He also has five other pigs that are slated to butcher some time this spring or early summer, after they reach 300 pounds -- which dress out at about 200 pounds. "First money down on the animal will secure your ability to get the animal," Davis says. "There will be additional litters for summer and fall butcher but they haven't hit the ground yet." Since the price of the feed is likely to go up after February, buying now may be a good idea.
You can talk turkey -- or rather talk pork -- with Davis at the Northway Mall farmer's market today between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. He and the Rempel Family Farm folk will have several varies of organic carrots, potatoes, beets, parsnip, sweet daikon radishes, cabbage and kohlrabi, plus jam, honey and eggs.
Also at the Northway Mall, in addition to their all-Alaskan cheeses, the Matanuska Creamery has curds still being made at this writing. That mean's they'll be really fresh -- as in less than 24 hours from being milk. They also have a new flavor of ice cream, Jingle Rox Peppermint, a peppermint ice cream with small bits of candy cane, along with a limited supply of eggnog. This is a new batch that should last through the holidays.
Switching from pigs to prawns, FishEx is offering Alaska's largest shrimp, the succulent spot shrimp, ranging from $15.95 to $27.95 a pound depending on size. Try this sometime: Get a pound of these babies and a pound of the cheaper farm-raised shrimp, prepare them side by side and serve. The difference is remarkable.
They continue to offer seafood gift boxes of king crab, plus wild salmon, halibut and -- following up on last week's Devils on Horseback recipe -- Alaska scallops. The "Time Bandit" gift boxes, with crab actually caught by the captain and crew featured on "The Deadliest Catch," are said to be particularly popular. Check out their Web site at www.fishex.com.
It's the busy time of year for the fish-shippers. FishEx's Web site says they plan to ship through Dec. 22; after that, they recommend waiting until Dec. 27 -- after Christmas, but before New Year's. Tenth and M Seafoods is advertising that they can ship as late as Dec. 23.
I'm sure I'm not the only one eating too well at this time of year and regretting it. Holiday health food seems to be sort of an oxymoron. Cookies, punch, greasy meats, otherwise healthy vegetables steeped in brown sugar and crowned by marshmallows, dough in all of its most attractive forms. Don't even get me started on latkes.
Luckily, Alaska has a terrific alternative for those wanting to take a break from the seasonal surfeit: Cod -- the most honest meat in the sea.
Some complain that frying or broiling fish is too much work for their busy schedules and that the fish smell is too much for their kitchen.
Here's a method that's easy and keeps the odor where you want it, adapted from Stephanie O'Dea's crock pot bible, "Make it Fast, Cook it Slow."
Crock pot cod
1-4 pounds of Alaska cod, boned and cut into filets
Seasoning salt
Rinse the fish and set on sheets of aluminum foil. Sprinkle with the seasoning salt. You can add other spices if you like -- garlic, paprika, curry, dill, Jamaican jerk rub -- but plain is best in my opinion. Wrap the fish with the foil and seal the seams tightly.
Set the foil packets in the dry crock pot. You can layer as many packets as the pot will hold. Cook on low for 2 hours. The foil keeps in the smell until the fish is fully cooked. If your nose is still troubled, open the foil outside. Serve with your guest's choice of soy, tartar or other condiments.
This simple technique works fine with other fish, including salmon or halibut. For especially soft fish, like tilapia, use less cooking time.
Steve Edwards returns next week. If you have a suggestion for a future Market Fresh column, please contact him at sedwards@adn.com.
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