedlings are now harvestable.  You would think that once a plant is ready for the market that ends the cycle.  You couldn’t be more wrong. Some will plant another crop, others will continue to work their other varieties and keep a vigilant eye for pests.  The work never ends.  And with our long days of sunlight their workday often continues until way past midnight.

A bonus for all of us who visit the farmers’ market is the fruit of their labor.  The lettuce has been spectacular this year and I found myself with an overabundance of it in my refrigerator.  A nice problem to have.  But when you can’t close your vegetable bins and you start moving items into a cooler filled with ice on the deck, it’s time to take action.  There is only so much chewing a person can do.  The solution?  Soup!  I love soup; I’ll have it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if it is on hand.  So I hunted around for a lettuce soup.  I was slightly reluctant because I have read that the texture can be off-putting (that’s code for slimy).  I headed (you know I like puns) for my trustworthy sources.  The soup was fantastic!  Simple, not fussy, and soul soothing.  The beautiful emerald flecks vanished before I realized I had made my way through the entire bowl.  I knew this would be in my regular repertoire of soup recipes.  I hope you enjoy it too!  I have a link below.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The Wednesday South Anchorage Farmers’ Market will begin this coming Wednesday, July 7th!  Be sure to stop by and see all the wonderful produce that is now available!  Just stop in from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm behind the Dimond Center in front of the Dimond Hotel.

Starting next Saturday, the Eagle River Farmers’ Market will start.  Right in front of Mike’s Meats from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm.  Glacier Valley Farm will be there along with a few other vendors.

Be sure to stop at the Matanuska Creamery and sign up for a farm tour!  There is also a Mat-Su Farm Bureau Tour on July 31 that is a great event.  It connects you with the farm and the farmer and you get to see where your food is coming from.  Kids of all ages will enjoy it. More information in the upcoming weeks…so stay tuned.

On July 10th, Todd Pettit from Pitchfork Ranch will be joining us at the market.  He is the owner of a working bison and elk ranch in Palmer.  He will be at the market to talk about his ranch and also to promote his scenic farm tour.  He only has 20 spaces left so be sure to go to his booth early.  It is one of the most beautiful ranches you’ll ever see!

PRODUCE

VANDERWEELE FARM has a great variety of lettuce including Red Oak, Bibb, Lollo Rosso, green and red leaf, and Romaine.  Radishes will also be there along with their famous potatoes.

GLACIER VALLEY FARM will have English cucumbers, as well as cherry and yellow tomatoes at the market this weekend.  He will also have mustard greens from Carol Kenley’s farm and baby bok choy from Vern Stockwell’s farm.  Check out Glacier Valley’s Facebook page to see what is going on at the farm.  Facebook Glacier Valley Farm

Here is a report from REMPEL FAMILY FARMS:
We are grateful for the rain.  It will make the carrots easier to pull out than if I had to irrigate them.  Just before the rain Shiloh, one of our yaks, had a cut little one.  She is hyper protective so we really haven’t gotten to see it well.  He seems quite happy to be out and has already figured out that the other yaks have horns.

They will have certified organic arugula, spinach, radishes, snow apple turnips, their special salad mix, lettuces, cilantro, kales, bok choi, collard greens, zucchini, squash blossoms, basil, and probably sweet cucumbers. 

NORTHERN LIGHTS MUSHROOMS will be there with their beautiful oyster mushrooms. 

FUTURE FARMERS OF AMERICA will have spruce tips, rose hips, local duck eggs, and nettle tea.  Nettle tea is incredibly good for you and they have mixed it with peppermint so it tastes nice and refreshing.

PLANTS

COUNTRY GARDEN FARMS will be here with their high quality sod at great prices.  Buy direct from a local farm in Palmer and know you are getting the best sod available.

JANET AT BEARSDEN GARDENS will be featuring lemon basil as their fourth variety of basil.  It’s so delicious it’s hard not to eat it like candy!  They have pineapple sage, cilantro, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and eight other varieties of herbs.  Scotch moss is ready for brightening up your garden beds, and some of the hostas are ready to bloom.  She’ll have large pots of forget-me-nots again, and several blooming ground covers.  We’ll also be bringing in the showy double blooming English petunias in purple, pink, and red.
Their rhubarb muffins are made with butter, raw sugar, and organically grown rhubarb.  They were very popular last week, so they will be bringing more this week.  The perfect size to munch on while you shop the market!

GRAY OWL FARM will have a nice variety of perennials this week including 4 colors of hardy Pixie Lilies, Ligularia, Johnson’s Blue Geranium, Dark Towers Penstemon, Creeping Phlox, and Karl Forester Calamagrostis grass (about as close to Pampas Grass as we can grow here in Alaska).  We have some of our unusual annuals still available for those of you building containers or filling spots in your gardens.  As usual, we have our selection of exotic tropical plants to enjoy outside for the summer and extend that enjoyment as you bring them into your home for wintering.  We also have some of our New Zealand Flax Phormiums and grasses available.  They are just the perfect size to make a statement in your garden plans.  See you at the market!

THE BLUE POPPY is obviously known for their gorgeous Himalyan Blue poppies, but they also have other great plants and plant starts. 

MILE 5.2 GREENHOUSE will have their great selection of plants, plant starts and tropicals as well.

BAKERY & FOOD

ARCTIC CHOICE has a great selection of fresh Alaskan seafood.  Fresh King Salmon (red or white) or Sockeye Salmon, Sablefish (Black Cod) and Halibut fillets for the BBQ. Also fresh SideStripe Shrimp, Cod & Rockfish fillets will be there along with large Spot Shrimp, Razor Clam meats, Halibut Cheeks, Scallops and always a favorite King Crab, along with other seafood treats.

MARY JANE has whole wheat cinnamon rolls that make people look forward to the market every week; tender whole wheat swirls with fragrant cinnamon.  Your mouth waters just looking at them! A wide variety of breads, local fresh eggs and tender greens also available.

MATANUSKA CREAMERY will be there with their myriad of ice cream flavors.  Which one will it be for you this week?  Their candy bar crunch?  Or how about their Alaskan honey? 

Of course they have cheese and cheese curds!  They will be bringing aged white and yellow cheddar.  All of their products are made from hormone free, grass fed cows.  They are all such happy cows! 

You must take advantage of the farm tours the Havemeisters give!  See the cows and an actual colonist farm first hand.  Jean’s husband has been here 70 years and Jean has been here 50 years. Their farm has been a working farm for 75 years. They started with horses Payday and Prince, and then acquired a Ford 8N tractor.  Now they have great big cases.

NORTHFORK JAMS & JELLIES will the Blueberry Rhubarb, Jalapeno Peach and other great flavor combinations.  She will also have heirloom tomato plants that are perfect for your deck. 

For more information about the market, contact Nancy Lampman, South Anchorage Farmers’ Market, at 907-529.7630, safm@gci.net.

Cheers! And see you at the market!
Nancy Lampman
South Anchorage Farmers’ Market Reporter
http://www.southanchoragefarmersmarket.com

Read On »

Many people have been asking when the Wednesday market will start.  The Wednesday Market at the Dimond Center will start July 7th.  Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

My latest food discovery is not really a discovery, but a visit with an old friend.  This past weekend we had a party and wanted to serve a different appetizer.  Both my husband and I love to cook (I know, I’m very lucky) and we started digging through some of our favorite cookbooks.  We are both originally from Wisconsin, so yes, we are cheeseheads.  We were immediately drawn to a retro recipe popular in the 1950’s.  And since it incorporated one of our favorite food groups, cheese, we gave it a test run before company arrived. 

I love to be in the kitchen and sometimes I love to try complex recipes.  But it was sunny out and I didn’t want to spend all day baking.  This recipe was easy and I had everything on hand.  Check out our web site for Baked Cheddar Olives; you really need to try these.  Yes…need.  They are perfect, bite-sized orbs with a crispy outside and a briny surprise inside.  Use regular small green olives with those red pimento centers. Don’t use those gargantuan green olives because these are really meant to be enjoyed in one bite.  I used Matanuska Creamery cheddar and it had just the right golden color and bold cheddar flavor infused into the crust.  I put the link in with the Matanuska Creamery information below.  I hope you enjoy them as much as our guests and we did!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Be sure to stop at the Matanuska Creamery and sign up for a farm tour!  There is also a Mat-Su Farm Bureau Tour on July 31 that is a great event.  It connects you with the farm and the farmer and you get to see where your food is coming from.  Kids of all ages will enjoy it. More information in the upcoming weeks…so stay tuned.

PRODUCE

VANDERWEELE FARM has many varieties of tender lettuce including Red Oak, Bibb, Lollo Rosso, green and red leaf and Romaine.  Bags of Russets are also available.  They hope to have radishes this week as well.

GLACIER VALLEY FARM will have more cucumbers and some cherry tomatoes at the market this weekend. Arthur has 11,000 strawberry plants planted this year that are in full bloom and about 25 percent of the plants have fruit on them already! Maybe two to three weeks until we are eating them!  Check out Glacier Valley’s Facebook page to see what is going on at the farm.  Glacier Valley Farm Facebook page

REMPEL FAMILY FARM’S stand will have those delicious snow apple turnips!  They will also have an abundance of greens, some lettuces, and maybe even a few bok choi and zucchini.

NORTHERN LIGHTS MUSHROOMS will be there with their beautiful alabaster oyster mushrooms. 

FUTURE FARMERS OF AMERICA will have spruce tips, rose hips, local duck eggs, and nettle tea.  Nettle tea is incredibly good for you and they have mixed it with peppermint so it tastes nice and refreshing.

PLANTS

COUNTRY GARDEN FARMS will be here with their high quality sod at great prices.  Buy direct from a local farm in Palmer and know you are getting the best sod available.

JANET AT BEARSDEN GARDENS will be featuring lemon basil as their fourth variety of basil.  It’s so delicious it’s hard not to eat it like candy!  They have pineapple sage, cilantro, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and eight other varieties of herbs.  Scotch moss is ready for brightening up your garden beds, and some of the hostas are ready to bloom.  She’ll have large pots of forget-me-nots again, and several blooming ground covers.  They are on our last flat of maltese cross, so be sure to take one home while they’re available.  We’ll also be bringing in the showy double blooming English petunias in purple, pink, and red.  Their rhubarb muffins are made with butter, raw sugar, and organically grown rhubarb.  They were very popular last week, so they will be bringing more this week.  The perfect size to munch on while you shop the market!

GRAY OWL FARM will have a nice variety of perennials this week including 4 colors of hardy Pixie Lilies, Ligularia, Johnson’s Blue Geranium, Dark Towers Penstemon, Creeping Phlox, and Karl Forester Calamagrostis grass (about as close to Pampas Grass as we can grow here in Alaska).  We have some of our unusual annuals still available for those of you building containers or filling spots in your gardens.  As usual, we have our selection of exotic tropical plants to enjoy outside for the summer and extend that enjoyment as you bring them into your home for wintering.  We also have some of our New Zealand Flax Phormiums and grasses available.  They are just the perfect size to make a statement in your garden plans.  See you at the market!

THE BLUE POPPY is obviously known for their gorgeous Himalyan Blue poppies, but they also have other great plants and plant starts. 

MILE 5.2 GREENHOUSE will have their great selection of plants, plant starts and tropicals as well.

BAKERY & FOOD

ARCTIC CHOICE has a great selection of fresh Alaskan seafood.  Fresh King Salmon (red or white) or Sockeye Salmon, Sablefish (Black Cod) and Halibut fillets for the BBQ. Also fresh SideStripe Shrimp, Cod & Rockfish fillets will be there along with large Spot Shrimp, Razor Clam meats, Halibut Cheeks, Scallops and always a favorite King Crab, along with other seafood treats.

RISE & SHINE BAKERY will be baking two large whole-grain sourdough pan loaves this week: their ever-popular SPENT GRAIN, packed with flavorful cooked barley that keep the loaves moist and delicious, and GOLDEN MAIZE, brightened with freshly-ground cornmeal and a hint of honey. Dan & Alison are also making the small RAISIN & TOASTED PECAN loaves, which are perfect for breakfast, tea and snacks. Savory hearth loaves this week will be KALAMATA OLIVE and ALASKAN POTATO & CHIVE, perfect for dinner bread with salads and soups, and also fun for making sandwiches of all kinds.

pan loaves: golden maize, spent grain, raisin & toasted pecan
hearth loaves: kalamata olive, Alaskan potato & chive

MARY JANE has whole wheat cinnamon rolls that make people look forward to the market every week; tender whole wheat swirls with fragrant cinnamon.  Your mouth waters just looking at them! A wide variety of breads, local fresh eggs and tender greens also available.

MATANUSKA CREAMERY will be there with their cherry chocolate chunk ice cream which is turning into a favorite with everyone who tries it.  So much so that they ran out so they promise to bring more this week!  They are constantly inventing new flavors and they just made candy bar crunch and it will make its debut this week as well. 

Their Alaska honey ice cream is incredible and I used it in a bit of an unorthodox way. It is wonderful if you let it thaw and use it as a finishing sauce for desserts.  No one will know that you didn’t work all day on this great dessert sauce.

Of course they have cheese and cheese curds!  They will be bringing aged white and yellow cheddar.  All of their products are made from hormone free, grass fed cows.  They are all such happy cows!  I have to say I’m a little smitten with their Brown Swiss-what a beauty! 

You must take advantage of the farm tours the Havemeisters give!  See the cows and an actual colonist farm first hand.  Jean’s husband has been here 70 years and Jean has been here 50 years. Their farm has been a working farm for 75 years. They started with horses Payday and Prince, and then acquired a Ford 8N tractor.  Now they have great big cases.

Check out the recipe on our website for Baked Cheddar Olives using Matanuska Creamery cheddar!  http://tinyurl.com/28982ad

RED BEET BISTRO will have lots of tasty treats using seasonal ingredients.  Their vinaigrettes, FRESH YOGURT and slow roasted meat and veggie sandwiches showing off Alaskan beef, pork & cheese.  Their ever popular All Alaskan Market Pies, both savory and sweet.  Fresh cakes this week include rhubarb, & buttermilk almond.  In the bread this week they will be featuring a new mini-loaf size for instant eating or taking on a hike.  New for our gluten free folks this week they will have english muffins with fresh wild herbs, rhubarb english muffins, and more delicious sandwiches and breads.  Also it’s good to remember that all dressings, vinaigrettes and salads are gluten free!

NORTHFORK JAMS & JELLIES will have their Blueberry Rhubarb, Jalapeno Peach and other great flavor combinations.  She will also have heirloom tomato plants that are perfect for your deck. 

For more information about the market, contact Nancy Lampman, South Anchorage Farmers’ Market, at 907-529.7630, safm@gci.net.

Please respond to this email if you’d like to be removed from the newsletter list.

Cheers! And see you at the market!
Nancy Lampman
South Anchorage Farmers’ Market Reporter
http://www.southanchoragefarmersmarket.com

Read On »

You probably know by now that I am a foodie.  I don’t like the term, but it fits.  I like to try new foods and always walk out of an ethnic market with something I have never tried before. (I don’t recommend Basil Seed drink unless you like to chew your liquids, but that’s just me.) I digress. 

I stopped by the FFA stand (Future Farmers of America) and bought two things I haven’t used before:  duck eggs and spruce tips.  The duck eggs I have are much larger than chicken eggs; maybe 2:1.  The yolks are larger and there is less white.  The first thing that popped into my head was making one of my favorite sauces…hollandaise!  But first I thought we should try them in usual applications: scrambled eggs, over easy, omelets, your basic egg dishes. The eggs cook faster because of less whites and definitely have a richer taste.  I made a version of hollandaise with lemon zest and herbs.  It was delicious with an unctuousness I had not achieved before.

The spruce tips are interesting and fun to experiment with in all sorts of dishes.  The young man at the booth did tell me that he prefers them in cold things like mayonnaise. I chopped a few up and put them in a cold creamy sauce we had with salmon. The aroma and taste are what you might imagine coming from a pine tree.  Woodsy with a slight pine resin-like taste.  I did chop them up and garnished a warm soup and found the flavor was much more pronounced. I think using them in cold dishes is best.  Spruce tip birch syrup is wonderful. Red Beet also uses spruce tips in vinegar and it is really lovely.  I am also soaking them in a clear spirit and they do seem to be imparting a delicate pine scent.  I bet homebrewers would like them for their seasonal ales as well.

I wonder what I’ll find at this week’s market?!

PLEASE NOTE
Mark your calendar for June 26th.  That day we need to begin the market at 8:00 a.m. and close promptly at 12:30 due to a sporting event.  Great for you early birds! 

Here is what will be at this week’s market:

SPECIAL EVENTS

Trout Unlimited Alaska invites the public to attend its first Savor Bristol Bay event of the summer on Saturday, June 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the South Anchorage Farmers’ Market.

Chefs from Bear Tooth Theatrepub & Grill, Sack’s Cafe, Jack Sprat and Bradley House will grill freshly caught Bristol Bay sockeye salmon, give away samples, and ask the public to decide which recipe is best. The name of the winning chef will be revealed at approximately 1 p.m. and he/she will take home new cooking utensils as a prize.

After savoring tasty samples from the world’s largest wild sockeye salmon fishery, stop by the Trout Unlimited Alaska booth to learn new salmon filleting techniques and pick up new salmon recipes.  Bring the kids for fish art activities and T-shirt printing too.

Fillet Demonstration: 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Salmon Cook-off and Tasting: 11 - 12:30 p.m.
Kids Fish Art/T-shirt Printing: 10 - 2 p.m.

PRODUCE

VANDERWEELE FARMS has beautiful tender Red Oak, Bibb, Lollo Rosso, green and red leaf lettuces. The Red Oak has these amazing looking oak tree-like leaves.  Very tender and tasty.  Bags of Russets are also available.

GLACIER VALLEY FARMS has awesome strawberry hanging baskets and tomato plants that will make you the envy of your tomato loving friends. They will also have English cucumbers!

REMPEL FAMILY FARM reports that their fields are turning from brown to green with the blessing of great sunshine and some water.  That means that the variety of available vegetables is increasing.  Snow apple turnips are in!!  Maybe lettuce and bok choi too.  Of course they will have arugula, spinach, basil, radishes, several greens, kale, our salad mix, and rhubarb.

PLANTS

COUNTRY GARDEN FARMS will be here with their high quality sod at great prices.  Buy direct from a local farm in Palmer and know you are getting the best sod available.

JANET at BEARSDEN GARDENS will be featuring lemon basil as their fourth variety of basil.  It’s so delicious it’s hard not to eat it like candy!  They have pineapple sage, cilantro, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and eight other varieties of herbs.  Scotch moss is ready for brightening up your garden beds, and some of the hostas are ready to bloom.  She’ll have large pots of forget-me-nots again, and several blooming ground covers.  They are on their last flat of maltese cross, so be sure to take one home while they’re available.  They will also be bringing in the showy double blooming English petunias in purple, pink, and red.

Their rhubarb muffins are made with butter, raw sugar, and organically grown rhubarb.  They were very popular last week, so they will be bringing more this week.  The perfect size to munch on while you shop the market!

GRAY OWL FARM will have a nice variety of perennials this week including 4 colors of hardy Pixie Lilies, Ligularia, Johnson’s Blue Geranium, Dark Towers Penstemon, Creeping Phlox, and Karl Forester Calamagrostis grass (about as close to Pampas Grass as we can grow here in Alaska).  They have some of their unusual annuals still available for those of you building containers or filling spots in your gardens.  As usual, they have their selection of exotic tropical plants to enjoy outside for the summer and extend that enjoyment as you bring them into your home for wintering.  they also have some of their New Zealand Flax Phormiums and grasses available.  They are just the perfect size to make a statement in your garden plans.

THE BLUE POPPY is obviously known for their gorgeous Himalayan Blue poppies, but they also have other great plants and plant starts. 

MILE 5.2 GREENHOUSE will have their great selection of plants, plant starts and tropicals as well.

BAKERY & FOOD

RISE & SHINE BAKERY will be featuring two Alaska-grown 100% whole grain pan loaves: the ALASKAN POTATO sourdough loaf, which has a moist and delicious crumb thanks to the Valley-grown baked potatoes in the dough, and the ALASKAN BARLEY loaf—made with barley grown right here in Delta Junction! Try some Alaskan toast for breakfast!

Rise & Shine hearth loaves this week include the TOASTED WALNUT bread, great with sweet and savory toppings (I love it with honey or cheese!) and the PARMESAN CHEESE & ROASTED GARLIC loaf, which can be addictive if you toast it. And speaking of addictive… the DARK CHOCOLATE & CHERRY loaf has come around again, so stock up if you need to!  It’s like cake, only healthier!

MARY JANE has bakery from French Oven Bakery and features their huge bread loaves and Bolillo rolls.  “Bolillo” is a Mexican bread that’s similar to French bread. The name “bolillo” means bobbin or spindle.  The rolls make fantastic sandwiches because they are slightly crunch on the outside and tender on the inside. She will also have a few bags of my mixed greens and fresh eggs. And I don’t have to mention those fragrant whole wheat cinnamon rolls, do I?

ARCTIC CHOICE has a great selection of fresh Alaskan seafood.  For this upcoming Fathers Day, treat Dad to a seafood feast of fresh King Salmon (red or white) or Sockeye Salmon, Sablefish (Black Cod) and Halibut fillets for the BBQ. Also fresh SideStripe Shrimp, Cod & Rockfish fillets will be there along with large Spot Shrimp, Razor Clam meats, Halibut Cheeks, Scallops and always a favorite King Crab, along with other seafood treats. Come early to fill your shopping list for Dad’s special day and put a smile on his face.

NONESSENTIALS is a new vendor for us here in South Anchorage.  But if you live in Palmer you know you stop in for all their tempting treats with an emphasis on locally produced items.  Denise is going to be offering all Alaskan made products featuring Northern Lights Raspberry BBQ sauce - delicious on salmon, Moosetard mustards (both are out of FBKS) and some fruited balsamics done here in the valley.

SOUTHFORK JAMS AND JELLIES is returning again this year to share with you their incredible homemade jams and jellies.  They will also have some heirloom tomato plants that are perfect for all you tomato lovers.  Stop by and say hello!

RED BEET BISTRO will have NEW Rhubarb Cake this week!  Also fresh mint vinaigrette and mint almond muffins!  They have the second in a series of mushroom recipes created to show off Northern Lights Mushrooms.  Last week was shiitake chicken salad, this week will be Oyster Mushroom Soup with Shallots.  These are original recipes and are FREE at their booth and at the Northern Lights Mushroom’s booth.  They will be developing one for each week to highlight shiitake and oyster mushrooms and help promote Alaska Grown!

Their vinaigrettes, FRESH YOGURT and slow roasted meat and veggie sandwiches showing off Alaskan beef, pork & cheese.  Their ever popular All Alaskan Market Pies, both savory and sweet.  Fresh Cakes this week include Rhubarb, & Buttermilk Almond.  In the bread this week they will be featuring a new mini-loaf size for instant eating or taking on a hike.  The avocados stuffed with snap peas and Mat Valley Creamery Cheese Curds were a sell out last week so we’ll have more of those. 

New for our Gluten Free Folks this week they will have English Muffins with fresh wild herbs, Rhubarb English Muffins, and more delicious sandwiches and breads.  Also it’s good to remember that all dressings, vinaigrettes and salads are gluten free!

We hope to see:  NORTHERN LIGHTS MUSHROOMS with their beautiful alabaster oyster mushrooms and maybe some shiitakes.  And we always love to see MATANUSKA CREAMERY with their myriad of flavored ice creams.  I love those chipotle cheese curds!  They also have other cheese in the more familiar brick form. 

We also have videos about SAFM.  Just go to the website and scroll all the way to the bottom and hit “continue reading.” That is where we put our videos.  We hope you enjoy seeing these great videos by Steve Nowers.  Thanks Steve!  http://southanchoragefarmersmarket.com/

For more information about the market, contact Nancy Lampman, South Anchorage Farmers’ Market, at 907-529.7630, safm@gci.net.

Please respond to this email if you’d like to be removed from the newsletter list.

Cheers! And see you at the market!
Nancy Lampman
South Anchorage Farmers’ Market Reporter

Read On »

For so many weeks we patiently, or for some of us impatiently, wait.  The weather gets warmer and we can see things starting to grow.  Then ka-boom!  All of a sudden we have tender lettuce making their first appearance and the strawberry plants are flowering full tilt.  Very exciting indeed!  Check out the recipe below for a delicious spring salad.

For some of our vendors this will be their last week (Heart of the Mountain Organics) and for others we welcome back (Rise and Shine Bakery and Rempel Family Farm).

We also have two new videos about SAFM and VanderWeele carrots.  Just go to the website and scroll all the way to the bottom and hit “continue reading.” That is where we put our videos.  We hope you enjoy seeing these great videos by Steve Nowers.  Thanks Steve!

GLACIER VALLEY FARM has beautiful tomato plants and cucumber starts.  Their hanging strawberry baskets are as popular as ever and many are already bearing fruit.  Things are happening rather quickly now, so be sure to stop by and see if any produce is available!

MARY JANE continues to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth with pastries and breads from French Oven Bakery. Get their early to make sure you get one of those incredible whole wheat cinnamon rolls.  She sells out frequently even though she keeps ordering more!  Ya, they’re that good!

MATANUSKA CREAMERY will be at the market again this week.  Everyone is enjoying the fresh cheese, cheese curds, and their wonderful ice cream!  Last week they offered a spectacular deal on milk.  Stop by and see what is going on this week and say hello.

HEART OF THE MOUNTAIN ORGANICS (Tom and Trish Lee) report that this will be their last appearance at the market this spring with their beautiful starter plants.  They will have:  veggies - Strong tomato plants with flowers now, ready for your greenhouse, many different lettuces, 2 kales, broccoli, green zucchini and yellow crookneck squash.  Herbs- mixed pots of basil, thyme, marjoram, cilantro, arugula, large pots of lush spearmint - add flavor, nutrition, and beneficial anti-oxidants to your salads this summer.  Flowers - colorful and fragrant stock, rare white fireweed, marigolds, bachelor buttons, and a few more pots of large fast growing rhubarb.

Remember, this is your last chance this Saturday to get your starter plants from Heart of the Mountain Organics and have an ‘instant garden’.

GRAY OWL FARM will have a wide variety of thrillers, spillers, and fillers to create your containers.  Their grasses add interest and texture to your baskets or bowls.  If you really want to make a statement, check out their New Zealand Flax Phormiums.  They are ideal in a large urn or container and can highlight an entrance or become a focal point in your garden.  They will bring in “fancy herb” including Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, Pineapple Sage and Pesto Basil.  Our rhubarb is available along with a few dozen eggs.  Check out their “tropical and exotic” selection of plants to keep your memories of the tropics alive.

It’s RISE & SHINE BAKERY’S debut at the market this week!  Dan and Alison will bring their delicious and nutritious whole-grain sourdough loaves. The bread freezes and thaws really well because of the long fermentation process (three days!), so if you are often gone on the weekends and can’t always make the market, remember, you can stock up and freeze the bread for later.

The 100% whole grain pan loaves that the Rise & Shine bakers are baking this week will be their standby multi-purpose loaf, their SIGNATURE LEVAIN (the French term for “naturally leavened bread”), and that perennial crowd-pleaser, the SPENT GRAIN loaf, packed with slightly sweetened cooked barley groats recycled from Midnight Sun Brewery’s beer-making process.  Both of these pan loaves make terrific toast, yummy sandwiches, or a tasty base for any kind of spread or topping, sweet or savory.

Rise & Shine hearth loaves this week will include TOASTED SEED, which is just as versatile as our pan loaves, and it’s just as healthy, since it’s also made with 100% whole wheat. But this loaf has the added richness and toasted flavor of a variety of seeds, including pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, flax, and a little polenta. The FRESH ROSEMARY will be our other savory hearth loaf, and it’s a little lighter, made with 40% unbleached organic bread flour, instead of all whole wheat flour. It’s fantastic as a dinner bread, but also great for sandwiches.

Rise & Shine Bakery’s sweet loaf this week will be their FRUITED ALMOND bread, packed with dried apricots and cranberries, golden raisins and toasted almonds. Scented with almond extract, this bread is fantastic for snacks, breakfast toast, and it’s really great (not to mention delicious!) as an energy boost on hikes or long bike rides. You can save your Clif bars for later if you have this bread in your house—or stashed in the freezer!

BISTRO RED BEET will be at the market with baked goods, their fresh, herbed farmer’s cheese, vinaigrettes, dressings and all Alaska market pies.  Delicious sandwiches include slow roasted beef brisket, slow roasted pork or roasted veggies with farmer’s cheese.  Sandwiches are made with their focaccia bread and their own yogurt-herb spread.  Yum!

Baked goods to include their NEW gluten free focaccia bread and new gluten free english muffins – both fabulous gluten free items!  Gluten free almond cake and other goodies.  Standard breads to include:  beet whole wheat with sunflower seeds, carrot whole wheat with fireweed and clover & whole wheat with sunflower seeds, flax and cranberries.  Spruce Tip Vinaigrette is in season!  Don’t miss it, they only have it for a few weeks.

A final note: All Red Beet foods are FLOSS – Fresh, Local, Organic, Seasonal and Sustainable.  They use fresh and change seasonally to bring the best to their customers!!

NORTHERN LIGHTS MUSHROOMS we will be at the market with a good supply of oyster mushrooms and a limited supply of shiitake mushrooms.  Dan and Gail do not use pesticides on their delicious mushrooms.  They do have new employees to take care of the bugs…praying mantes!  Yup, they have lots of those to keep the bugs in check. 

ARCTIC CHOICE SEAFOODS will also be bringing their awesome selection of fresh Alaskan seafood.  Stop by and see what might be for your dinner on Saturday!

Speaking of dinner, here is a great salad recipe.  I know you all know how to make a salad, but the salad dressing can be just as important.  Check out this flavorful dressing for those beautiful baby lettuces on our SAFM website!  tender spring salad with sorrel dressing

UPCOMING EVENTS
Next week we are lucky to have Trout Unlimited and their Savor Bristol Bay event on Saturday, June 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the South Anchorage Farmers’ Market.
Chefs from Bear Tooth Theatrepub & Grill, Sack’s Cafe, Jack Sprat and Bradley House will grill freshly caught Bristol Bay sockeye salmon, give away samples, and ask the public to decide which recipe is best. The name of the winning chef will be revealed at approximately 1 p.m. and he/she will take home new cooking utensils as a prize.

After savoring tasty samples from the world’s largest wild sockeye salmon fishery, stop by the Trout Unlimited Alaska booth to learn new salmon filleting techniques, pick up new salmon recipes and learn more about what you can do to help protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble mine. Bring the kids for fish art activities and T-shirt printing too.

Bristol Bay wild salmon contribute more than $400 million to Alaska’s economy each year. The fishery employs thousands of people and offers a healthy, sustainable food source. The salmon fishery faces unprecedented threats from what would be one of the world’s largest mines, located upstream from some of Alaska’s finest salmon spawning grounds.

Get involved, have fun and help Trout Unlimited Alaska to Savor Bristol Bay.

For more information about the market, contact Nancy Lampman, South Anchorage Farmers’ Market, at 907-529.7630, safm@gci.net.

Please respond to this email if you’d like to be removed from the newsletter list.

Cheers! And see you at the market!
Nancy Lampman
South Anchorage Farmers’ Market Reporter

Read On »

Support your local dairy farmers and their happy Alaska cows, and enjoy fresh, locally produced dairy products at a great price!!  At this Saturday’s SAFM, our friends from MATANUSKA CREAMERY will be offering a fantastic deal of buy one gallon and get one free!  That means only $5.00 for TWO GALLONS!! At that price it’s really going to mooove, so don’t miss out!  They will also have some of the most tender, beautiful rhubarb you’ll see this season!  Be sure to stop by. 

We are very happy to report that Jean and Veronica from Matanuska Creamery will again be at the market again this coming Saturday.  They sold lots of cheese, cheese curds, and ice cream last week and had a great time with all the customers.  People are really interested in learning more about our only local creamery and they are a fountain of information!  Be sure to stop by early for the best selection.

Plant starts are still the main focus, and more people are seeking out fresh eggs, fresh fish and shellfish, and snacks to nibble on as they shop.  If you don’t have rhubarb in your garden or need more, you’ll find that at the market as well. 

Local and fresh are on the forefront of everyone’s mind these days and we are noticing more curiosity and questions from our customers about where their food comes from.  The fresh eggs are from right here in Anchorage or the Valley, the seafood is caught here in Alaska, and all the plant vendors know the particulars of their plant starts. 

Be sure to check out the recipe link at the end of the e-mail.  I tried it this past week and plan on making it again! 

GLACIER VALLEY FARM will have big, beautiful tomato plants for sale as well as strawberry baskets.

VANDERWEELE FARM will have bags of russets.

MARY JANE continues to develop her following with baked goods from the French Oven Bakery. Whole wheat cinnamon rolls, interesting breads and rolls, and those coconut macaroons that are a little bit of heaven here on earth.  She also has fresh valley and Anchorage eggs and always sells out early.  Last week she even had peacock eggs!  I tried one and they equal about 3 large chicken eggs and made a fantastic omelet for two.

NORTHERN LIGHTS MUSHROOMS will have lots of oyster mushrooms this week.  He told me a couple weeks ago that he now uses the praying mantis to control pests.  How cool is that?

ARCTIC CHOICE will bring their fresh Alaskan seafood and shellfish.

GRAY OWL FARM will again have more of their unique hanging baskets.  Supply is getting short so come early for the best variety.  They will have a nice variety of graceful grasses and component plants as you plan your own containers this summer.  The lilies are beginning to bloom and we will bring in a nice supply of Asiatic (hardy to Alaska) Pixie Lilies.  They are a proven hardy selection in our own gardens.  They have yellow, pink, orange, and crimson varieties.  Along with their baskets, they will be increasing their supply of perennials and as always they will bring their fabulous exotic, tropical banana, hibiscus, and Hawaiian Ti plants.

BEARSDEN GARDENS will have fresh cut rhubarb and fresh rhubarb muffins.  So delicious!  And we’ll be bringing eggplant starts, too.  For all you perennial lovers out there, we’ll also have primulas in hot pink, white violets, sedum in yellow, rockcress in deep purple, blue Mt. Bluets, and lavender colored campanulas, plus a dozen more perennials.  And our Love Lies Bleeding amaranthus will be on sale!  They are also bringing several flats of the popular double English petunias with their big, showy blooms.  We’ll bring picotee petunias in pink/white, re/white, purple/white, and pink/white.  The catnip is ready and is always popular with the kitties.  They are also bringing in lavender, cilantro, three varieties of basil, tarragon, and a dozen other herbs. We’ll have hanging baskets of herbs again this week, and they’re full and ready to harvest.

HEART OF THE MOUNTAIN ORGANICS will be here with their beautiful all organic and bio-dynamic starter plants.  Tom and Trish Lee have noticed many parents bringing their young children to the Saturday Market. Parents are saying they are having the children help them plant these starts, and are showing their children where food comes from.  How wonderful!  They have large tomato plants and beautiful RHUBARB pots. Here is what is in store for this week:  HERBS - We have many herbs ready for immediate eating. They will be bringing three kinds of basil, cilantro, arugula, thyme, marjoram, dill, sage, oregano, spearmint and parsley.  Avoid those extra trips to the Supermarkets this summer by growing your own herbs - they are easy to grow!

VEGGIES - They have true Siberian and Russian red kale, and recipes.  Five or 6 types of lettuce starts as well.

FLOWERS - Nasturtiums, ciranthe, marigolds, fragrant stock, borage, bachelor buttons, and large 2nd year hollyhock, foxglove, and clary sage.  Just a few more pots of White Fireweed are left.

BISTRO RED BEET will bring their delicious baked goods, fresh herbed farmer’s cheese, vinaigrettes, dressings and All Alaska Market Pies.  They introduced their delicious sandwiches last week and sold out!  This week they will feature slow roasted beef brisket, slow roasted pork or roasted veggies with farmer’s cheese.  Sandwiches are made with our focaccia bread and their own yogurt-herb spread.  Yum!  Baked goods to include their NEW gluten free focaccia bread and new gluten free english muffins – both fabulous gluten free items!

Gluten free almond cake and their breads continue to be favorites.  Breads this week include beet whole wheat with sunflower seeds, carrot whole wheat with fireweed and clover & whole wheat with sunflower seeds, flax and cranberries. 

Don’t miss their spruce tip vinaigrette!  They only have it for a few weeks.

All Bistro Red Beet foods are FLOSS – Fresh, Local, Organic, Seasonal and Sustainable.  They use fresh ingredients and change seasonally to bring the best to their customers!

Check out the baked rhubarb with raspberries on the South Anchorage Farmers’ Market website.  More than a sauce; it’s dessert, it’s great for breakfast with yogurt, and it’s easy!  The sauce is caramel-like which offsets the tartness of the rhubarb and raspberries.  http://southanchoragefarmersmarket.com/

For more information about the market, contact Nancy Lampman, South Anchorage Farmers’ Market, at 907-529.7630, or .

Cheers! And see you at the market!
Nancy Lampman
South Anchorage Farmers’ Market Reporter

I know many of you are planning to leave town for a few days, so stop at the South Anchorage Farmers’ Market and pick up some great road treats!  If you’re staying in town you know that the market is a great way to start your day.

The plant starts are flying out of the market and people are coming early to be sure they get their pick.  Everyone notices are how healthy and robust the starts are.  We are also very excited to have the Matanuska Creamery at the market this week!

Jean Havemeister and Veronica Brost from the Matanuska Creamery will be at the market with cheese curds and ice cream.  They will also be giving away FREE milk samples!  If you have not tasted the local milk that is in our stores in the big yellow jugs you really owe it to yourself (and your tastebuds) to come and try it.  Jean is also a treasure trove of history.  I had the pleasure of meeting her and her husband, Bob, at their working dairy farm in Palmer.  They do give tours and I highly recommend that you contact them and sign up at havemeister@gci.net.  You will walk away with a whole new appreciation for what goes into getting that flavorful milk, tasty cheese curds, and spectacular ice cream (Sitka blueberries are used for their Blueberry ice cream) to the shelves of your local market.

The Service High School boy’s basketball team is working to raise money to fund travel to Washington State and Idaho this summer.  They are selling certificates for oil changes in order to raise the funds.  This would be great for Father’s Day! They will have a booth for just this one Saturday so be sure to stop by and talk to them!

Mary Jane will bring more of those whole wheat cinnamon rolls from the French Oven Bakery that are becoming a “must have” with market regulars. Also 7 different varieties of breads:  cinnamon raisin, jalapeno cheddar, cheddar cheese, multigrain, marble rye, sourdough wheat and sourdough white.  Don’t forget those cool shell-shaped rolls called Bolillo that make fantastic sandwiches.  She also has Alaskan honey and Alaskan bee pollen (nature’s energy food) along with local eggs.  Those must be some incredibly happy chickens because I have never seen such deep golden yellow yolks. Some of the best eggs I have seen in Anchorage.  She will also have bags of mixed greens. 

VanderWeele Farm will have bags of potatoes. Great to have in your pantry.

Glacier Valley Farm is bringing in some great plant starts and hanging strawberry plants that are beginning to fruit!

Future Farmers of America will have rhubarb and duck eggs at their stand.  Be sure to stop by and check them out.

Arctic Choice will feature fresh Troll-caught King salmon from South-East Alaska, fresh Sidestripe Shrimp from Prince William Sound, Copper River Sockeye, and fresh Cod and Rockfish from the Gulf of Alaska. Fresh Halibut will also be available with fresh Sablefish fillets, and Razor Clam meats. Make sure to come early and fulfill all your grilling needs for the upcoming holiday weekend.

Sally from the Red Beet Bistro is bringing a large variety of treats and specialize in gluten free options too.  Red Beet’s products this week include gluten free and standard breads in the following varieties:  whole wheat cranberry with sunflower seeds and flax, and beet with sunflowers.  Their special bread of the week is carrot with clover and raisins.  They also have a new beet focaccia bread sandwich with slow roasted beef brisket, slow roasted pork or with Mat Valley cheese with their incredibly tasty homemade yogurt herb spread.  Be sure to try their fresh yogurt, farmer’s cheese – soft cheese made with goat, sheep and cow milks and fresh herbs.  All dressings, vinaigrettes and yogurt are gluten free.  If you are hungry, try one of their all-Alaskan market pies! They have both sweet and savory pies to satisfy any appetite. 

Tom and Trish Lee of Heart of the Mountain Organics will bring their beautiful vegetable, flower, and herb starter plants.  All of these are organic and bio-dynamic started and nurtured, and most have been hardened off and are ready to jump into your bountiful garden and your highly nutritious salad.  These include:  six varieties of lettuce, Cherokee purple tomatoes (their own seed), broccoli, three varieties of kale, Rainbow chard, arugula, Armenian cucumbers, Straight Eights, yellow crook neck and zucchini squash.  A great assortment of herbs too:  three varieties of basil, marjoram, thyme, cilantro, dill, parsley, summer sorrel, white sage, and large spearmint pots Also pots of WHEAT GRASS for your kitty!  These are ALL ready to be picked and added to your salads.  Flowers - second year foxglove and hollyhock, ciranthe, bachelors buttons, stock, marigolds, and rare white fireweed.  They have several very large Rhubarb starts in pots to help you establish a vigorous and beautiful rhubarb patch.  These are in 3 gallon pots and are well established 3 and 4 year plants.  All purchases $30 and over will receive free organic fertilizer to feed your new plants.  They encourage everyone to grow more food at home this summer. 

Gray Owl Farm will be bringing many more of their unique hanging baskets with beautiful combinations of color and texture.  If you want to make a statement in your neighborhood be sure to choose a basket from the “Basket Lady” at Gray Owl Farm.  We have a multitude of graceful and airy grasses and plants with pizzazz, unbelievable colors, textures and coveted plants that are difficult to find.  Kathy spends many off season hours hunting down those rare plants that make her baskets one of a kind.  Each basket is created individually to give it that special quality.  You won’t find these available at the box stores.  Check out the banana plants and Hawaiian Ti plants.  They are commonly seen in gardens in the top gardening magazines.  Add one to your creations this year.  They can be wintered over in the house and enjoyed for many seasons to come.  We have impatiens bags that you can hang on a wall or fence with eye popping colors.  Each week we load our racks with a huge variety of 4” pots that you can use to create your own containers.  Come see us at the market.

Bearsden Gardens will have 18 varieties of herbs including cilantro, stevia, flat leafed and curly leafed parsley, tarragon, and three kinds of basil; herb garden pots and planters of colorful blossoms; 15 varieties of perennials, and also double English petunias with their large heads and ruffly edges.  Hanging baskets, with some planted in red/white/blue, strawberry bare-root starts, and blue Mt. Bluet in 6” pots.  Lots of giant pansies and non-stop begonias.  Stop by and say hello to Andy and Janet!

Since we will be seeing some rhubarb, and I am guessing a few of us have a few plants in our yard, check out a wonderful recipe by Deborah Madison on our website for baked rhubarb with vanilla, orange and clove! Oh, and wouldn’t it be nice to have that over Matanuska Creamery’s ice cream! 

For more information about the market, contact Nancy Lampman at 907-529.7630, or safm@gci.net. 

Please respond to this email if you’d like to be removed from the newsletter list.

Cheers! And see you at the market!
Nancy Lampman
South Anchorage Farmers’ Market Reporter