Don't let the rain and snow dampen your enthusiasm for Alaska's farmers market scene. As the season winds down, there are still great finds at the markets.
How is this for some of the market options around town this week? Heirloom tomatoes; fresh Alaska greens; handmade pasta; locally made krauts; and Alaska-made ice cream with local cranberries, Midnight Sun Brewing Co. smoked stout and other ingredients. And that's just a sample.
The weather has been wet, but it's actually helping the farmers.
"It's root season," says Sarah Bean of Arctic Organics and the Anchorage Farmers Market. "Time to make pans full of roasted root vegetables and hearty soup. The weather is relenting and allowing us to get all the remaining roots and tubers out of the ground this week before the ground freezes.
"The fall leafy greens are also benefiting from the warmth early this week. Lucky for everyone, it's looking like the market this weekend will be warm enough for customers to shop in comfort once again."
And Mark Rempel of Rempel Family Farm is also watching the weather forecast closely: "The current mildness of the weather is allowing us to continue to bring nice greens. We are hoping that the predicted cold is not too severe so as to allow a complete harvest. We still have a wonderful abundance to bring in, but it takes time and care."
Markets closing down this week include the Northway Mall and South Anchorage Wednesday markets.
Northway Mall Wednesday Market
For the final market of the season, Lesley Dinkel says they will have potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and sweet onions.
South Anchorage Farmers Market
Joan Johnson will have a bulk sale on cherry tomatoes and tasty heirloom tomatoes, which she says "make great salsas and sauces. Many people can tomatoes, but we find it's even easier to just cook them up and freeze for later use."
Johnson also will have a wide variety of fresh fruit and berry jams and jellies, including fresh cranberry, black currant and two varieties of salmonberry – the high-bush from Kodiak and the tundra variety from Western Alaska. She also has pantry-friendly sweet dill pickles.
Rempel Family Farm will have 10 varieties of potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts, winter squashes, lettuces, red cabbage, arugula, cress, cilantro, collards, Napa cabbage, daikon, broccoli, cauliflower, red and golden beets, bok choi, green mustard, mizuna, tatsoi, salad mix, radishes and turnips.
Wild Scoops' Elissa Brown says "our customers are unfazed by the chillier weather, so we're just going to keep on selling ice cream."
Flavors this week include: Tundra Queen (local cranberry with tart swirl and white chocolate), Smokejumper (Midnight Sun Brewing Co. smoked stout with chipotle nuts), Sweet Ginger, Black Cup Affogato (featuring local coffee), Kincaid Cocoa-nut (dairy-free chocolate coconut) and a few other flavor surprises. Wild Scoops also will be at Wednesday's Alaska Pacific University market.
Center Market
If the weather is crummy, check out the indoor Center Market at the Mall at Sears on both Wednesday and Saturday.
Julie Meer of Farm 779 says they will "a new batch of our delicious long ferment beet kvass. Our kvass is an Old World style, long cold-ferment with a delicious salty sweet flavor."
Farm 779 also will have coconut kefirs, Alaska vegetable krauts, kimchi, ginger kombucha, coconut bacon, rosemary magnesium bod butter and other items.
La Grassa will have fresh pastas; vegan herb strozzapreti; Alaska potato gnocchi; Alaska kale, ricotta and roasted garlic ravioli; and roasted red pepper and goat cheese ravioli. La Grassa's pasta also will be at the Saturday South Anchorage Farmers Market.
Alex Davis of A.D. Farm will have a large selection of fall crops including beets, carrots, potatoes, kale, cabbage and collard greens, along with pork products, fresh eggs, pies from A Pie Stop and barley items from Alaska Flour Co.
And Davis will have a special-request item. And it's really special.
"If you are looking for something a little different for Halloween, I have pig heads for an off-beat dinner or creepy porch ornament. I will only bring them in by special order," he says. Contact Davis at 907-355-3276 to talk pig heads.
Anchorage Farmers Market
The lineup at the market includes Arctic Organics, Persistent Farmer, Stockwell Farm, Seldovitsch Farm, VanderWeele Farm, Vang Family Garden and Turkey Red baked goods.
Bean says Arctic Organics will have leeks, red onions, carrots, beets, kohlrabi, daikon, snow apple and purple top turnips, rutabaga, Brussels sprouts, red and green cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli heads and florets, celery, tomatoes, red bell peppers, scallions, rainbow chard, collards, four types of kale, mustard greens and a variety of other items.
In addition to the market, shoppers can visit the Arctic Organics farm stand from 5-7 p.m. Friday at 1305 N. Smith Road in Palmer.
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
Wednesday in Anchorage: Alaska Pacific University Farmers Market, 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m., APU campus in front of Grant Hall; 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; South Anchorage Wednesday Market, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Dimond Center
Wednesday out of town: Homer Farmers Market, 3-6 p.m., Ocean Drive
Thursday in Peter's Creek: Peter's Creek Farmers Market, 3-7 p.m., American Legion Post 33, Old Glenn Highway
Saturday in Anchorage: Anchorage Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Central Lutheran Church, 15th Avenue and Cordova Street; Center Market, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., The Mall at Sears, Benson Boulevard and Denali Street; 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