Hello All!

There is definitely a change in the weather and we all know what that means…time is ticking and everyone needs to take advantage of all this fantastic produce everyone has!

All the farms are bursting at the seams with fantastic local produce picked at the peak of freshness.  Frost is right around the corner which means celery will be one of the first to not be around, so take advantage of it now.

I know this newsletter is on the long side, but there is a lot to talk about.  So let’s get going.

EAT LOCAL CHALLENGE
Have you seen the new advertising on T.V?  The Alaska Division of Agriculture is sponsoring the second annual Alaska Grown Eat Local Challenge.  You should start seeing TV ads, web page ads, and restaurants supporting the cause with posters, table tents, etc.  It would be a great time to visit your local famers’ market over the next week.
Check out http://www.alaskagrown.org and spread the word!

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 am-2 pm.  Glacier Valley Farms will be there with their awesome selection of corn, eggplant, artichokes, zucchini, crisp celery, sweet tender carrots, red ripe tomatoes and lots of sweet strawberries.  Bob Shoemaker will also be there bringing a great assortment of greens and lettuce.

GLACIER VALLEY FARMS
They will also be at the SAFM.  Check out their marvelous corn, eggplant, artichokes, zucchini, crisp celery, sweet tender carrots, red ripe tomatoes and those sweet, fragrant strawberries.  Buy an extra pint or two because you are going to eat at least one pint on the way home. 

MARY JANE
She will have her special Romanesco cauliflower.  She will also have her selection of pastries and breads from The French Oven.  Have you ever heard of a Bolillos?  They are a traditional bread usually made in Mexico, Brazil, and other Latin American countries.  Soft on the inside and crusty on the outside, they are great for sandwiches.  If you have a sweet tooth, be sure to pick up a cinnamon rolls (with or without raisins) made by Slack’s Sugar Shack from Palmer.  If you love coconut you must try the macaroons.  Rich enough to split with a buddy, but you will probably not want to share. She will also be bringing her homemade chocolate dipped pretzel sticks.

STOCKWELL FARMS
Vern Stockwell has a great selection of new potatoes; red bliss, German butterballs, Yukon Golds, and lots of others.  Beautiful green beans, giant sweet onions, zucchini, with lots to choose from.  Also take a peek at their homemade jams and jellies.

REMPEL FAMILY FARM
This week Rempel Family Farm will have certified organic brussel sprouts, parsnips, carrots, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages, along with all their other produce. Mark pointed out that it is time to pickle beets for the winter.

NORTHERN LIGHTS MUSHROOMS
I was so happy to hear from Gail that they will be at the market this weekend. I absolutely love their oyster mushrooms!

ARCTIC CHOICE SEAFOODS
Arctic Choice will have a great selection of Alaska seafood this weekend to kick off your end of summer barbeques and upcoming Labor Day weekend. Fresh Halibut, Cod, Sockeye Salmon, Silver Salmon and Rockfish fillets are available at fantastic prices. Fresh King Salmon fillets from Southeast Alaska will be very popular for the grill! This week you can also find whole Sockeye and Silver Salmon from Beluga Point. We will also have a selection of shell fish available including live Oysters, Clams, and Scallops. You can also find the very popular Side Striped Shrimp from Prince William Sound at bargain prices and Ikura to satisfy the most indulgent of appetites. We will also be offering Salmon Meat that is quick and easy to prepare in numerous dishes and helps get you out of kitchen and back into enjoying the late summer sun. Be sure to come early for the best selection. 

RISE & SHINE BAKERY
Alison and Dan will have their signature sourdough pan loaf 100% WHOLE WHEAT LEVAIN (sourdough, or naturally leavened bread), and their SPENT GRAIN loaf as well.  Their hearth loaves will include FRESH ROSEMARY, ALASKAN ONION RYE, and their DARK CHOCOLATE AND CHERRY.  It’s hard to say which is my favorite.  They all have their own different personalities.  I love the whole wheat because it goes with everything and toasts up so nicely in the morning. I already feel I am doing something healthy and I am only eating breakfast! The rosemary is so fragrant, I like to slice it, rub a little garlic and olive oil on it and place on the grill to warm through.  The Alaskan onion rye is awesome for making a grilled swiss cheese and onion sandwich.  And the dark chocolate and cherry is more of a dessert bread.  I have sliced it, spooned over a little Kirschwasser (cherry brandy) and top with fresh strawberries and a little cream.  Heaven on a plate!

VITALI AND MONICA SELDOVITSCH
They will have peanut potatoes, cucumbers, green beans, onions and a variety of fresh herbs.

THE REDBEET CAFÉ
They will be 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. 
They 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!

FAT BOY RIBS AND BARBECUE
Tasty ribs, pork, and hot dogs with a nice tangy sauce. Great for lunch or a quick snack while walking around the market.

THE FUTURE FARMERS OF AMERICA
The Future Farmers of America will bring more fresh Alaskan honey and cut flowers.

GRAY OWL
A great variety of peppers, from sweet to spicy.

MY LORD’S FLORAL
They are selling flowers from Larson’s Nursery, a local cut flower producer.  These flowers come from the valley and last for weeks.

A CITY SLICKER WORKS ON A FARM
I actually don’t consider myself a city girl, but I have a whole new appreciation of what goes on in order to get that produce to the market.  I had the great opportunity to help Arthur Keyes on his farm.  Now I grew up in the Midwest and had friends who owned farms.  I know it is incredibly hard work.  I warned Arthur that my 50 year old self is more used to walking the dog than yielding a shovel.  He told me not to worry and that we would have a lot of fun (I admit, I was worried). When was the last time I did anything that physical?

I arrived there and we immediately started in on all that had to be done. My first adventure was digging up carrots.  Not as easy as it sounds.  You use a small pitch fork and have to place it just right or you scrape and/or break the carrots.  Those can’t be sold.  After Arthur dug a couple bunches I asked him if I could try. I dug maybe four or five groups, gently unearthing the precious orange cylinders. Jumping on the pitch fork was the only way I could get it down far enough.  How did he do that and make it look so easy? I enthusiastically volunteered to go back to gathering them instead of digging.  He asked if I was sure I didn’t want to continue digging.  Oh, I’m sure.

We then harvested beets, radishes, and onions.  Then we went back to the farm to clean, sort, rubber band them in bunches, and then box.  We jumped back in the truck and went to another building where I helped box vegetables for the Glacier Valley CSA orders. 

After that, I went back to Arthur’s farm.  I thought, maybe, just maybe, we were slowing down a little and our day was coming to an end. It was a little past 6:00.  Arthur asked how I was doing. I’m doing great! I’m really up for picking some corn! He had no idea how tired I was getting. Otherwise, he would have told me to stop.

After the corn I could feel myself really slowing down.  He and Ken were picking zucchini.  It turns out that picking zucchini is a daily event this time of year.  It had to be done because it would be too big the next day.  I finally had to admit to myself my own limitations and told Arthur I had to stop.  “No problem! I’m so glad you were able to come out and help!” I guess I did just fine because Arthur asked me if I wanted to come back.  I’ll think about that and get back to ya.

I got back into my car and drove by the fields while they were still picking zucchini.  This time of year is it.  This is what all farmers wait for in our short but intense growing season.

On my drive back I started to feel a sense of accomplishment and I was also starting to feel something else.  The beginnings of discomfort that would soon be described as “carrot muscles.”

If you’re wondering, I am going back next week.

THE SOUTH ANCHORAGE FARMERS’ MARKET COOKBOOKS HAVE RETURNED!
The South Anchorage Farmers Market cookbooks are re-printed and are ready for you to pick up.  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.

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 is in full swing!  It is time to process summer produce for winter enjoyment.  As I looked in on my favorite food blogs this week, I found some very interesting tips and recipes that I hope you will like. 

Marisa’s most recent blog entry on Food in Jars is Preserving Zucchini.  I’ve never thought to put zucchini up this way!  She suggests grating the zucchini and freezing in 2 and 4-cup amounts in Ziplocs for use in soup, breads, pasta sauces and fritters throughout the winter.  Marisa has tons of great recipes for preserving the summer’s bounty, check her out at http://www.foodinjars.com.

Shauna at http://www.glutenfreegirl.com wrote a very poetic piece about roasted cauliflower.  Instead of paraphrasing her recipe, I decided to insert it into our newsletter. 

“As we laughed and talked, the guests in the living room, me in my familiar place before the stove, I tossed the cauliflower florets in Spanish olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. At the last moment, I decided to toss on some of this smoky Spanish paprika, dark red with a kick. And then, with a fine-mesh sieve, I sifted on some Ghiradelli’s unsweetened cocoa powder. Why this combination? A little chocolate and chile, mole sauce taste. I had no idea how it would work.
Twenty minutes later, Daniel was exclaiming, Mane was groaning, Lisa was shaking her head in excitement, and I was just grinning. Oh god, this was good. Earthy, rich roasted, layers of taste—this roasted cauliflower was unforgettable. I’m going to make it again and again.”

I recommend her site hands down!  When you are looking for new and inventive recipes this winter, look her up.

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 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.

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

related recipes

http://southanchoragefarmersmarket.com/index.php/site/single/warm_corn_salad_with_green_beans_radishes_and_fresh_thyme/