Local options for Thanksgiving trimmings

And the bird is probably already purchased, thawed and perhaps seasoned.

So we won't talk turkey, we'll talk trimmings. And there are plenty of those.

Start at today's indoors farmers market at the Mall at Sears.

"As every family gets ready for the holidays, thoughts of menu preparations start to come together," says Duane Clark of Country Health Foods. "The Center Market has many items to complete the discerning shopper's demand for the best local fare."

Clark will have cuts of Alaska raised grass-fed beef, local free-range chicken, frozen Alaska seafood and local honey.

A.D. Farm will be represented with pork, eggs, jams and a variety of produce including cabbage, four varieties of carrots, three varieties of beets, potatoes and parsnips.

The Rempel Family Farm will have organic sugar pumpkins, stripetti squash, acorn squash, jumbo pink banana squash, daikon radish, carrots, parsnips, cabbage, three varieties of beets and eight varieties of potatoes. "The squashes are delicious when cut in wedges, stirred with olive oil and chopped garlic, and then roasted in the oven or grilled," Mark Rempel says. "Often you can eat skin and all."

Other vendors include Matanuska Creamery with cheese, ice cream and fresh egg nog; Northern Lights Mushrooms; and Capriccio Specialties with spices and dried fruits.

The market is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today at the Mall at Sears.

After the market, swing by to pick up some bread or dessert -- either today or Thursday before the meal.

Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop on 14th Avenue and G Street will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday. "We are open on Thanksgiving so people can have the freshest bread and rolls possible for their holiday meals," says owner Janis Fleischman. "Fire Island will be closed for the rest of the week for our bakers to be with their families; besides, who needs a bakery after eating to exhaustion on Thanksgiving?"

One of the special items for the season is a Bavarian pumpkin layer cake, which Fleischman describes this way: "Two rich pumpkin cake layers, a fluffy pumpkin cream cheese layer and a topping of rum cream cheese mousse. The final cake shows off the layers and is topped by 10 pumpkin rum balls. As our bakers say: 'Let's get ready to rum ball!' "

Among the regular items offered today and Thursday are three varieties of rolls (artisan white, onion poppy seed and prairie); a variety of breads (Fire Island rustic wheat, cinnamon raisin, plum and flax, and baguettes); and a variety of tarts, cakes and cookies.

From the sea

This being Alaska, turkey only counts so much. Alaskans crave seafood, and while the end of November isn't the hottest fishing time, there are plenty of options.

Dannon Southall of 10th & M Seafoods says: "Everyone is thinking turkey right now, but there are a few seafood items that go along with Alaskan turkey day celebrations."

He is highlighting frozen jumbo Alaskan red king crab at $31.95 per pound. A less expensive option is Alaskan golden king crab legs for $21.95 per pound.

"Either one of these amazing Alaskan king crab legs is a great precursor to the turkey dinner," Southall says. "Another seafood item that goes hand and hand with thanksgiving is oyster stuffing."

10th & M has two sizes of oysters in the jar. The 10-ounce jars offer shucked oysters; the medium-size oysters are $4.95 per jar while the small oysters are $6.95 per jar. Fresh lutefish is also available at $16.95 for a 1.75-pound package.

At New Sagaya Markets, John Jackson says "Black Friday" arrived a week early. "In the seafood world that started last Friday with the ending of the fresh halibut season for 2011," he says. "Fresh is done and the weather killed any large landings that could have happened, so halibut will be frozen or refreshed from this point on until next year March. Cod is quiet right now.

"Troll king salmon out of Southeast are still trickling in, depending on how good the seas are."

But it's not all bad news.

Jackson says they will have Alaskan jumbo golden king crab clusters for $19.99 per pound. "The crab is nice and big, full of meat and real sweet; for the price the value is certainly there as red king crab is extremely spendy this year," he says.

Live Alaskan Dungeness crab is $7.99 per pound, while live Atlantic lobster is $10.99 per pound. Other options include large white shrimp, Alaska oysters, Manila clams, Pacific oysters and fresh tuna.

New Sagaya will be open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday.

Thinking about Christmas

In addition to his Center Market efforts, Clark is also preparing for Christmas shoppers, selling Washington-grown trees in downtown Palmer. His shipment of trees arrived Monday and includes grand fir, noble fir, Fraser fir and Douglas fir. He has trees from 3 to 14 feet, along with wreaths and garland.

"These are fresh-cut trees that are kept from freezing on the barge and then in our heated warehouse," Clark says. "This is my eighth year of supplying Alaskans with the best from the Northwest, as Christmas trees are such an abundant resource from our neighbors to the south. Alaskan conditions are quite harsh for raising the type of tree that we are used to enjoying.

Clark can be reached at 1-907-355-8432 to reserve a tree.

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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.