What’s NEW in this issue:
1. A foray into French-frying potatoes
2. Have you heard of a parsley root?
3. Tasty technology tidbit: how to subscribe to Alison’s lunch
4. Great recipes for potatoes, onions, cabbage, carrots, and broccoli!
5. CSA produce box info
6. Bioneers conference

french fries
You probably know already that I love garlic-roasted potatoes. If you haven’t already made that recipe, you can find it here on the website. But when I was at the market on Wednesday, Mr. Stockwell asked if I’d ever made French fries, and if not, maybe I’d better try making them with his French Reds. He says they are crispy on the outside, and creamy on the inside.

Well, one of my favorite pastimes is reading cookbooks. So I’ve read more than my fair share of recipes and treatises about “how to make the perfect French fry.” Three sources I can think of, right off the top of my head are Jeffrey Steingarten’s chapter in The Man Who Ate Everything, a chapter in the book about food and cooking called How to Read a French Fry, and a long and involved recipe and chemistry lesson in a recent Cook’s Illustrated magazine. I’ve read that French-frying potatoes can be quite challenging—frying them twice, at different temperatures, picking the right oil, not overloading the pan so the oil stays hot and doesn’t make the potatoes greasy and soggy.  I have to admit, this process has never appealed to me.  All that hot oil, getting the temperature just right… But Dan (my husband) has expressed interest in trying it. Maybe it’s a guy thing.

Mr. Stockwell says you don’t have to fry them twice—just fry them at 375 degrees, not too many at a time. So, what the heck? Let’s give it a whirl! We’re going to use light olive oil (the smoke point is higher than 375 degrees, so I don’t think it’ll burn), and just cook a few at a time. I have a candy thermometer, so I hope we can keep the temperature right. I’ll let you know how it turns out!

When Meredith gets home from preschool, and after our usual book-reading and snuggling, we’ll make them for dinner. (I’ll make sure she doesn’t get anywhere near the hot oil—don’t worry!) I guess I should be whipping up a batch of homemade ketchup now, in anticipation… maybe if these turn out really well, I’ll do that next time!

parsley root?
I happened to catch a glimpse of a new vegetable at Rempel Family Farm last Saturday, and I’ve been kicking myself every day since because I didn’t buy it: Parsley Root!!  I’m going to get some this week, though, and try it out, mashing it with some potatoes, I think. I’ve read about it in Deborah Madison’s Local Flavorsbook. It’s a different plant than the regular parsley (like celery root, or celeriac, is a different plant than the usual stalk celery). Deborah Madison writes: “Parsley roots are thin and unpromising in terms of volume but a huge treasure when it comes to flavor. Their taste is clean, bracing, and assertive enough to have a real presence in a potato puree or potato soup.” She peels them and boils them up with the potatoes!  Anyone else want to give it a try? Mr. Rempel says its roots are in Eastern Europe (pardon my pun), so if you look for other recipes for it, this may help!

tasty technology tidbit
You might have read about my new website/blog already, and checked it out at AlisonsLunch.com. But did you know that you can subscribe, to get the posts over your email, or through a reader? I’ll be posting stories and recipes to this website all winter, so you can get the information automatically if you’d like. Just scroll down the left side of the page until you get to “Subscribe.” Then, you can choose from two options:
1. “Subscribe via email,” where you’ll enter your email address. Then you’ll receive an email in return to confirm your address.  You’ll just need to click on the link provided in that email to validate your email address. When you’re all signed up, you’ll receive an email when I put a new post on Alison’s Lunch.
2. “Subscribe in a reader,” where you’ll add Alison’s Lunch to your RSS (Really Simple Syndication) reader. If you’re already familiar with this service, you know what this is all about, but if you’re like me, and need further explanation, a really helpful overview is this short and sweet YouTube video, called “RSS in Plain English.”

recipes
I’m including three fantastic recipes this week! The first is an absolutely divine recipe that I hope hope hope you’ll try, even though you might wonder what the big deal is. It’s Savoy cabbage on pasta with toasted walnuts, and it’s just out of this world good. The second recipe is for potato and onion salad with smoked salmon. It’s amazing with those new little peanut potatoes sprouting up at everyone’s stands these days!!  But you can use any waxy potato, even purple ones!  And last, I’ve included a new recipe for me: broccoli and red peppers with Thai peanut sauce! I think you’ll love it, too!!  Check out the recipes and the photos!

produce boxes from Glacier Valley Farm CSA!
Have you heard that Arthur Keyes and Alison Arians are starting a new year-round CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program? The new Glacier Valley Farm CSA program will focus on bringing you boxes of Alaskan produce from our local farms. You can sign up for boxes every week, every other week, once a month—or more sporadically. You decide!

• During the summer and fall, we’ll stock the CSA boxes with 100% Alaskan ingredients, grown by Arthur & Michelle Keyes, of Glacier Valley Farm, and by a variety of other farmers growing vegetables and berries in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley.
• In the winter and spring, we’ll stock the boxes with as much Alaskan produce as possible: storage vegetables like cabbages, carrots, potatoes, beets, and turnips. To add variety to these nourishing and savory staples, our goal is to also include fresh vegetables and fruit from small, family-owned farms in the Northwest. 

If you’d like to order a box, please email Arthur at . While the Wednesday market is still running (through October 1), you can pick up your box from Arthur Keyes on Wednesday at the Dimond Center farmers’ market, from 10am-2pm. Please bring cash or a check for $25 to Arthur Keyes when you come to pick up your box. 

After October 1st, you’ll be able to pick up your produce boxes at several locations around town, including Tap Root Café, on Huffman Road. More information to come!

We have been thrilled with the response so far to our CSA program, and we want to make sure every box is fantastic… so depending on when you sign up, we may need to put you on a waiting list for a short time while we get our supply chain and distribution sites ramped up. If you have a suggestion for a good pick-up location, please let us know!

bioneers in alaska conference
The 5th annual Bioneers in Alaska Conference, called “Creating Sustainable Communities,” will be held this year from October 17-19, 2008, at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. There will be four workshops on local food and much more information on living sustainably. 

The annual Bioneers in Alaska conference brings together Alaskans to explore practical and innovative ways to live more sustainably and strengthen our communities. Highlights of the 2008 conference include: keynote speakers David C. Korten and Lisa Dolchok, workshops on renewable energy for Alaska, growing community through local food, protecting the health of present and future generations and other vital issues of our times, presentations via satellite from the 19th Annual Bioneers Conference in California and abundant networking opportunities.

Save on conference fees when you register early (the early registration deadline is September 21). Academic and CEU credits available. Scholarships and Work Exchange opportunities available. Bioneers in Alaska is for everybody!  For more information or to register, visit http://www.sustainak.org, or email . Phone: (907) 677-9087. Bioneers in Alaska is a project of the Alaska Center for Appropriate Technology

bread
Rise & Shine Bakery will be at our Saturday South Anchorage Farmers’ Market for two more weeks, through October 4th. At that point, we’ll switch to our wintertime routine! Starting on Friday, October 17th, I’ll send out our first weekly Bakery Bulletin to our bakery email list, which will list the breads we’re baking for the following Wednesday (October 22nd). You’ll be able to order the loaves of your choice on-line, and then come and pick them up on Wednesday afternoon at Tap Root Café (on Huffman Road, across from Carrs’) from 3-6pm, or Wednesday morning at Side Street Espresso (410 G Street, downtown) from 8-11am. 

If you didn’t receive the bakery bulletin last year, and you’d like to receive it after the farmers’ market ends, please email me at .

Rise & Shine Bakery will be baking two of the large pan loaves this week, their 100% whole wheat sourdough levain, as always, and their Alaskan barley bread, made with barley grown in Delta Junction! Both of these basic 100% whole-grain breads make fantastic toast and sandwich bread. We’ll also be baking the raisin & toasted pecan pan loaves for your breakfasting pleasure!

Hearth loaves will be the Kalamata olive bread, great with pasta, salads, and warming soups and sandwiches, and our Alaskan potato & chive bread, a fun and savory flavor—great with cheese, and for sandwiches of all kinds!

Mary Jane will also be at the market with all kinds of breads, croissants, palmiers, and macaroons from the French Oven Bakery.

farmers’ market cookbook
The South Anchorage Farmers’ Market Cookbook is filled with 100 pages of delicious, healthy recipes that showcase our flavorful, fresh local Alaskan produce. Recipes provide inspiration for ways to use Alaskan vegetables, fish, fruits, bread, and other products that can be found at our farmers’ markets. The cookbook focuses on vegetable recipes that have fantastic flavor and top-notch nutritional value. And if you’re wondering about how to process our Alaskan produce to freeze for the winter, the book includes instructions!

seafood
Arctic Choice Seafoods will have all kinds of fresh, delicious, Alaskan fish! Here’s a list of what they are likely to have.

fresh king salmon | fresh sablefish | fresh rockfish | fresh halibut | fresh clams | fresh oysters | halibut cheeks | king crab | snow crab | spot shrimp | side stripe shrimp | Dungeness crab | scallops | smoked salmon bellies

Saturday South Anchorage Farmers’ Market
Dates: May 10-October 4
Hours: 9am-2pm
Location: Subway/Cellular One Sports Centre at the corner of Old Seward and O’Malley

Wednesday South Anchorage Farmers’ Market
Dates: July 2- October 1
Hours: 10am-4pm
Location: behind the Dimond Center, in front of the Dimond Center Hotel

Please pass this email along to anyone you think might be interested in receiving the weekly market news—they can email me, Alison Arians, at if they’d like to be added to our newsletter list.

For more information about the market, contact Arthur Keyes, South Anchorage Farmers’ Market Manager, at 907-354-5833, or at .

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

Cheers! And see you at the market!
Alison Arians
Farmers’ Market Reporter

RISE & SHINE BAKERY
Long Term Baking Schedule, Fall 2008
27 September
• pan loaves: 100% whole wheat sourdough levain, Alaskan barley, raisin & toasted pecan
• hearth loaves: Kalamata olive, Alaska potato & chive
4 October
• pan loaves: 100% whole wheat sourdough levain, Alaskan baked potato
• hearth loaves: Alaskan onion rye, savory pumpkin, fruited almond