Good morning!

All the farms are now producing full throttle.  Now is the time to buy extra and freeze or preserve and have a little Alaskan Grown produce tucked away in your pantry for the winter!  I love getting our fresh peas and using them during the winter.  It reminds me of our short, but always cherished summers. 

Did you know that Alaskan carrots have the highest sugar content in the U.S?  Our soil and climate conditions (even when it’s rainy) are just perfect for carrots.  I have two new recipes on our website:  one is for a cold curried carrot and coconut soup and the other is a carrot salad with green chile and cilantro.  Whatever you are looking for, we will probably have it at the market! 

Eagle River Farmers’ Market on Saturday will have Glacier Valley Farm and a couple other vendors.  New hours!  From 10:00 am to 3:00 pm located outside of Mike’s Meats located at 12110 Business Boulevard.

Glacier Valley Farm will have beautiful zucchini, tender green beans, tomatoes, crisp English cucumbers, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, a variety of lettuces and big, sweet, strawberries! 

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For the Saturday Anchorage South Side Farmers’ Market:

SPECIAL EVENTS

Carol Kenley who is usually at the Wednesday market reminded us that today, September 2nd, is ‘Alaska Grown Day’ at the State Fair.  The Mat-Su Farm Bureau is one of the sponsors of the events that day.  One of the special events we are hosting is a “Grown Here Not Flown Here” taste testing.  We will invite people to taste a variety of produce and milk and pick which tastes best to them and tally the results.  I believe that that the ‘Grown Here’ products will blow away the ‘Flown Here’ products.  I will report the results to you next week.  We are also having a cream separating demonstration using a Colony era separator and a butter making demo.  We’ll be giving away a lot of’ Grown Here Not Flown Here’ t-shirts.  It will be a great day to come to the Fair.  And just in case you want to eat local at the Fair, we will have a list of vendors who serve Alaska Grown at their food booths!

We had a few inquires about the Grown Here, Not Flown Here t-shirts that are at the State Fair.  After the State Fair we hope to have those at the market!

UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS FOR NEXT SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

WineStyles will be holding a wine tasting benefit in support of our troops.  They will also highlight using Matanuska Creamery cheese in their wine pairings as well!  The last wine tasting was a blast and so many of you discovered that WineStyles was right behind the market and you didn’t even know it!  This time they will be showcasing Matanuska Creamery cheese with their wine pairings.  How fun is that!  And you’ll be supporting a good cause by supporting our troops. 

On September 11th the SAFM will have their first poetry slam contest! Get those creative juices flowing and submit your entry by noon, Wednesday, September 8th to .  There are three categories: haiku, rap, and general.  You will be notified September 9th via email and hope that you will be available to read your poem at the market on September 11th.  We will have prizes for first, second, and third place, but all poets who submitted entries are encouraged to read their poems.  This is a family friendly event!

1st Prize:  SAFM tote (a $30.00 value).  These are super cool made from the same materials that Alaskan fisherman use for their nets.  Made in Homer so these are truly locally made!  Alison’s Farmer’s Market Cookbook (a $25.00 value) which has been big hit, an Alaskan Farm Bureau hoodie (oops, don’t know how much they go for, but I can say they look incredibly warm and comfy), and a gift certificate for a Glacier Valley Farms CSA box (a $35.00 value!).

2nd Prize:  SAFM tote, Alison’s Farmer’s Market Cookbook, and Alaskan Farm Bureau hoodie.

3rd Prize:  SAFM tote and Alaskan Farm Bureau hoodie. 

On September 18 we will have Leslie Shallcross who is the Assistant Professor of Extension - Health, Home and Family Development, University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service.  She will answer all your questions and have information for those of you who want to preserve, can, or freeze all this great produce we have now! 

PRODUCE

VanderWeele Farms has a great variety of lettuce including Red Oak, Bibb, Lollo Rosso, green and red leaf, and Red and Green Romaine.  Check out their white, purple, yellow or “cheddar” and lime green cauliflower!  Incredibly beautiful and tasty! Radishes,red and green cabbage will also be there along with their famous potatoes.  They will also have big, beautiful broccoli!

Glacier Valley Farm will have beautiful zucchini, tender green beans, tomatoes, crisp English cucumbers, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, a variety of lettuces and big, sweet, strawberries!  Do you ever wonder what goes on at a family farm?  Arthur sends pictures and information to all his followers through his Facebook page.  Here is the link:  http://tinyurl.com/29rgvfo

Stockwell Farms will have a wide variety of greens including baby bok choy, kale, Asian kale and other greens, chard, 9 varieties of new potatoes, sweet carrots, and homemade relishes.  The Asian kale makes great wraps for lunch!

Rempel Family Farm reports:  The sunshine last week really made a difference.  We had green beans, sugar snap peas and pickling cucumbers.  That doesn’t include the increase in size of all the infant winter squash trying to grow up before the cold stuff comes down out of the sky.
This week Rempel Family Farm will have sweet daikon radishes, Brussels sprouts and parsnips to add to our broccoli, cauliflower, green onions, cilantro, 6 kinds of cabbage, and another 40 or so varieties of certified organic vegetables.  Come try a new kind of potato or beet.

Wolverine Farm will have their delicious tender peas!  By them now and freeze them for those winter months.  So sweet!

Earthworks Farm will be there with a great assortment of lettuces and greens.  Last week I noticed that had beautiful cut flowers.  What a nice way to cheer up your house!

FFA (Future Farmers of America) will have a variety of greens and homemade jams.

Gray Owl Farm will have a nice variety of fresh herbs including: borage, thyme, Italian and Curly parsley, sorrel, Sweet and Thai basil, summer savory, rosemary, fennel, and dill.  We have delicious, sweet celery, red and green cabbage, baby beets just right for roasting or pickling, European and Pickling cucumbers, kale, leeks, and collard greens.

BAKERY AND FOOD

Mary Jane will be bringing baked goods from French Oven Bakery.  Huge loaves of marble rye, cheddar, jalapeno cheddar, white, and wheat and white sourdough.  Lots of pastries including palmiers, macaroons, and those tempting cinnamon rolls.  Don’t forget that cool looking romanescu cauliflower and she often has bags of tender greens too!

Arctic Choice has a great selection and great deals on fresh Alaskan seafood.  Fresh Coho (Silver) Salmon, Sablefish (Black Cod) and Halibut fillets for the BBQ. Also fresh SideStripe Shrimp, Cod & Rockfish fillets will be there along with large Spot Shrimp, Razor Clam meats, Halibut Cheeks, Scallops and always a favorite King Crab, along with other seafood treats. 

Matanuska Creamery is proud to announce the name and winner of their “Name the New Cheese” contest.  Drum roll…the winner is Wanda Seamster for coming up with the name Stinger Jack!  The board at Matanusak Creamery had a difficult time choosing a winner; there were lots of great entries.  Thanks everyone.

They will be bringing fresh mozzarella cheese this week and a lot more
pepper jack cheese. And don’t forget the ice cream! They also have 8 different flavors in cheese curds.  I’m sure one of them has your name on it!  You don’t have to be from Wisconsin to enjoy a cheese curd!

Nonessentials has lots of Alaskan made products.  Alaskan honey, barbecue sauce from Apple Branch Pantry and balsamic vinegars made with local fruit such as lingonberry.  Also check out their fresh roasted coffee by Coffee Roastery.  Check to see if they have their tasty salmon wraps!

Three Bears will be bringing their jams and jellies as well.  A wide variety made with local fruit at terrific prices.  And yes, they do give out samples.

Fat Boyz Ribz will be there grilling up their delicious ribs and hot dogs.  Great cole slaw too!  Just follow your nose!

WeBeDogs will have their locally made reindeer and buffalo dogs too.  They have been known to sell out, so get to them early.

Denali Kettle Corn will have their sweet treats ready for you! 

PLANTS-LAST WEEK!

Country Garden Farms will not be at the market anymore this year, but you can still get in touch with them!  They appreciate all the business this season and will reopen next Memorial Day weekend in 2011, and have locally grown brome hay in small and large square bales for sale in Palmer. Customers can contact them or get more information at http://www.countrygardenfarms.com.

Gray Owl Farm is featuring their “Desperate Houseplants...Season Finale"… Coleus plants in a huge variety of colors...Buy one and get the second one free!! They have a nice selection of other houseplants from the standard to the unusual including tropicals that can make a nice statement in your home or office and .."take you far south of the cold north during our long winter months”.  Come check out the variety during their last Saturday at SAFM for this season!  Thanks to all of their loyal customers.  They’ll see you again in the Spring!

For more information about the market, contact Nancy Lampman, South Anchorage Farmers’ Market, at 907-529.7630, . 

Cheers! And see you at the market!
Nancy Lampman, South Anchorage Farmers’ Market Reporter

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