Food & Drink

Market Fresh: Autumn winds down, but veggies and flowers remain at the markets

As autumn sets in, the farmers are still busy with the harvest and planning for next year.

"Harvest is coming to a close," said Rob Wells, The Persistent Farmer. "If it doesn't get below 20 degrees I should be able to hold the freeze off in the greenhouses.

"I have dug the outside tubers and now it's time for them to take their nap and rest up for the 2015 growing season."

Get some of Wells' beautiful dahlia blooms at the Anchorage Farmers Market and the Wednesday Center Market at The Mall at Sears. But act quickly; Wells is planning to have blooms for only two more weeks.

Things are busy at A.D. Farm too.

"The potatoes are finally out of the ground. … We also got the golden beets out and into the root cellar as well," said Alex Davis. "We'll keep chipping away on the storage crops before we have to chip them out of the ground."

Here are some of the market highlights.

ADVERTISEMENT

Anchorage Farmers Market

Joining Wells at the market on 15th Avenue is Arctic Organics. Sarah Bean said they will have new leeks this week. Also look for storage cabbages, loads of potatoes, Brussels sprouts, rutabagas, celery, fennel, onions, carrots, beets, red bell peppers, kohlrabi, turnips, four varieties of kale, mustard greens, hon tsai tai, tat soi, escarole, herbs, fresh cut flowers and apples.

Center Market

Duane Clark of Country Health Foods will have Wells' dahlia blooms. And he will have plenty of other items at his booth too, including apples, local honey, tomatoes, herbs, Alaska sprouts, smoked black cod and smoked sockeye salmon.

"Northern Lights Mushrooms returned last week and will be with us on Wednesdays going ahead," Clark said.

Davis has potatoes and golden beets in storage and you can pick from other fresh-from-the ground crops, including cabbage, carrots, kohlrabi and red beets, at both markets this week.

He also has fresh mussels from Kachemak Bay, Alaska barley products and several pork options.

Farm 779 will be turning Alaska carrots into something special this week.

"Farm 779 will have all things carrot orange on Wednesday," said Julie Meer. "Stop by and see what amazing things have been done with local, sustainable sweet roots from A.D. Farm."

They will also have krauts, kefir sodas and double thick coconut kefir.

Alaska Vegan & Gluten Free will have its regular food items, including vegetable lentil soup, carrot ginger soup and roasted beets and sweet potato soup -- all perfect for these autumn days.

Also on Wednesday, La Grassa will have a wide variety of handcrafted pastas, including roasted golden beet and goat cheese ravioli, featuring beets from A.D. Farm; vegan fresh herb strozzapreti; and kale and ricotta gnocchetti.

Top Shelf Artisan Market

Look for a variety of items from A.D. Farm, Country Health Foods, Farm 779 and La Grassa at the Palmer market.

"A.D. Farm will have a wonderful assortment of freshly dug root veggies and last of the summer greens," said Julie Meer of Farm 779 and the market organizer. The market will include "hand mixed, rolled and cut pasta from La Grassa. You can only see the show in Palmer as they cut your pasta to order," Meer said.

South Anchorage Farmers Market

The Rempel Family Farm will be at the South Anchorage market with their usual huge selection of vegetables.

Among the options they have are: seven varieties of potatoes, several types of kale, four varieties of beets, Brussels sprouts, winter squashes, rutabagas, parsnips, carrots, cauliflower, bok choi, daikon, mizuna, Napa cabbage, salad mix, radishes, green onions, cabbage, snow apple turnips and arugula.

But it's not just veggies.

"We will also have our own grass and organic veggie fed yak meat available," said Mark Rempel.

New at the market on Saturday is All Wood Brand, which features kiln dried wood pellets for the stove or grill.

ADVERTISEMENT

"There will be a fire pit to warm up at and roast a marshmallow or two," said market organizer Arthur Keyes.

Other vendors include: Glacier Valley Farm, VanderWeele Farm, Joan's Salmon Burgers, Earthworks Farm, Arctic Choice Seafood, Seldovitch Family Farm, the Hungry Squirrel, Three Bears Farm, Stockwell Family Farm, Sweet and Sassy Kettle Korn, Alaska Sprouts, Zoi Food 4 Life, Joan's Jams and Jellies, Drool Central, Nonessentials and Two Sisters Greenhouse. (And look for Earthworks Farm with their Abeille Alaska natural beeswax and honey body care products at Saturday's Make it Alaskan festival at the Sullivan Arena.)

Wednesday is the final market of the year at the Dimond Center. Stockwell Family Farm and Glacier Valley Farm will be at Wednesday's market.

Local farmers’ markets

Monday: Mat-Su Farm Market, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Palmer Depot

Wednesday: APU Farmers Market, 1:30-6:30 p.m., 4101 University Drive; Center Market, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Mall at Sears, Benson Boulevard and Denali Street; South Anchorage Wednesday Market, Dimond Center, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Friday: Top Shelf Artisan Market, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., 550 S. Alaska Street, Palmer

Saturday: Anchorage Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at 15th and Cordova in the Central Lutheran Church parking lot; Center Market, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Mall at Sears, Benson Boulevard and Denali Street; South Anchorage Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Subway/Cellular One Sports Center at the corner of Old Seward Highway and O'Malley Road

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

Steve Edwards

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

ADVERTISEMENT