Arthur Keyes of Glacier Valley Farm, who sells plenty of vegetables at the South Anchorage Farmers Markets, will also be selling produce from his farm Saturdays. The South Palmer market is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Glacier Valley Farm, at the corner of the Glenn Highway and Inner Springer Loop Road.
The history lesson comes from the barn, which is one of the original Colonist barns built in 1935 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" project. Keyes calls the barn "authentic and very cool."
Keyes purchased the barn in April 2010 and moved it to his property. He started restoration of the barn last month and intends to eventually host the market inside the barn. While restoration continues, the market will be in front of the barn. The barn was previously on the Alaska State Fairgrounds property, Keyes said, after being moved from its original location.
At this week's "barn market," Keyes expects to have strawberries, lettuce, broccoli, onions, tomatoes, zucchini, kohlrabi, bok choi, cucumbers, cabbage, local cheese and other items.
Glacier Valley Farms will also be at Saturday's South Anchorage Farmers Market along with several other vendors.
Among those vendors are: VanderWeele Farms (lots of vegetables, especially lettuce varieties); Rempel Family Farm (broccoli, kohlrabi, beets, carrots, greens, lettuce, herbs and sugar snap peas); Vern Stockwell (greens, lettuce, zucchini, local pork products and local elk); Country Garden Farm (Kentucky bluegrass sod); Earthworks Farm (cut flowers, greens and lettuce); Arctic Choice (Cook Inlet salmon, side-stripe shrimp, halibut fillets, cod, rockfish, sablefish and oysters); and Matanuska Creamery (garlic dill cheese and curds, several other cheese varieties, 13 varieties of ice cream and other items).
Other items at the market include freshly prepared foods, local honey, Romanesco cauliflower (see recipe), whole wheat cinnamon rolls, pastries, breads, Alaska-roasted coffee and kettle corn.
Pets get special attention at Saturday's Spenard Farmers Market on Spenard Road. At least two agencies -- the Animal Care and Control Center and Adopt A Dog AK -- will be at the market with dogs available for adoption. Free Yummy Chummies pet treat samples will be available along with an opportunity to win a basket of the treats at the market's Information Booth.
Vendors will have a wide variety of products, including Romanesco cauliflower, beets, broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, cucumbers and herbs from Grass Roots; cauliflower, shelling peas, zucchini, carrots and turnips from Spring Creek Farm; peppers, local honey and unique mustards, including rosemary black currant brown mustard from Wild Rose Farm; rainbow chard, salad mixes and other vegetables from Midnight Sun Farm; and cheeses from Matanuska Creamery.
The Center Market at the Mall at Sears (both today and Saturday) will have plenty of produce from Alex Davis, including beets, zucchini, lettuce, sugar snap peas, salad mix, mustard greens, cabbage, cucumbers and strawberries.
Davis also has a wide variety of pork products and reports that the farm continues to produce: "We have had four litters of piglets in the past two weeks, and boy are they cute. ... It's fun seeing how fast they grow. There is a ton of difference from 3 days old to 12 days old." Davis also encourages customers to bring used egg cartons to the market to be reused.
Duane Clark will have shelled peas at the market, along with peas in the pod, Alaska-raised beef and frozen Alaska seafood.
Sarah Bean says customers are appreciating "how lush and large all the produce is. It is indeed the peak of the season for quality and vitality in the mid-summer crops."
New mid-summer crops available by Arctic Organics at the Anchorage Farmers Market include new potatoes, broccoli raab, tat soi, radicchio, cilantro and chervil. Add that to continuing items like cauliflower, green cabbage, savoy cabbage, rainbow chard, turnips, broccoli, zucchini, beet greens, lettuce, arugula, watercress and herbs.
Other market vendors include Seldovitsch Family Farm, Persistent Farmer, Matanuska Creamery, Bushes Bunches, Hett Farm, 3 Bears Farm, Alaska Community Action on Toxics, Tuscalaska, Turkey Red Cafe and VanderWeele Farms.
Also at the market this week and Aug. 13 will be chef Clayton Jones of Haute Quarter Grill. He is part of the Division of Agriculture's Chef at the Market program and will be offering cooking demonstrations and handing out free samples at the market.
"The mission of the program is to expose Alaskans to new ways of using our local edible bounty," Jones says. "By focusing on foods available at the market, my hope is to showcase the farmers and the work they do for our community."
From the sea
While the rain pours down, Dannon Southall of 10th & M Seafoods says the sun still shines on seafood lovers -- at least it seems that way.
"The sockeye run into the Kenai this year is one everyone will be talking about for the next several years," he says. "With the success that the dipnetters had, I know everyone has sockeye in their freezer. Now is the time to take advantage of fresh silver salmon."
10th & M has fresh silvers for $4.95 per pound for headed and gutted fish and $7.95 for fillets. They also have sockeye and king in the store, although the kings are starting to thin out. They will also have fresh side-stripe shrimp ($10.95 per pound) Thursday, along with fresh halibut and fresh shellfish, including Southeast Alaska oysters ($12.95 per dozen) Friday.
Stocking your shelves
The University of Alaska Fairbanks Anchorage Cooperative Extension Service is offering classes featuring ways to savor and save the goodness of Alaska's natural bounty.
The first class is Aug. 18 and focuses on canning fish and meat. The Sept. 1 class is on jams and jellies. Classes continue through Nov. 17.
Classes are 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the Sons of Norway Viking Hall, 8141 Briarwood St., in Anchorage. Cost is $25 per class. Preregistration is required.
For more information, call 786-6300 and ask for Leslie Shallcross or Marci Johnson
Roasted lemon garlic Romanesco
1 head Romanesco cauliflower, carefully broken into florets
2 squeezes of fresh lemon
1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Toss hand-torn Romanesco with olive oil to coat evenly. Spread florets on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, pepper and minced garlic. Gently squeeze lemon on florets.
Roast for approximately 45 minutes, rotating every 15 minutes to avoid burning the top.
Source: Katheryn Powers, Spenard Farmers Market
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.
TODAY: Center Market, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mall at Sears, Benson Boulevard and Denali Street; Northway Mall Wednesday Market, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Northway Mall parking lot; South Anchorage Farmers Market, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., behind the Dimond Center; 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; Willow Farmers Market, 2-7 p.m., Mile 69 Parks Highway
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; Eagle River Farmers Market, in front of Mike's Meats, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; 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; South Palmer Market, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Glacier Valley Farm, Glenn Highway and Inner Springer Loop Road; Wasilla City Market, 300 N. Willow St., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
SUNDAY: Anchorage Market and Festival, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Third Avenue between C and E streets; Wasilla City Market, 300 N. Willow St., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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