Look around closely and you might see some unexpected signs of spring as the calendar turns to March.
Some of Southcentral's warmer locations have daffodils popping out of the ground. It's been a crazy winter.
Regardless of the weather, now is the time to get serious about summertime flowers. Rob Wells, The Persistent Farmer, is at the Center Market starting Wednesday with dahlia tubers available for purchase or order.
"As these showy flowers are late season bloomers, they need to be started in March to be ready to transplant in May," Wells says.
"We are getting over 10 1/2 hours of sun now, a five-hour increase since winter solstice, and the official start of spring is rapidly approaching. Plan now for vibrant colors and put this brown winter behind us!"
Wells plans to be at the Center Market each Wednesday in March. In addition to a nice selection of tubers for the start-at-home crowd, he also will take orders for plants that he will plant and deliver in May.
Visit thepersistentfarmer.com for more information or to order online.
From the sea
The opening of halibut season is a couple weeks away, but there are still plenty of seafood options at the local shops.
John Jackson of New Sagaya Markets says troll king salmon "have been coming in pretty regularly the last week; and from what I am hearing the quota is just about filled for the winter troll kings, so it might be ending soon." Time to act if you like those winter kings.
Fresh cod have been plentiful and "some real value filets" are offered for $5.99 per pound, Jackson says. "This is a great price for fresh Alaska fish," he says. And there is plenty of rockfish too.
This week, New Sagaya has live Tanner crabs in the tanks for $9.99 per pound.
"These are, in my opinion, some of the best tasting fresh crab from Alaska," Jackson says. "This is a great deal! There are still live Alaska Dungeness in the tanks as well out of Ketchikan, another great eating crab."
Alaska oysters from Southeast are also in the store.
"Everyone thinks oysters go away during the winter, but the oyster farmers in Alaska are a hardy and hardworking bunch of people," Jackson says. "They supply us with some of the best tasting oysters in the world all winter long. Look for them in our live tank as well. I had some the other night at one of our nicest restaurants here in town and they were some of the best I ever ate!"
Center Market
Wells and his dahlia tubers will have plenty of company at this week's Center Market on both Wednesday and Saturday.
Alex Davis of A.D. Farm says the spring is in the air at his farm with "baby piglets and goats popping up like daisies."
At this week's markets, Davis will have a full selection of pork, including chops, loin roast, sausage, ribs, liver and hocks; a variety of vegetables including carrots, beets, cabbage and potatoes; Alaska Sprouts items; and barley products.
Sweet Caribou is unveiling a new espresso mocha macaron this week. "While all our macaroons are gluten-free, this tasty treat joins our dairy free lineup as well," says owner James Strong. "With an espresso shell and coffee infused dark chocolate ganache, this delicious flavor is sure to please every coffee lover's appetite."
Other macaroon flavors available at the Sweet Caribou booth include Mexican hot chocolate, strawberry lemonade, coconut lime, rose lychee, chocolate mint, chocolate raspberry and blueberry hibiscus. Other new treats this week include peanut butter chip Belgium chocolate brownies and a Sitka forest cupcake (Belgium chocolate cake, made from scratch cherry filling and a vanilla almond Italian butter cream).
Alaska Black Cod will be at both markets with smoked black cod and smoked king salmon, along with frozen lingcod, halibut, scallops, black cod, salmon and yelloweye rockfish. "One of our customers made a Japanese hot pot soup with our fish stock, black cod, napa cabbage, ginger, onions and tofu. It was delicious," Lynn Clarke says.
Earthworks Farm will be at Center Market on Wednesday and Saturday this week with its full line of Abeille Alaska beeswax and honey body care products.
Farm 779 also is featuring body care items, including its rosemary magnesium body butter, which Julie Meer describes as "a virgin organic coconut oil bee-based product that you have got to try." In addition to the two Center Markets, Farm 779 will be at the MTA Sports Center in the Valley on Friday.
The Rempel Family Farm will be at Saturday's market with a wide selection of potatoes, along with carrots, beets, daikon radishes, parsnips, green cabbage, winter squash and yak meat.
La Grassa will be at Wednesday's market with a variety of pastas, including original, spinach and whole wheat hand-cut noodles; Parmesan and Alaska potato gnocchi; and basil strozzapreti.
Country Health Foods and Duane Clark will be at Wednesday's market with grass-fed beef and yak, salsa, jams, honey and zucchini relish. Clark also will be at his own Duane's Top Shelf Artisan Market at the MTA Sports Center on Friday, but the Saturday market is being suspended for a few weeks.
Local farmers markets
Monday in the Valley: Depot Farm Market, noon-6 p.m., Palmer Depot
Wednesday in Anchorage: Center Market, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., The Mall at Sears, Benson Boulevard and Denali Street
Friday in the Valley: Duane's Top Shelf Farmers Market, 2-7 p.m., 1507 N. Double B St., Palmer
Saturday in Anchorage: Center Market, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., The Mall at Sears, Benson Boulevard and Denali Street