Bring pets to this week's Spenard market

Alaskans love the market and their pets. This Saturday, the Spenard Farmers Market is celebrating both with "Pets Day."

While shoppers should have the usual selections, it's Fido or Fifi who'll get the special treatment, including:

• Free samples of Yummy Chummies dog treats manufactured locally from Alaska salmon by Arctic Paws (yummychummies.com).

• A drawing for a gift basket of Arctic Paws products.

• Dog and cat adoption available from Anchorage Animal Care and Control Center; Adopt a Dog AK, which saves dogs from the euthanasia list; and Clear Creek Cat Rescue, which rescues cats in Anchorage and the Valley.

• Honey bees and an observational hive from Lane's Honey.

• A visit by the Anchorage Bird Treatment and Learning Center.

• Coupons from Paw Prince at the information booth.

Products available at the market this week include oysters from Kachemak Bay, mussels, halibut and black cod (Northern Lights Oyster Co.); lettuce, radishes, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, potatoes, beets, greens mix, spinach and many other varieties of produce from several vendors; perennial flowers, sourdough starter mix and hot pepper jelly (P&M Garden Services); honey, birched honey, pollen, jellies and fruit syrup (Lane's Honey); Alpaca Gold natural fertilizer and blankets (Rabbit Ridge Designs); and garden art, jewelry, clothing, food and several other items.

Sarah Bean from Arctic Organics and the Anchorage Farmers Market says the change in weather is making people and vegetables smile.

"The crops have been loving this new weather we've been having," she says. "We're trying not to get worked up about how low the nighttime temperatures have been sinking, just into the 40s. This is the peak of the summer harvest season; fall crops are yet to come."

Arctic Organics will have several new items at the market this week, including Chioggia beets, savoy cabbage and celery. Other items include cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, radishes, greens, chard, spinach, herbs and multiple other items.

Other vendors at the market include Johnny Moose Farm, Matanuska Creamery, Bushes Bunches, Turkey Red Cafe, Sedovitsch Farm, Stockwell Farm, Shane Herr with fresh shelled peas, 3 Bears Farm, VanderWeele Farm and Alaska Seafoods.

For those who can't wait until the weekend markets, check out these options at today's markets:

Northway Mall Market: Dinkel's Veggies will be at the market with corn, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, onions, strawberries, pickling cucumbers and many other items. They will also be at today's Wasilla market, and the Friday Fling in Palmer. The Rempel Family Farms will have spaghetti squash, red kuri squash, parsnips, daikon, four varieties of beets, sugar snap peas, green beans and other items.

University Center Market: Duane Clark will be at the Midtown midweek market with Alaska-raised, grass-fed beef, shelled peas and Gulf of Alaska seafood. Joining Clark will be Alex Davis from A.D. Farm with loads of produce, including Brussels sprouts, cabbage, plenty of lettuces, a variety of beets and potatoes, fava beans, green beans, carrots, zucchini and onions. He also will have pork products, including sausage, pork chops, fatback and loin roast.

If you want to enjoy the sunshine and pick your own produce, Pyrah's Pioneer Peak Farm has lots of new vegetables: beets, snow peas, sugar snap peas, green onions, red potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes and head lettuce.

At Mile 5.2 Greenhouse, the "berry plants are in their second year and they're drooping with ripe berries," reports Dale Walberg. Among the berry plants available are red boyne raspberries, fall gold raspberries, honeyone strawberries, north sky blueberries, lingonberries and black currants. Walberg says autumn is probably the best time to plant.

Local corn is not always available, but with Dinkel's Veggies bringing some to the market it seemed appropriate to offer a recipe this week that takes advantage of this unique opportunity, along with something that is abundant in Alaska -- salmon.

Grilled salmon with roasted corn relish

4 Anaheim chiles

Cooking spray

2 ears shucked corn

1 cup diced tomato

1/4 cup chopped, fresh cilantro

6 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

1 teaspoon ground cumin

4 skinless salmon fillets (6 ounces each)

• Prepare grill.

• Place chiles on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until blackened. Place chiles in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag, seal. Let stand 5 minutes. Peel chiles; cut in half lengthwise. Discard seeds and membranes. Cut chiles into 1/4-inch strips.

• Place corn on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 10 minutes or until lightly browned, turning occasionally. Cool slightly. Cut kernels from cob.

• Combine chiles, corn, tomato, cilantro and juice; toss gently. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

• Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and cumin, stirring well. Rub spice mixture evenly over both sides of salmon. Place salmon on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes. Serve with relish.

Serves 4.

Source: "Cooking Through the Seasons" by Cooking Light (Oxmoor House, $29.95)

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Steve Edwards lives and writes in Anchorage. If you have a suggestion for a future Market Fresh column, please contact him at sedwards@adn.com.