Hello All!

Although the weather has been a little moist, don’t let that stop you from visiting the South Anchorage Farmers’ Market! There are a lot of things there to keep you warm and inspire you in the kitchen.
Sherrill, our intern this summer, has a very interesting and delicious sounding recipe using Swiss chard…in a dessert! I’m very anxious to try it.  You’ll have to read her market report below and learn what else is going on at the market.

ANTIQUE TRACTORS
Kids of all ages will love to see the cool, old tractors that will be at the market this Saturday.  You will get to see a bit of Alaskan history in the 1959 John Deere 730 diesel tractor.  Deano was telling me that it’s not only special because of the age, but because it has a pony start.  Don’t know what a pony start is? Neither did I until he explained that it is a small gasoline engine that starts the main diesel engine. You’ll learn all sorts of interesting things seeing these tractors.

REMPEL FAMILY FARMS
Mark Rempel reports that they been wondering where all their free range eggs were these last few weeks.  Well, two weeks ago a hen appeared with 13 chicks in tow and now they see another hen with a small family under her wings.  Total production should be up in about 9 weeks...just in time for ... winter.

On the vegetable side, Rempel Family Farm will have more carrots, at least 4 kinds of new potatoes, cucumbers, pickling cucumbers, green onions, and a large selection of greens all picked the day before market.  They might even bring some immature winter squash.  They are surprisingly tasty and much easier to cut into.

MARY JANE who brings us all those delightful goodies from French Oven Bakery, will also be bringing her famous romanesco cauliflower. They look like something from a different planet, but they are very tasty!

NORTHERN LIGHTS MUSHROOMS
I was sad to see their message that they will not be at the market this week due to poor crop production.  We look forward to seeing them the next week.

FARMER’S MARKETS AROUND ALASKA!
Are you traveling around Alaska this summer? Might you be tempted to stop in another town and look for a farmers market there? If this sounds like your ideal vacation (it’s definitely high on my list!), I have great news! I’ve just launched a website for the brand-new non-profit, the ALASKA FARMERS MARKET ASSOCIATION. Every farmers market in Alaska is listed by city, along with its location, dates, and hours of operation.  http://www.AlaskaFarmersMarkets.org

Once again, I’m delighted to introduce our intern, Sherrill Smith Collins! She’s a candidate for a Master’s of Science in Nutrition at Bastyr University in Washington State. She’s helping us with some Farmers’ Market reporting while she’s home for the summer. Take it away, Sherrill!
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SHERRILL’S REPORT
THE MARKET
After a week of clouds and rain, a market full of produce is a bright thought!

Stockwell farms has summer squash, tuscano kale, dinosaur kale, green kale, beets, broccoli, kohlrabi, rose gold potatoes, Kennebec potatoes, cauliflower, shelling peas, cabbage, bok choi, red leaf lettuce, green oak leaf lettuce, red butter lettuce, collard greens, rainbow chard and rhubarb along with super sweet onions.

The Future Farmers of America continue to supply us with nettle tea, broccoli, rhubarb, rainbow chard, kale, collard greens, rainbow cauliflower, zucchini, kohlrabi, green cabbage and purple cabbage.
Joan, who joined us at the market for the first time last week, is back again with jams, jellies and relish.  Her zucchini relish makes incredible deviled eggs and tuna salad!  She has spent her summer experimenting with variations on rhubarb jam, blueberry rhubarb is her most popular.

Mat Valley Peas joined us again this week with their sugary treats.  A bag of already shelled peas is difficult to pass up.

Gray Owl Farm has green bell peppers, scallions, rainbow Swiss chard, celery, collard greens, pickling cucumbers, mariachi peppers, jalapeno peppers, European cucumbers, Chinese cucumbers (which are great for pickles with their tough outer skin and sweet flesh), bok choi, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, napa cabbage, mustard greens (an eye watering experience, these spicy leaves go well in a salad or stir-fry), beets, mizuna (lovely in a salad of mixed greens), pac choi, red pac choi, kohlrabi and kale.

Glacier Valley Farm has zucchini, tomatoes, mixed greens, herbs and English cucumbers.  A bit later in the season, they will have traditional eggplant and brussel sprouts!
The French Oven Bakery brought baguettes, marble rye and jalapeno cheddar bread, along with a variety of sweet treats.

The Red Beet wowed everyone with their gluten free selection this week, including lemon bars, banana creams, brownies and apricot bread.  They also had fresh yogurt, multigrain biscuits, garlic tube bread and their famous market pies.  The raspberry-rhubarb-beet market pie caught my attention, yum!

Vitali and Monica Seldovitsch have Swiss chard, new potatoes, beets, turnips, zucchini, onions (white, yellow, red) and seedless cucumbers.

Three Bears Farm has a variety of unique jams and butters including: tomato pepper jam, cranberry walnut jam, apple butter, pumpkin butter, carrot jam, and strawberry rhubarb jam.

Notes, Ideas and Recipes
I love chard, raw or cooked, any time of the day.  But, many of you have asked, what is chard?  Where does this green with so many variations come from?  And, why should I eat chard?

Chard is a variety of beet selected for its fleshy leaves and edible stalks.  Chard is also known by its common names Swiss chard, silverbeet, perpetual spinach, spinach beet and seakale beet.  Chard has the same properties as beets, with its oxalates and brilliant colors due to the betain pigments.  Red betains are great antioxidants!  Along with providing a source of antioxidants, chard is also a great way to get your fiber.  According to Harold McGee, some of the heirlooms currently hitting farmers markets around the country, can be traced back to the 16th century.  Beets and chard are native to Western Europe and the Mediterranean, and have been eaten since BCE times.

If you are looking for a tasty new chard recipe, check out the 30 bucks a Week blog for Marinated Teriyaki/Peanut Tofu with Steamed Chard and Quinoa, http://www.thirtyaweek.wordpress.com.  If you aren’t feeling the tofu, it can be replaced with a salmon fillet.  Swiss Chard and Apple Pastry recipe
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Thank you, Sherrill!  That recipe looks so intriguing and a good way to sneak in a veggie via a dessert. I’ll definitely give it a try.

GLACIER VALLEY FARM CSA PRODUCE BOXES!
I know that it’s sometimes hard to make it to the Saturday farmers’ market—you’re out of town, or your kids have soccer games, or you sleep in and by the time you’re up and at it—it’s already 1:00 and you know that most of the good stuff will be gone already. But there’s another option for getting local produce! Check out Glacier Valley Farm CSA’s produce boxes!

The hefty boxes, costing $35 each, are filled with as much Alaskan produce as is available, augmented in the winter and spring with some vegetables and fruits from certified organic farms Outside. We’re just ramping up the boxes to include more and more Alaskan produce each week! Each box also contains a newsletter loaded with delicious, healthy recipes tailored to the week’s vegetables.

You can sign up for a box once a week, twice a month, or more sporadically—you choose the dates! You pre-pay for your box, then pick it up at one of several locations in Anchorage, Eagle River, or the Valley. Please visit our website for more information! www.GlacierValleyCSA.com

Please pass this email along to anyone you think might be interested in receiving the weekly market news—they can visit our website at http://www.southanchoragefarmersmarket.com and sign up for our newsletter list.

For more information about the market, contact Arthur Keyes, South Anchorage Farmers’ Market Manager, at 907-354-5833.
Cheers! And see you at the market!
Nancy Lampman
Farmers’ Market Reporter