Food and Drink

Find plenty of last-minute Valentine’s treats at Anchorage markets and shops

Wednesday is the annual celebration of sweets and flowers.

It might be a little early for Alaska blooms, but there are all sorts of sweet options. Whether it's a taste of France with a bunch of macarons, locally hand-crafted chocolate, cakes, cookies or even those sweet Alaska carrots, there are plenty of sweet treats.

Sweet Caribou: "We have created our delectable Valentine's Day gift boxes for the special person in your life," says owner James Strong. The selection of macarons includes pinot noir and chocolate, chocolate covered strawberry, Midnight Special, passionfruit, strawberry champagne, Valentine's birthday cake, chocolate cherry, chamboard and violet, lemon lavender, chocolate salted caramel, rose lychee and red velvet.

"We also will have delicious heart-shaped vanilla bean cookies with buttercream, as well as huge variety of cupcakes, which include red velvet, apple caramel, tiramisu, Oreo cheesecake and others," Strong says.

Sweet Caribou is at 701 W. 36th Ave.

Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop: "We have lots of great Valentine's Day-themed cookies and cakes for the masses," says co-owner Rachel Pennington. Some of the sweet highlights include chocolate strawberry, chocolate, and strawberry mango cupcakes; blackberry violet cake by the slice; almond raspberry polenta cake; chocolate shortbread cookies with cherry buttercream; and macarons.

Stop in to either of Fire Island's two locations: 1343 G St. and 2530 E. 16th Ave.
Modern Dwellers Chocolate Lounge: Drinking chocolate, chocolate bars, truffles and other chocolate goodies are fill the store in Midtown. One of the holiday highlights is the heart-shaped box filled with nine truffles ($29).

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The Chocolate Lounge is at 530 E. Benson Boulevard.

Summit Spice & Tea Company: The shop is filled with all sorts of flavor combinations, but on Wednesday they are hosting a special Tea and Chocolate Pairing class from 6-7 p.m. Call in advance to sign up for the $15 class. (375-1975)
Summit is at 3030 Denali St.

Earthworks Farm: Earthworks Farm will be at the Center Market at the Mall at Sears on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. And what's sweeter than Alaska honey? Additionally, Dee Barker will have her Abeille Alaska beeswax and honey body care products and soap.

"This Valentine's week, we have some special Valentine soaps and are offering for the first time a spa pack with honeycomb soap, body lotion, bath bomb and a honeyed salt scrub all made here on Earthworks Farm," Barker says.

Farm 779: "In lieu of fresh flowers from the farm, we will be offering our alternative bouquet of peony chaga kombucha and peony balm body care cream," owner Julie Meer says. "A thoughtful gift for Valentine's Day."
Farm 779 will be at the Thankful Thursday's market at the Mall at Sears. Food options include Spring Clean ferment, hot winter blend, krauts, fermented onions, fermented beets, beet kvass, triple-ferment kombucha tea and other treats.

Thankful Thursdays

Duane Clark will have sockeye salmon, black cod, spot shrimp and Pacific cod for a nice seafood selection along with salsa, jams, zucchini relish, local honey, birch syrup, grass-fed beef, pork and yak. He also has a selection of items from Alaska Sprouts.

Center Market

Alex Davis will be at all three markets with a lengthy list of items, which includes homemade cookies this week. Other items include pork cuts, vegetables and eggs. And those veggies include sweet Alaska carrots in four colors. He also has beets, four types of potatoes and live lettuce and cabbage are part of his offerings this week.

Pork cuts include loin roast, chops, fresh side sliced, ground pork, Italian sausage, spicy sausage, breakfast sausage, chorizo, fajita meat, ribs, roast, fat, bone, fat, feet and hocks. Dog treats made from his pigs are also available, along with apple butter, raspberry jam and apple butter.

Davis says these items or vendors will also be at the market: Alaska Sprouts with micro greens, sprouts, tofu and basil; Alaska Fisherman Seafood Direct with smoked black cod, shrimp, halibut and other seafood; Alaska Flour Co.'s barley products; Far North Fungi; Wild Child fermented salsa; Mosquito Mama balsamic vinegar; Windy River Farm grass-fed beef; Tonia's Biscotti; Evie's Brinery items, including krauts; Jonsers' hand-crafted nectars; Alaska Seeds of Change; and Doggy Decadence treats.

Rempel Family Farm will be at Saturday's market with orange and purple carrots, parsnips, daikon, jumbo pink banana squash, acorn squash, stripetti squash, turnips, kohlrabi, four types of beets, green and purple cabbage, purple onions and 11 varieties of potatoes. The Rempels also have Alaska-grown yak meat.

Steve Edwards lives and writes in Anchorage. Contact him at akmarketfresh@gmail.com.

Local farmers markets

Wednesday in Anchorage: Center Market, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., The Mall at Sears, Benson Boulevard and Denali Street

Thursday in Anchorage: Thankful Thursdays market, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., The Mall at Sears, Benson Boulevard and Denali Street

Friday in Anchorage: Center Market, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., The Mall at Sears, Benson Boulevard and Denali Street; Fourth Avenue Indoor Market, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., 333 W. Fourth Ave.

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Saturday in Anchorage: Center Market, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., The Mall at Sears, Benson Boulevard and Denali Street; Fourth Avenue Indoor Market, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., 333 W. Fourth Ave

Sunday in Anchorage: Fourth Avenue Indoor Market, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., 333 W. Fourth Ave.

Steve Edwards

Steve Edwards lives and writes in Anchorage. He writes the Market Fresh column weekly and can be reached akmarketfresh@gmail.com.

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