Goedemorgen allemaal, that’s Dutch for good morning everyone!

Lots to talk about and some interesting opportunities for you, your family and friends!

UPCOMING EVENTS

This week Todd Pettit will be at the market to sign people up for a tour of his Pitchfork Ranch.  Pitchfork is a working bison and elk ranch nestled in the mountains.  Alaskans become a little numb to seeing jaw dropping scenery, but you have not seen anything quite like this!  Check out a breathtaking video of bison running over the hills on his ranch on Glacier Valley Farm’s Facebook page.  There are also pictures where you’ll just keep thinking “amazing” and “beautiful.” Here is the link:  Glacier Valley Farm’s Facebook. 

Todd is a great source of information and would love to share his experiences with you.  This would be a great opportunity for families and something really unique to do with your visiting friends and family too. Be sure to stop by his booth early to make certain you get a spot reserved!

While you are on Glacier Valley’s Facebook page, look at Arthur’s photo journal of life on his farm.  You’ll also realize that this year things are not progressing as fast as last year.  The lack of warm sun is really slowing things down.  But that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty do to every day.  You’ll always find it interesting and informative.

Another great farm tour is the one of a family owned dairy farm!  Be sure to stop at the Matanuska Creamery and sign up!  See the cows and an actual colonist farm first hand.  Jean’s husband has been here 70 years and Jean has been here 50 years. Their farm has been a working farm for 75 years. They started with horses Payday and Prince, and then acquired a Ford 8N tractor.  Now they have great big cases.

There is also a Mat-Su Farm Bureau Tour on July 31 that is a great event.  It connects you with the farm, the farmer, and you get to see where your food is actually coming from.  Kids of all ages will enjoy it.  To register and receive more details, you must contact Patricia at the Division of Agriculture:  Patricia O’Neil 907.761.3858 or
Alaska Farmland Trust Corporation will also have a booth here this week.  AFTC is a private, non-profit land trust dedicated to assisting landowners in preserving their working agricultural lands.  The Alaska Farmland Trust envisions a future with thriving local food markets that will give Alaskans access to fresh, healthy food and keep our farmers farming.  Because only 4% of Alaska’s farmland is accessible and viable for farming, and less than 10% of food consumed in Alaska is locally grown there is an immediate need to protect agricultural lands in production and educate the public about the agricultural opportunities available in Alaska.  Come visit their booth to learn more about the organization and find out how you can help keep our farmers farming.

The Eagle River Farmers’ Market will start this Saturday.  Right in front of Mike’s Meats from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm.  Glacier Valley Farm will be there along with a few other vendors.

At the South Anchorage Farmers’ Market we will have:

PRODUCE

VanderWeele Farms has a great variety of lettuce including Red Oak, Bibb, Lollo Rosso, green and red leaf, and Red and Green Romaine.  Radishes will also be there along with their famous potatoes.

Glacier Valley Farm will be there with those yummy English cucumbers.  These are also known as “burpless” cucumbers.  What I particularly love about them is that you don’t have to peel them!  Arthur will also have lettuces, cherry and vine tomatoes, and possibly some zucchini.  Here is a link to Glacier Valley Farm’s Facebook page.  http://tinyurl.com/29rgvfo

Vern Stockwell will be there with his selection of lettuce, baby bok choy, turnips, and some really interesting Asian greens.

This week Rempel Family Farm will have certified organic arugula, spinach, our ever-changing salad mix, cucumbers, zucchini and their blossoms, Snow Apple turnips, basil, cilantro, dill, summer savory, mint, three kinds of lettuce, beets, chard, mustard, kales, bok choi, napa cabbage, asian greens, parsley, and maybe....just maybe, carrots and green onions.

Northern Lights Mushrooms will be there with their beautiful oyster mushrooms. 

FFA (Future Farmers of America) will have spruce tips, rose hips, local duck eggs, and nettle tea.  Nettle tea is incredibly good for you and they have mixed it with peppermint so it tastes nice and refreshing.

BAKERY AND FOOD
Rise and Shine Bakery will have their FRUITED ALMOND hearth loaves this week.  Hearty little sourdough loaves packed with toasted almonds, golden raisins, dried apricots and cranberries. Slices of this loaf make great road food and hiking fare, as well as dessert, breakfast and snacks!  Dan & Alison will also be baking FRESH ROSEMARY hearth loaves for your sandwiches, dinner bread, and toast. The final hearth loaf will be TOASTED SEED, full of crunch and nutrition from sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, and a little polenta. 
The 100% whole grain pan loaves will be Rise & Shine’s signature LEVAIN (just 4 ingredients: organic whole wheat flour, water, sea salt, and sourdough) and SPENT GRAIN, with texture, flavor, moistness and keeping quality provided by the malted and cooked barley discarded by Midnight Sun Brewing Company’s brewing process. 
Mary Jane has those famous or should I say infamous, whole wheat cinnamon rolls that make people look forward to the market every week; tender whole wheat swirls with fragrant cinnamon.  A wide variety of breads including cheddar jalapeno, local fresh eggs and tender greens also available.

Matanuska Creamery will be there with their myriad of ice cream flavors.  They always have something new so stop by early.  And don’t forget those addictive cheese curds!  They will be bringing aged white and yellow cheddar.  All of their products are made from hormone free, grass fed cows.  They are all such happy cows! 

Arctic Choice has a great selection of fresh Alaskan seafood.  Fresh King Salmon 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.

NonEssentials will be there this week with a wide variety of Alaskan made products that will make your meal a great success!  Sauces for salmon, poultry and meat, great coffee, and all sorts of yummy treats.  Denise also has a store in Palmer which is always fun to stop in and visit.

Northfork Jams & Jellies will their Blueberry Rhubarb, Jalapeno Peach and other great flavor combinations.  She will also have heirloom tomato plants that are perfect for your deck. 

Three Bears Jam will have a great variety of homemade jams and jellies.  They have a great sample policy too.  It’s so nice to be able to taste something before you buy you it!

Fat Boyz Ribz will be there grilling up their delicious ribs and hot dogs.  Great cole slaw too!  Just follow your nose!

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 Bearsden Gardens will be bringing more beautiful in-bloom perennials this week, hanging herb baskets, and their fine selection of fresh herbs in 4” and 6” pots.  Come early for the best selection!

Gray Owl Farm has a nice selection of Alaska hardy perennials including Pixie Asiatic Lilies, Ligularia, Johnson’s Blue Geranium, ground creepers and Bronze Spirea.  Their produce is coming on with pickling cucumbers, European cucumbers, rhubarb and some eggs.  Each week they will be expanding their offerings. 

If you are planning a lawn or repairing an existing lawn, they also sell Alaskan Grown Nugget Bluegrass Seed in 2 lb. bags.  Stop by and pick up a card and talk with them about delivery and installation of sod for “instant grassification”.  They give free estimates at your location and also have sod available for pickup at our farm in Palmer.  “Can’t we all just get a lawn?”

The Blue Poppy is obviously known for their gorgeous Himalyan 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.

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.