The fields are flourishing. It's clear the farmers are busy as yet another market opens on Wednesday.
But those farmers say nature could help out a little too.
"We are sorely in need of the predicted rainfall this week," says Sarah Bean of Arctic Organics. "Much as we love the warmth and sunshine of these heat waves we've been having, we are nearing the breaking point as far as drought resistance goes. We have been struggling to keep up with the irrigation demands having not had rain in about a month!
"Nevertheless, July is here in full force and so are the veggies!"
The new market this week is the South Anchorage Wednesday Market at the Dimond Center near the Dimond Hotel.
Carol Kenley of Kenley's Family Farm says "all the wonderful weather has made for a fantastic growing year. We will be featuring a large variety of beautiful produce."
Among the highlights are several lettuces, including red and green leaf, romaine and head lettuces that "are tempting enough that I could take a bite out of them right in field," Kenley says.
The Kenleys also will have chard, kale, snow apple turnips, spinach, radishes, zucchini and broccoli. There also are a variety of herbs including basil, thyme and mint, along with cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and peppers.
"We grow potatoes every year, but this is the very first year I have picked potatoes in June and the first time I have had new crop potatoes for the first market in July," Kenley says. "We have a very limited supply of snow peas to go with the potatoes. But next week we'll have an abundance of peas."
Vern Stockwell of Stockwell Family Farm says he will have lettuce, kohlrabi, kale, Swiss chard, turnips, daikon radish, potatoes, zucchini, cucumbers and a large selection of homemade jams and jellies. Other vendors at the new market include Glacier Valley Farm and Earthworks Farm.
Following are some of the highlights of other Alaska farmer's markets:
Anchorage Farmers Market
Arctic Organics, Bushes Bunches, Stockwell Farm, Seldovitsch Farm, VanderWeele Farm, The Vang Garden, Rivergarden Flowers and Turkey Red baked goods are lined up for Saturday's market.
Bean says Arctic Organics will be bringing several new items to the market, including zucchini, rhubarb, tat soi, escarole, watercress and radicchio. Other produce includes snow apple turnips, broccoli, cauliflower, three types of kale, Chinese cabbage, pac choi, purple and green kohlrabi, radishes, greens mix, arugula, spinach, mizuna, mibuna, turnip greens, mixed baby lettuce and several varieties of lettuce.
South Anchorage Farmers Market
Music is part of the farmer's market scene at several local markets. At the South Anchorage market, participating musicians will have a chance to walk away with a guitar. The market has teamed up with Hillside Music for guitar giveaway. Market organizer Arthur Keyes says "any brave soul who comes to the market and makes music can enter in a drawing for the guitar giveaway."
Also this week, the market will feature Megan Galbraith as Chef at the Market with samples of market foods and recipes. There will be a WineStyles wine tasting and The Honor Flight is selling raffle tickets.
Keyes is excited that his Glacier Valley Farm is bringing sweet onions to the market this week. "Our Yensis onion is a high-latitude Scottish variety that's grown in our low sulphur glacial soil, and produces a very mild sweet onion," Keyes says. "Alaska's sweet onion!"
Keyes also will have zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, bunch beets, bunch turnips, lettuce and radishes.
Among the nearly 25 vendors this week is Rempel Family Farm with baby carrots, arugula, cress, collards, spinach, broccoli, beets, zucchini and zucchini blossoms, lettuces, radishes, herbs and several other varieties of produce.
Additional vendors will have pasta, breads, seafood, Alaska meats, honey, kettle corn, plants, ice cream and other treats available, along with a huge variety of produce options.
Center Market
Alex Davis of A.D. Farm says the theme of the week is more. "More variety and more depth," he says.
The variety includes salad mix, spinach, kale, rhubarb, tomatoes, fresh eggs, several pork options and barley products.
Kristin Donaldson is bringing back Alaska Vegan & Gluten Free's hot dish items this week. "I had backed off making them for the past couple of weeks just because it's summer and I thought people wouldn't be as interested in hot items. I was totally wrong," she says.
Those easy-to-heat items include lentil vegetable soup, red beans and wild brown rice, Moroccan tagine and spaghetti/pizza sauce. Also look for quinoa edamame veg salad, pico de gallo and lemon pot and chocolate pot for dessert.
Farm 779 will have its Sunny Lemon Summer Kraut; cashew, double thick, lemon and original coconut kefir; coconut bacon (C-bacon), crunchy coconut snacks, ginger and black chai kombucha and skin care products.
La Grassa will have a variety of pastas, including a new white bean and kale vegan ravioli, along with pea and ricotta ravioli and roasted tomato and goat cheese ravioli.
Muldoon Farmers Market
Among the vendors at the Muldoon market are: Dinkel's Veggies with broccoli, potatoes, green beans, zucchini, yellow squash, lettuce and strawberries; Fresh International Gardens with bok choy, spinach, kale, mustard greens, collard greens, onions and chives; Vang Family Garden with kale, bok choy, herbs and flowers; and Alaska Heavenly Honey with honey, herbs and homemade vinegars.
Northway Mall Market
Dinkel's veggies will also be one of the vendors at the Northway Mall. New items this week include new potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower and sweet onions. Other produce includes beans, lettuce, zucchini and pickling cucumbers.
Steve Edwards lives and writes in Anchorage. Contact him at akmarketfresh@gmail.com.
Alaska farmers markets
Monday in Palmer: Depot Farm Market, noon-6 p.m., Palmer Depot
Tuesday out of town: Eagle River Farmers Market, 3-7 p.m., VFW Post Parking Lot, Eagle River; Farmers Fresh Market, 3-6 p.m., Kenai Peninsula Food Bank, Soldtona
Wednesday in Anchorage: Center Market, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., The Mall at Sears, Benson Boulevard and Denali Street; Northway Mall Wednesday Market, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Northway Mall
Wednesday out of town: Homer Farmers Market, 3-6 p.m., Ocean Drive; Soldotna Wednesday Market, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Soldotna Creek Park; South Anchorage Wednesday Market, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Dimond Center; Tanana Valley Farmers Market, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., 2600 College Road, Fairbanks; Wasilla Farmers Market, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Nelson and Weber streets intersection
Thursday in Peter's Creek: Peter's Creek Farmers Market, 3-7 p.m., American Legion Post 33, Old Glenn Highway
Friday in Palmer: Friday Fling, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., across from the Palmer Visitor's Center
Saturday in Anchorage: Anchorage Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Central Lutheran Church, 15th Avenue and Cordova Street; Anchorage Market and Festival, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Third Avenue between C and E streets; Center Market, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., The Mall at Sears, Benson Boulevard and Denali Street; Muldoon Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-2p.m., Begich Middle School; South Anchorage Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., O'Malley Sports Complex at the corner of Old Seward Highway and O'Malley Road; Spenard Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Spenard Road and 26th Avenue
Saturday out of town: Central Kenai Peninsula Farmers Market, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Kenai Spur Highway and East Corral Street, Soldotna; Homer Farmers Market, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Ocean Drive; Kenai's Saturday Market, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center; Tanana Valley Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., 2600 College Road, Fairbanks.
Sunday in Anchorage: Anchorage Market and Festival, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Third Avenue between C and E streets
Sunday in Fairbanks: Tanana Valley Farmers Market, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., 2600 College Road