Food and Drink

Alaska potatoes in a rainbow of colors are on their way to farmers markets this week

It’s that time of year when — almost daily it seems — farmers markets are saying goodbye for the year.

Earlier this week, the Wednesday Market at Airport Heights and the Wednesday Market at Dimond Center ended their seasons. On Saturday, both the Muldoon Farmers Market and the Spenard Farmers Market are hosting their final events.

Muldoon Farmers Market: “We’re expecting a full range of late-season produce, including bulk carrots and many kinds and colors of potatoes,” says Jerrianne Lowther. She also anticipates a strong selection of tomatoes, onions, celery, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and red and golden beets.

Spenard Farmers Market: “This Saturday will be the last market for the season, and the 200th since we started 10 years ago,” Mark Butler says. “The cold fall weather means our farmers will be bringing a full range of energy-dense produce along with jams and pickled products.”

Anchorage Farmers Market: Sarah Bean of Arctic Organics says the potato harvest is complete and this week’s selection includes yellow Finn, Yukon gold, magic Molly purple, magic Myrna, Desirée, German butterball and mini mix. New this week are purple sprouting broccoli, leeks and Brussels sprouts.

Bean says the market table will include red and green cabbage, carrots, broccoli, a variety of cauliflower and kohlrabi, celery, snow apple and purple top turnips, purple top turnips, rutabaga, loads of greens and herbs — cilantro, chives, dill, parsley and basil.

South Anchorage and Midtown farmers markets: Barb Landi says the markets are full of “crops that come in eye-catching colors like Swiss chard, cabbage, cauliflower and, especially, carrots.” Look around for those and more, including loads of root crops.

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“Products that are waning in availability are the ones that appeared the earliest, like the lettuces,” Landi says. “Everything else is taking over, especially the root crops. Farmers have begun the massive potato harvest.”

Rempel Family Farm, one of the longtime South market vendors, will have a wide variety of those colorful and root veggies, including orange and purple carrots, parsnips, red onions, white sweet onions, sugar pumpkins, celery, red and green cabbage, red and romaine lettuces, cauliflower, tatsoi, green mustard, kales and 11 varieties of potatoes.

Center Market: As autumn kicks into high gear — and some markets close — the thrice-weekly, indoor market at the Midtown Mall continues its 52-week-per-year march.

Alex Davis of AD Farm says his veggie and egg supply continues to grow, and his pork options are an interesting mix, too.

“We got the oven/barbecue pigs back. they came in at 16 to 32 pounds,” he says. “Come get them while they are available.”

Other pork items include chops, roast, fresh side, a variety of sausage options, hocks, chorizo, fat and soup bones. Eggs choices include chicken, duck and guinea. And AD Farm’s veggies include cauliflower, potatoes, Brussels sprouts, three varieties of beets, carrots and cabbage.

Steve Edwards lives and writes in Anchorage. Contact him at akmarketfresh@gmail.com.

Local farmers markets

Friday in Anchorage: Center Market, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Midtown Mall

Saturday in Anchorage: Anchorage Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., 15th Avenue and Cordova Street; Anchorage Midtown Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., BP Alaska; Center Market, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Midtown Mall; Jewel Lake Farmers Market, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., 8427 Jewel Lake Road; Muldoon Farmers Market, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Chanshtnu Muldoon Park; 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: Healy Farmers Market, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Mile 249.2 Parks Highway; Highway’s End Farmers Market, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Delta Junction; Homer Farmers Market, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Ocean Drive; Soldotna Saturday Farmers Market, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., 193 E. Corral Ave.; Tanana Valley Farmer’s Market, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., 2600 College Road, Fairbanks

Wednesday in Anchorage: Center Market, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Midtown Mall

Wednesday outside of Anchorage: Highway’s End Farmers Market, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Delta Junction; Homer Farmers Market, 2-5 p.m., Ocean Drive; Tanana Valley Farmer’s Market, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., 2600 College Road, Fairbanks

Thursday in Anchorage: Thankful Thursdays market, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Midtown Mall

Thursday outside of Anchorage: Peters Creek Farmers Market, 3-7 p.m., American Legion Post 33, 21426 Old Glenn Highway

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Steve Edwards

Steve Edwards lives and writes in Anchorage. He writes the Market Fresh column weekly and can be reached akmarketfresh@gmail.com.

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