Now that summer is here, the produce is starting to pop.
Farmers say to look for baby carrots, beet greens, cucumbers, zucchini and other fresh items this week.
"Summer has officially begun and anticipation of the coming bloom and vegetable harvests is growing," says Rob Wells, The Persistent Farmer.
And there's another market open in Anchorage to help shoppers stock up. The Muldoon Farmers Market is open 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Begich Middle School, 7440 Creekside Center Drive. The market will be open through Sept. 10.
"The market by the mountains is looking forward to a bigger and better sequel to our first successful market season last year," organizer Jerrianne Lowther says. "We have more vendors, more variety, more fun. Alaska Main Squeeze will provide accordion music this week in the pavilion."
Lowther says more than 30 vendors are lined up for the opening day market, including Arctic Wonder Marketplace, Ba-Lescas Brothers, Dinkel's Veggies, Fresh International Gardens, Vang Family Gardens, Mom's Garden and Wild Legacy Seafoods.
Other market highlights include:
South Anchorage Farmers Market
There are loads of options for Saturday shoppers in South Anchorage.
The Rempel Family Farm will have loads of fresh and storage vegetables, including some of those first-of-the-season produce — baby carrots, beet greens, chard and maybe green onions, Mark Rempel says. He also says to expect arugula, kales, mustards, rhubarb, mint, salad mix, purple carrots, red beets, daikon, parsnips, radishes, snow apple turnips and 10 varieties of potatoes. The Rempels also have their grass- and veggie-fed yak meat.
Sweet Caribou is showing off a new tropical mango macaron, along with Almond Joy, birthday cake, bourbon pecan pie, Guinness chocolate, milk chocolate passionfruit, pistachio chocolate and dairy-free pomegranate chocolate. They also will have cupcakes, Samoa bars, toffee blondies and Belgian chocolate brownies.
Get to the market early if you want a taste of Rise & Shine Bakery's chocolate cherry bread, which always goes quickly. It's one of five loaves they will have at the market; the others are levain, spent grain, toasted walnut and Kalamata olive. "One-third of the flour in our loaves is Alaska-grown whole wheat, ground fresh in our bakery," owner Alison Arians says.
Arctic Choice Seafoods will have Copper River sockeye, along with halibut, rockfish, sablefish and cod. Other Alaska favorites include oysters from Karheen Passage and side stripe shrimp from Prince William Sound.
La Grassa pasta offerings on Saturday include organic original, organic spinach and white wine saffron hand-cut noodles, along with vegan basil strozzapreti; roasted tomato, goat cheese and almond ravioli; and pea and ricotta ravioli and other favorites.
Center Market
Alex Davis will be at both the Wednesday and Saturday markets this week with fresh spinach, kale, chard, rhubarb and chives, along with microgreens and other items from Alaska Sprouts. Davis will also have a wide variety of pork cuts, perfect for a summer grill, barley products from Alaska Flour Co. and eggs.
Duane Clark is offering fresh cucumbers at Wednesday's market, along with grass-fed beef and yak, honey, jams, salsa and zucchini relish.
On Wednesday, Alaska Black Cod will be at the market with smoked black cod tips and portions, and other Alaska seafood including scallops and Prince William Sound spot shrimp. Alaska Black Cod will also be at the Spenard Farmers Market on Saturday.
Spenard Farmers Market
Fresh produce, flowers, ready-to-eat food and some tasty treats are all lined up for Saturday's Spenard Farmers Market.
Produce vendors include Black Bear Farms, Brown Dog Farm, Chugach Farm, Simple Living Farm, Ba-lescas Brothers and the Seldovitsch Family Farm. Adina's Acres, Alaska Trees, Frank Wendling, Glacier City Gardener, A Touch of Dirt, Wild Rose Natural Harvests and Woolwood Studio & Gardens will have annuals, perennials, vegetable starts, trees and shrubs.
Anchorage Farmers Market
Wells will be at the Saturday market with the last of his dahlia starts. "I will be selling the last 100 or so for half price, so if you have any spots left in your garden, come on down and get some plants," he says. Wells also will have some tumbler tomato baskets and stevia plants.
Others at the market on 15th Avenue include Arctic Organics, Brown Dog Farm, Seldovitch Farm, VanderWeele Farm, Vang Family Farm, Alaska Sea Ag fertilizers and Turkey Red baked goods.
Sarah Bean of Arctic Organics says they will have fresh basil, greens mix, bunched arugula, baby arugula, spinach, radishes, mizuna, lettuces, tatsoi, radishes, nasturtium blossoms and blooming hanging baskets.
Bean says the Anchorage Farmers Market is accepting Quest/SNAP cards, and most farmers are accepting WIC and Seniors Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers.
Mountain View Farmers Market
Fresh produce, food trucks and crafts are the highlights of the new market in Mountain View. The Thursday market is open 3-7 p.m.
Vendor highlights include food vendors Uncle Leroy's Coffee, the Mint Chip, Kiki's Island Expresso, Holly Dogs, Eva's Cupcake Bakery, Baby Cakes Cupcakes, West Berlin; and produce will come from Fresh International Gardens, Yang Produce, Vang Family Farm, Mom's Garden and Seldovitch Farm.
Wasilla Farmers Market
Among the vendors lined up for Wednesday's Valley market include Dinkel's Veggies. They will have lettuce, zucchini, strawberries and broccoli. They also will be at the Anchorage Market and Festival on Saturday.
Steve Edwards lives and writes in Anchorage. Contact him at akmarketfresh@gmail.com.
Local farmers markets
Monday in the Valley: Colony Farmers Market, noon-7 p.m., Palmer Depot
Tuesday outside of Anchorage: Eagle River Farmers Market, 3-7 p.m., VFW Post parking lot; Farmers Fresh Market, 3-6 p.m., 33955 Community College Drive, Soldotna; Southside Community Farmers Market, 4-7 p.m., Intercultural Assembly of God, Fairbanks
Wednesday in Anchorage: Center Market, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., The Mall at Sears, Benson Boulevard and Denali Street
Wednesday outside of Anchorage: Homer Farmers Market, 2-6 p.m., Ocean Drive near the Washboard; Soldotna Wednesday Market, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Soldotna Creek Park; Tanana Valley Farmer's Market, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., 2600 College Road, Fairbanks; Wasilla Farmers Market, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Iditapark, Wasilla
Thursday in Anchorage: Farmers Market at APU, noon-6 p.m., 4101 University Drive; Mountain View Farmers Market, 3-7 p.m., 3543 Mountain View Drive
Thursday in Peters Creek: Peters Creek Farmers Market, 3-8 p.m., American Legion Post 33, 21643 Old Glenn Highway
Friday in the Valley: Friday Fling, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., across from the Visitor's Center
Saturday in Anchorage: Anchorage Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., 15th Avenue and Cordova Street; Anchorage Market & Festival, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Third Avenue and E Street; Center Market, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., The Mall at Sears, Benson Boulevard and Denali Street; Muldoon Farmers Market, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Begich Middle School; South Anchorage Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., O'Malley Sports Center; Spenard Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., 2555 Spenard Road
Saturday outside of Anchorage: Homer Farmers Market, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Ocean Drive near the Washboard; Kenai's Saturday Market, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., 11471 Kenai Spur Highway; Nenana Farmers Market, 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Civic Center on Main Street; Saturday Art & Farm Market, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Sutton Library, Sutton; Tanana Valley Farmer's Market, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., 2600 College Road, Fairbanks
Sunday in Anchorage: Anchorage Market & Festival, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Third Avenue and E Street
Sunday in Fairbanks: Tanana Valley Farmer's Market, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., 2600 College Road