This week at the Anchorage Farmers Market at 15th Avenue and Cordova Street, Franco Magrini will be selling food products made with Alaska grown produce. This week he intends to have arugula pesto, Alaska herb ravioli and Alaska barbecue sauce.
"Everything is made with first class ingredients to enhance the flavors of the Alaska produce," Magrini says. "My goal is to offer a variety of goods using Alaska-grown produce as the main ingredients of my products."
Even if Magrini's name isn't known to many local foodies, his recipes certainly are. He has recently been the chef responsible for two new local restaurants -- Turkey Red in Palmer and Grape Leaf in Anchorage.
Other vendors at the Anchorage Farmers Market include the Persistent Farmer with Matanuska Creamery products, cucumbers, mixed greens, pickles and cut dahlia blooms; Arctic Organics with green cabbage, savoy cabbage, rainbow chard and escarole all new this week along with holdovers like radishes, spinach, mixed greens, watercress, mizuna, broccoli and pac choi; and Stockwell Farm with collard greens, kale, beets, rhubarb, strawberries, lettuce, zucchini and other items, including Alaska elk from Delta Junction and Alaska pork from Kenney Lake. Stockwell Farm will also be at today's South Anchorage Farmers Market and Saturday's South Anchorage Farmers Market.
Sarah Bean of Arctic Organics says the recent weather has been great for crops.
"The weather is perfect for making both the crops and the weeds thrive -- rainy days interspersed with sunny days. The temperature hit the high 70s again this weekend, and overnight temperatures have been warm too," she says.
At the Center Market, Alex Davis will have loads of vegetables, including broccoli, zucchini, cabbage, cucumbers, red and green romaine lettuce, salad mix, beet greens with baby beets and mustard greens. He also will have plenty of pork products, goat cheese and fresh eggs.
At Saturday's South Anchorage Farmers Market, expect plenty of vegetables, seafood, food to eat on the go and other items.
Arthur Keyes' Glacier Valley Farm will have zucchini, English cucumbers and strawberries. Getting all those items to market isn't for the faint of heart.
"In the field, the zucchini are really producing well and looking good; it looks like this is the nicest crop of zucchini I have ever grown," he says. "The strawberries are doing good, but this rain is presenting some serious quality problems. ... Let's cross our fingers and pray for a big dose of sunny weather.
"Since I started the process of learning how to grow strawberries three years ago, I now cringe when it rains regardless of duration or quantity. Rain is doom for berries! So when it rains we have to stop what we are doing and start picking all of the ripe berries. It might take all day, but it must be done if we are to have a crop of berries."
Other vendors include VanderWeele Farms with a large variety of lettuces and other vegetables; Rempel Family Farm with carrots, zucchini, herbs, turnips, potatoes and salad mix; Rise & Shine Bakery with flax seed, spent grain, Alaska potato, kalamata olive and fruited almond breads; Matanuska Creamery with seven flavors of cheese curds and other dairy options; and Denali Kettle Corn with a variety of popcorn flavors. Other items at the market include eggs, honey, jams, flowers, plants, French Oven Bakery breads and baked goods, sourdough starter, homemade English muffins and homemade dog biscuits.
A taste of the Far East
Elizabeth Andoh will be visiting the Cooking School at Tutka Bay in early August to offer special classes.
Andoh is a U.S. chef and cookbook author who has lived in Japan for more than four decades. She will conduct a series of classes based on her latest two books: "Washoku: Recipes From the Japanese Home Kitchen" and "Kansha: Celebrating Japan's Vegan and Vegetarian Traditions."
Classes are Aug. 2-4 at the Tutka Bay Lodge, across Kachemak Bay from Homer. The classes are held in the Widgeon II, a World War II troop carrier turned crabbing boat turned cooking school.
Both properties are owned by Within the Wild Adventure Co., which is operated by the Dixon family, including chefs Kirsten and Mandy Dixon.
The class menus will combine key Japanese pantry items with local products, to create dishes such as miso-marinated broiled rockfish, cold poached salmon in bamboo leaves, kelp and mushroom relish and red and white pickled radishes.
Each day's session will begin with a mini-tasting study and conclude with a luncheon. Each class runs from 10:30 a.m. through 3 p.m., including water taxi transfer from Homer. Individual class sessions can be booked for $225 per person.
For more information, call 1-907-274-2710 or visit www. withinthwild.com.
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.
Local markets
Today: Center Market, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mall at Sears, Benson Boulevard and Denali Street; Wasilla Farmers Market, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., behind the Wasilla Library
Friday: Palmer Friday Fling, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Pavilion across from Visitor's Center
Saturday: Anchorage Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 15th and Cordova in the Central Lutheran Church parking lot; Anchorage Market and Festival, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Third Avenue between C and E streets; Center Market, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mall at Sears, Benson Boulevard and Denali Street; South Anchorage Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Subway/Cellular One Sports Center at the corner of Old Seward Highway and O'Malley Road; Spenard Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Spenard Road and 26th Avenue
Sunday: Anchorage Market and Festival, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Third Avenue between C and E streets
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