It's spring; sign up for Valley produce delivery

How do we know? Daytime temperatures are climbing into the 40s, with 50s predicted later this week. There are long lines at car washes, and potholes are popping up faster than dandelions in June.

Another sure-fire sign that spring is upon us: River and Sarah Bean at Arctic Organics are quickly filling up the 150 spots in their annual Community Supported Agriculture program.

The Beans' are preparing for their 20th year of providing weekly produce deliveries to Anchorage and Eagle River. While previous subscribers have first dibs on this year's subscription list, Sarah Bean says there are usually about 50 openings annually. New customers can sign up starting Thursday.

What is a CSA subscription?

"Community Supported Agriculture -- in its original form -- is one farm making an agreement with members of community. The community members basically promise the farm that they will eat their food; the farm promises to provide it," Sarah Bean says. "You're saying, 'I'll buy my lettuce from you instead of from Safeway.'

"The interesting thing about it is that it's akin to a magazine subscription. You subscribe to a magazine because you think the content will be of interest to you. You don't tell them what to write. With the farm, you're basically saying you trust us to grow a good variety of interesting food, and we do that. We never customize. Nobody gets anything special."

CSA subscribers get what the Beans' fields produce.

Early in the year, that will include what Sarah calls the "Asian cool-weather crops" like pak choy and mizuna, good for making salads. A couple weeks later there will be an infusion of salad greens, which will progress into small turnips, broccoli and lettuces. As the season progresses, expect beets, cauliflower and eventually on to potatoes, carrots and cabbages.

Sprinkled throughout are a "uncommon things," Sarah says, like arugula and kohlrabi. Usually, the subscription includes other basics like radishes, cabbage, Swiss chard, onions, celery, spinach, zucchini and even a share of the apple harvest at the end of the year.

The season begins in mid-June and ends the fourth week of September. Cost is $575. A subscription can generally help feed a family of two to four people easily. Many people split a subscription between two families.

Vegetables are delivered on two days -- Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Tuesday deliveries include South Anchorage, from 5 to 6 p.m.; Eagle River, after 5 p.m.; and pick-up at the Arctic Organics farm in the Valley after 4 p.m. The Wednesday delivery is in downtown Anchorage from 4 to 6 p.m.

While the Beans' farm is not certified organic, Arctic Organics uses no toxic chemicals on its produce. Sarah says the farm is following the same procedures it was while certified organic by the Alaska Organic Association.

In addition to the subscriptions, Arctic Organics will have its produce at the Anchorage Farmers Market, at 15th Avenue and Cordova Street in Anchorage, starting May 2. The market is open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Want a little more proof that spring is here? Visit the Arctic Organics farm in the Valley and this is what you'll see: "We are seeding like crazy. We've got one greenhouse up and running. It's in full swing and stuffed to the gills," Sarah says.

On ice

Dannon Southall at 10th & M Seafoods says it's an "exciting week for fresh fish, and we are ready to rock and sole." The pun was intended.

Southall says he expects to have the first side-stripe shrimp on Friday, as long as the seafood can be delivered from Whittier after the roadway was closed because of the rock slide. Fresh Southeast troll king salmon should also be available this week. Other fresh fish include halibut, cod, rockfish and sole fillets.

At New Sagaya markets, John Jackson says the stores will be featuring fresh cod fillets for $5.49 per pound. Whole, headed-and-gutted halibut in the 10- to 20-pound range are $6.99 per pound. Fresh Alaska rockfish fillets should be available this weekend.

"We are seeing a softening in halibut pricing and a decrease in troll king salmon prices; this will carry over into better pricing for our retail customers," Jackson says.

If you have information or suggestions for a future MarketFresh column, please contact Steve Edwards at sedwards@adn.com or 257-4316.