Whether it's sweets, shrimp, salmon or sprouts, the Center Market is the go-to place for Alaska food items this week.
"I continue to supply fantastic spot shrimp and coon-stripe shrimp from Prince William Sound via Valdez," says Duane Clark of Country Health Foods. Clark also has local raw honey, yak and beef cuts, beef soup bones and items from Alaska Sprouts.
"Stop by the Center Market for smoked or raw black cod. Black cod, also known as sablefish, is a delicious buttery fish, harvested from the Gulf of Alaska," says Lynn Clarke of Alaska Black Cod. "You can grill, bake or broil our teriyaki marinated portions. We will also have smoked Copper River salmon too."
Earthworks Farm will be back at the Wednesday market with beeswax and honey skin care products. "We offer lip balms in birch-wood boxes as unique gifts for Valentine's Day," says owner Dee Barker. "Another unique offering is our line of 'eau de Parfums,' natural perfumes made with essentials oils."
Alaska Vegan & Gluten Free will have a full menu on Wednesday, including the popular Moroccan tagine (butternut squash, onion, red pepper, zucchini, garlic, tomato, chickpea, apricot and spices), glazed lentil walnut apple meatless loaf (lentils, apple, carrot, celery, onion, garlic, raisins, walnuts, flax seed and spices), red lentil dahl (red lentils, onion, garlic, red jalapeno, tomato, vegetable stock and spices), carrot ginger soup, red beans and wild brown rice, pico de gallo, hemp seed lemon garlic salad dressing and other items.
Alex Davis of A.D. Farm will have beets, potatoes and carrots at both Wednesday and Saturday markets, along with his pork lineup, including chops, fresh side pork and sausage. He also has fresh eggs, Alaska Flour Co. barley products.
And for football fans who are thinking ahead to the Super Bowl, he offers this idea: "Do you want a Super Bowl feast your buddies will never forget? Or would you like to have a Viking feast where you can chew on a haunch of pork?" He has suckling pigs available for order at adfarm_organic@yahoo.com.
Rempel Family Farm will have a variety of items on Saturday, including carrots, beets, cabbage, daikon radishes, snow apple turnips, kohlrabi, sugar pumpkins, three varieties of winter squash, parsnips and 12 kinds of potatoes. They also will have yak meat at the market. A.D. Farm will have some of Rempel's vegetables at Wednesday's market too.
On Wednesday, Farm 779 will have a new cranberry ginger kefir water soda along with root beer, its "awesome sauce," aged golden and red beet kvass, coconut bacon, mineral and vitamin rich cashew kefir, coconut kefirs and karnivore kraut made with veggies from A.D. Farm.
La Grassa will be at Wednesday's market with several pasta options, including Alaskan potato gnocchi and organic kohlrabi, broccoli and cheddar ravioli.
Drool Central will be at Wednesday's market and at the Alaska Kennel Club All Breeds Dog Show on Saturday and Sunday at the Egan Center. Daisy Nicolas will have a variety of dog treats and meals.
Looking for sweets? Both Monica's Confection Connection and Sweet Caribou have plenty to offer this week. Monica Droz will have a variety of sweet brittles.
After recovering from the weekend Anchorage Wedding Fair, Sweet Caribou is prepping for Wednesday's market. "We are obsessed with the elegant pistachio macaron. The chocolate and vanilla-bean macaron debuts this week," James Strong says.
The pistachio macaron features pistachio shell, local wildflower honey and Belgian dark-chocolate ganache with a touch of fleur de sel, while the chocolate and vanilla-bean has a chocolate shell filled with a white-chocolate and Madagascar vanilla-bean ganache. Other macarons include blood orange and maple-bacon. Sweet Caribou also will have cupcakes and brownies.
Strong recommends visiting early or preordering via Facebook or at sweetcaribouak@gmail.com.
Top Shelf Artisan Market
The Friday market in the Valley area will have a special this week, according to Julie Meer, market organizer and owner of Farm 779.
"The word for this week is bone broth," Meer says. "Turkey Red Cafe and Bakery has pulled out the simmering pot and created a hearty rich bone broth just for the market. Enjoy it by the cup and savor the flavor of old-world goodness. If you'd like to make your own broth we have coupons for the cookbook at FireSide Books Alaska, and Country Health Foods has your soup bones."
Other vendors include Lazy Mountain Farm with vegetables, handmade teas and nectars from Jonesers and Farm 779 with cashew and coconut kefirs, golden and red beet aged kvass, kefir sodas and other items.
Decadent smoked salmon cashew kefir dip
This recipe features many items available at the Center Market in Anchorage
1 pint of Farm 779 Creamy Cashew Kefir
1 smoked salmon fillet (Alaska Black Cod)
1 herbal flavoring pouch (Capriccio Specialties)
Bring the cashew kefir to room temp. Mix in the spice packet and chill for 2-4 hours.
Add in generous chunks of smoked salmon, and roll into a ball.
Coarsely chop 1/2 cup of organic fair trade walnuts, add 1/4 cup of sunflower seed and coat the outer layer of the cashew ball.
Chill for another hour, garnish with parsley, green onion, and thinly sliced red onion and serve.
Source: Julie Meer, Farm 779
Steve Edwards lives and writes in Anchorage. Contact him at akmarketfresh@gmail.com.
Local farmers markets
Monday: Depot Farm Market, noon to 6 p.m., Palmer Depot
Wednesday: Center Market, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mall at Sears, Benson Boulevard and Denali Street
Friday: Top Shelf Artisan Market, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., 550 S. Alaska Street, Palmer
Saturday: Center Market, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mall at Sears, Benson Boulevard and Denali Street