South Anchorage Farmers' Market WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Hello All!
Check out all the wonderful things that are going on at the South Anchorage Farmer’s Market this week!
In general, all the farms are bursting at the seams with fantastic local produce picked at the peak of freshness. The selection is at its height right now so be sure to take advantage and get those freezer bags or canning jars ready!
EAT WILD!
Trout Unlimited will be sponsoring another “Eat Wild” event this Saturday, August 22nd at the South Anchorage Farmers’ Market. In addition to grilling up more tasty treats they will bring in a few fishermen and fisherwomen from Bristol Bay and have a “Meet your Fisherman” day. You will have the opportunity to receive information about Bristol Bay and risks this fishery faces from the threat of large-scale mining. What a great way to connect with the people who bring you all this fantastic seafood. Check out their recipes too!
FREE ALASKA FARMERS MARKET ASSOCIATION TOTEBAGS! The South Anchorage Farmers’ Market will hold drawings on Saturday, August 22nd and Wednesday, August 26th (at their Dimond location), for the free Alaska Farmers Market Association totebags to celebrate the formation of the new non-profit, and to promote the newly-launched website: http://www.alaskafarmersmarkets.org.
DID YOU MISS THE DEADLINE TO SIGN UP? No worries. You can come to the market and sign up for the newsletter and then submit a ticket right then and there.
WHAT IS AFMA?
The brand-new non-profit, the Alaska Farmers Market Association, has just launched its website! Every farmers market in Alaska is listed by city, along with its location, dates, and hours of operation. Check it out, and start making your travel plans! www.AlaskaFarmersMarkets.org
THE COOKBOOKS HAVE RETURNED!
The South Anchorage Farmers Market cookbooks are re-printed and are ready. The cookbook, written by Alison Arians (one of your Farmers’ Market Reporters) is a compilation of all the recipes from last year’s summertime farmers’ market newsletters, as well as from her wintertime Rise & Shine Bakery Bulletin emails, plus some additional recipes.
The book contains over 100 recipes, on full-sized, spiral-bound pages. Alison wrote a thorough index and table of contents for the book, organized the vegetable section of the book alphabetically, and cross-referenced the recipes exhaustively, so you can easily find just the right recipe. Now you don’t have to search through your emails for recipes you vaguely remember, print out the pages of the newsletters, or try and figure out how to organize them once you have a pile of printouts on your counter. We all hope this cookbook is the answer to getting the recipes out of your computer and into your kitchen! And we hope you’ll be even more inspired to cook up loads of fresh vegetables, fruits, seafood, and bread.
When you buy the cookbook, which costs $20, you can also get the COOLEST folding wire cookbook holder! It’s called the Pageboy Adjustable Bookholder. It folds up to almost nothing to fit in a kitchen drawer, it holds your place in two recipes at once so you can easily flip back and forth between recipes, and holds ANY size cookbook in the perfect position to read it while you’re cooking. Two more reasons I love it: it saves space on your counter because the cookbook is up on its edge, and your cookbook isn’t lying flat in a puddle of balsamic vinegar or maple syrup while you cook! The cookbook holders, sold separately, are $6.
You can get the cookbook and holder at the South Anchorage Farmers’ Market on Saturdays.
A FALL HARVEST DINNER SPONSORED BY THE INTERNATIONAL GALLERY OF CONTEMPORARY ART is being held on September 12. I have listed the contact information below. If you have never experienced a Slow Food event they are very special. Using local ingredients and prepared with attention to detail, the food is always fantastic! This time it is a fundraiser for the IGCA. So, not only will you get to experience incredible food, but support IGCA as well.
FOOD SEACOAST
SATURDAY, SEPT. 12, 2009, 7PM
Catered by the Red Beet Cafe
Location: At artful home on Otis Lake
with fresh local produce, seafood, beer & more
music, cocktails, artwork, floatable art
$100 per person
Discount for tables of 10
Space is limited
Email for reservations:
BE A LOCAVORE: EAT AND SUPPORT ART
Everything is bursting at the seams for all our farmers. If you have a special project in mind such as pickles or freezing lots of broccoli, this is the time to act! Don’t keep putting it off because things are changing quickly and something that now at its peak, may not be a month from now.
NEW EAGLE RIVER FARMERS’ MARKET
There is a new Saturday farmer’s market located outside of Mike’s Meats, 12110 Business Blvd. Hours are 9 a.m.-2 pm. Glacier Valley Farms will be there with their selection of zucchini, tomatoes and strawberries. Bob Shoemaker will also be there bringing lots of greens and lettuce.
GLACIER VALLEY FARMS will be bringing their marvelous zucchini and red ripe tomatoes. They will have a limited amount of strawberries that are so flavorful they probably won’t make it home. But you need to get there early as supplies are limited!
STOCKWELL FARM’s green beans are really producing right now. It would be a good opportunity to freeze or can a batch right now for those who have not already done so. They will also be harvesting a bounty of rather large onions this week. And will also have a cornucopia of other vegetables including leeks, garlic, potatoes, and carrots.
REMPEL FAMILY FARM reminds us that although the rain was maybe needed, it can cause some challenges. It makes cabbages split and sometimes even the potatoes that are nearly mature split because of too much water. It is a mixed blessing as always, but we are grateful. We have enough that we are now (Monday) putting away our irrigation pipe. At market this week look for lots of beautiful certified organic green beans, sugar snap peas, carrots, beets, cabbage, green onions, Napa cabbage, and much more.
MARY JANE will have her special Romanesco cauliflower. She will also have her selection of pastries and breads from various vendors selecting the best they have to offer.
THE REDBEET CAFÉ is bringing their assortment of tempting treats. Other things to look for: Farmer’s Cheese and yogurt in NEW SNACK SIZED PACKETS! All of their usual yummy Market Pies, both sweet and savory; dressings, vinaigrettes, fresh cultured yogurt, farmer’s cheese, and lots of sweet treats, both regular and gluten free. Breads of various types and natural salves and balms by Hazel.
ARCTIC CHOICE SEAFOODS will have a great selection of just harvested fresh Alaska seafood. Coho (silver), and Sockeye salmon whole and fillets, Cod, Rockfish, Ling, Sablefish, and Halibut fillets. Scallops, Oysters, Clams and more. Please note that all Arctic Choice fish fillets are boneless and recipes are available.
RISE & SHINE BAKERY will have two sourdough pan loaf varieties this week: their regular 100% WHOLE WHEAT LEVAIN (sourdough, or naturally leavened bread), and their GOLDEN MAIZE bread, which has freshly-ground cornmeal in it and a touch of honey. Savory sourdough hearth loaves will be the 100% TOASTED WALNUT, packed with loads of nuts, and the ever-popular ALASKAN CHEESE & ROASTED GARLIC loaves. Try a slice of the cheese & garlic bread in the toaster, and be prepared for a taste sensation! The fruited loaf this week will be the FRUITED ALMOND hearth loaf, packed with dried apricots, dried cranberries, golden raisins, and toasted almonds, and scented with almond extract. Dan & Alison can’t keep up with the demand for those fruity little numbers if they bake it only once a month, so they are moving the loaves to a more frequent rotation!
Once again, I’m delighted to introduce my 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 farmers have it all! Now is the time to play with summer recipes and process produce for the coming winter months. As fall is drawing in on us, I find myself thinking about zucchini recipes. Every year I hear people moan about prolific zucchini plants as zucchini burnout sets in. I’ve been digging through my recipe collection and watching cooking blogs for tasty zucchini recipes. This past weekend we were lucky enough to have a live cooking demonstration with samples sponsored by Northrim Bank, samples that included zucchini. The recipes produced by this volunteer group were tasty and easy to prepare. I’ve included one of the recipes here http://southanchoragefarmersmarket.com/index.php/site/single/farmers_market_parmesan_crusted_zucchini
PROCESSING MARKET PRODUCE
We only have a few more months of fresh, local produce, it is time to start storing! My favorite method is blanching and freezing in plastic bags. I have found that carrots, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans and shelled peas work well with this method. I haven’t tried other vegetables yet, but pass your processing experiences on to others. Allison has some great ideas on her blog about storing produce for the winter.
As I mentioned earlier this summer, pickles are fun, tasty and easy! Zucchini and cucumbers make great pickles. I think dilly beans should also fall under this category. Take a dill pickle brine recipe and use it with green beans, yum!
QUICK SNACK OR MEAL IDEAS USING FARMERS MARKET PRODUCE
Spice up a Pad Thai dinner kit by adding grated carrots, green beans and spinach.
Take store bought box soup (like Imagine or Pacific) to the next level by adding fresh vegetables. My family likes to add Yukon gold potato chunks and thin leek slices to Imagine brand Potato Leek Soup.
Gather a collection of root vegetables, dice, toss in olive oil and roast at 420F until golden and tender. My favorite mixture includes beets, a mixture of potato varieties, carrots, fennel and onion.
Massage dinosaur kale with olive oil, lightly sprinkle with salt and roast at 420F for 12-15 minutes or until crispy. Viola, Kale Chips!
Blanch kale (any variety) and use as a base for black bean taco salad. Pick up green onions, peppers, carrots, purple cabbage, tomatoes and zucchini at the market to add to this quick meal.
Honey toast made with local honey and local bread!
Try a layered fresh vegetable sandwich. I use the fresh Farmers Cheese from Red Beet, bread from the market, zucchini slices, tomato, bell peppers, lettuce and spinach to create an unforgettable lunch.
GLACIER VALLEY FARM CSA PRODUCE BOXES
Have you ever considered joining a CSA? Community Supported Agriculture not only gives you some motivation to eat what is good for you, it also helps your local farmers.
Check out http://www.GlacierValleyCSA.com The website has lots of information and pick up spots are growing all around Anchorage and the Valley. And of course it has recipes! Sign up is easy and there is no monthly commitment.
I look forward to Shopping at SAFM all week: It's never too crowded, there's always convenient parking, and most of all, I always find the best fresh produce and most friendly vendors in town! 
