The South Anchorage Farmers’ Market is growing each week now that greens and vegetables are making their appearance.  We also have the Savor Bristol Bay event this week! 

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, .

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

Would you like to see some videos about the vendors and farmers who sell their produce at the South Anchorage Farmers’ Market? Check us out!
Chef Delicious Dave at the South Anchorage Farmer’s Market Anchorage chef Dave Thorne describes what to look for when shopping for local produce.



VanderWeele Carrot HarvestRoger VanderWeele of VanderWeele Farm talks about carrot production.

Rise & Shine Bakery: Owners Alison Arians & Dan Schwartz bake their whole-grain sourdough bread in the small commercial kitchen attached to their house on Anchorage’s lower Hillside.



Transplanting Lettuce at Vanderweele Farms: Vanderweele Farms employee Teresa Reel talks about getting plants in the ground during the spring planting near Palmer, Alaska in May 2009.



Strawberries: Arthur Keyes of Glacier Valley Farm talks about his experiment growing California strawberry varieties on his Palmer, Alaska farm.



Harvesting Corn at Glacier Valley Farm: Alaska farmer Arthur Keyes talks about growing and harvesting, corn in Alaska.



Onions from Stockwell Farm: Vern Stockwell perfected the art of growing onions in Alaska.