Month: August 2021

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Sitka Kitch offers class, ‘Cooking With Culture: How To Make Zuppa Toscana With Nalani James’

The weather is turning and our gardens are cranking out their final crops. Join the Sitka Kitch as Nalani James teaches a virtual class on how to make Zuppa Toscana as part of the Cooking With Culture class series. This class takes place from 5-6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18, via Zoom.

Zuppa Toscana is a rich Italian soup, with kale, potatoes, bacon, sausage, and other end-of-summer ingredients. Nalani has been the Sitka Farmers Market manager this summer, and you can buy kale and potatoes at the final market of the season earlier that day.

Nalani said she chose this dish because the fall season is upon us and it’s what came to mind with the season. “It’s very simple to make but looks complex,” Nalani said. “Italy has such a rich history of sharing innovation with different cultures, and pizza is not the only thing to share at the table. ‘Cooking With Culture’ will explore more areas of family- and friends-style-eating in the near future.”

The class cost is $20, and we need eight people registered to make the class happen. Ingredients are not provided; however a list of ingredients and equipment needed will be sent to all who are registered. A link to the Zoom event also will be sent at that time. Please connect at least 10 minutes before the class starts.

In addition to sausage and bacon, the recipe calls for onions, kale, garlic, potatoes and bell peppers. The Sitka Local Foods Network, which hosts the Sitka Farmers Market, will provide each registered student with one half-price bundle of kale, so long as they pick it up at the SLFN Farm Stand at the market that day, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sept. 18, on the plaza outside Harrigan Centennial Hall. Students will need to mention the special and have their names checked against a list of students to get the discount. This is the last market of the summer.

Current (paid) members of the Sitka Food Co-op are now able to attend the online classes for $10 each (the co-op will cover the other $10 of your class fee). Please use the Sitka Food Co-op ticket when you register and send an email to sitkafoodcoop@gmail.com letting them know you’re in the class. (NOTE, Only one person per Co-op household may use the Co-op discount per class. Please name that person when you register so the name can be checked against the Co-op membership list.)

The registration deadline is 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 15 (DEADLINE EXTENDED TO THURSDAY, SEPT. 16). Space is limited, so register early to secure your place in the class. You can register and pre-pay using credit/debit cards or PayPal on the Sitka Kitch EventSmart online registration page, http://sitkakitch.eventsmart.com (click on class title). For those wanting to pre-pay with cash or check, please call Chandler O’Connell or Clarice Johnson at Sitka Conservation Society (747-7509) to arrange a payment. This class is a fundraiser for the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen.

For more information about the class, contact Jasmine Shaw at 747-9440. We occasionally offer one scholarship spot per class for people with limited incomes, provided we have enough students registered to make the class happen. Contact Chandler or Clarice at SCS for more details about the scholarship.

The Sitka Kitch also has a new class cancelation policy. If you register for a class, then find out you can’t attend, please email us at sitkakitch@sitkawild.org and we may be able to help fill your slot through our waiting list. If you cancel from the class at least five days in advance (eg, by Wednesday the week before for a Monday class), you are eligible for a partial refund of your class fee, minus $5 for processing (in this case, $15 or $5, depending on if you are paying full price or getting the Sitka Food Co-op discount). If you need to cancel with less than five days advance notice, there is no refund.

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Scenes from the fifth Sitka Farmers Market of the 2021 summer

PHOTO COURTESY OF SITKA LOCAL FOODS NETWORK
TABLE OF THE DAY — Sitka Farmers Market manager Nalani James, left, presents the Table of the Day Award for Aug. 21 to Evening Star Grutter of Evening Star Arts, Soaps and Salves. Evening Star sold a variety of homemade soaps, salves, jams and jellies, and arts and crafts. She received a certificate, a tote bag, a jar of Foraged and Found kelp pickles, a head of lettuce, a bag of Alaska Flour Company barley couscous, a Sitka Farmers Market special label chocolate bar, and a jar of Moosetard mustards. The next Sitka Farmers Market is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28, on the plaza outside Harrigan Centennial Hall. Due to the continued High Risk rating for Covid in Sitka, we ask all vendors and customers to please wear face masks while shopping at the Sitka Farmers Market. Vendors can register online (by Thursday) at https://sitkafarmersmarket.eventsmart.com. More details about the Sitka Local Foods Network and Sitka Farmers Market can be found at http://www.sitkalocalfoodsnetwork.org.

The Sitka Local Foods Network hosted its fifth Sitka Farmers Market of the summer on Saturday, Aug. 21. There was a bit of rain before the market, but it dried up to only a few sprinkles during the market.

Due to a continued High Risk COVID-19 level in Sitka, we instituted a face mask policy this summer to try and protect our customers and vendors from the coronavirus. That face mask policy will be in force when we hold our sixth Sitka Farmers Market from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28, on the plaza outside Harrigan Centennial Hall. We ask all customers and vendors to wear masks.

The markets are being held outside this year to try and prevent the spread of the coronavirus. We haven’t had as many booths as in previous years, but the smaller market seems to be working. We still have fresh local produce, as well as a variety of Alaska Grown value-added products, local eggs, mushrooms, and arts and crafts. We should have some cooked food at Saturday’s market. We do have a couple of new vendors registered for this market, and we’d love to see a fish vendor or a baked goods vendor, too.

The Sitka Local Foods Network needs a volunteer or two to help set up the market, sell produce during the market, and take down the market after it’s over. If you’re interested in helping us with the market, contact Charles Bingham at (907) 623-7660 or Nalani James at (808) 778-9888.

We also are recruiting new vendors, and they can register and pay their vendor fees by going to https://sitkafarmersmarket.eventsmart.com. More information about the Sitka Local Foods Network and Sitka Farmers Market can be found at http://www.sitkalocalfoodsnetwork.org.

The Sitka Local Foods Network does take WIC farmers market coupons and Alaska Quest SNAP EBT cards, and offers a matching program for produce purchased at the SLFN farm stand (if you buy $5 of produce, you will receive $10 worth).

Our photographer was sick this week, so we don’t have our usual slideshow.

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UAS-Sitka Campus to host annual class on how to identify Southeast Alaska mushrooms

The University of Alaska Southeast-Sitka Campus Office of Continuing Education will host its annual class “Southeast Mushrooms: With Kitty LaBounty” in September.

This course meets three times: twice on Zoom and once for an in person field trip. During the field trip (masks required), Kitty will be on hand to identify the mushrooms students find. If it’s safe, students can taste the mushrooms or take them home to cook later.

This three-day class takes place from 7-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 2, and from 7-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 7, using Zoom. The field trip is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 4 (check in at the UAS-Sitka Campus for field trip). The course fee is $50 and students should dress for the outdoors, bring waxed paper, a face mask, and a bucket for gathering.

This course is designed to introduce students to the mushroom flora of Southeast Alaska. The focus will be on the use of taxonomic keys for identification of fungi and recognition of both edible and poisonous mushrooms. Cooking and preservation of mushrooms will be discussed. Field trips are followed by in-class identification of collected mushrooms.

Kitty goes beyond mushroom identification by teaching students to recognize the edible (and poisonous) mushrooms they can find while out on the trails. It’s prime mushroom foraging season here in Sitka, so don’t let this opportunity to enrich your diet pass you by.

For those interested in learning more, books on Alaska mushrooms can be found at Old Harbor Books in downtown Sitka.

There is a maximum of 18 students allowed in this class. Please contact the Office of Continuing Education at (907) 747-7777 for further information.

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Scenes from the fourth Sitka Farmers Market of the summer

PHOTO COURTESY OF SITKA LOCAL FOODS NETWORK
TABLE OF THE DAY: Sitka Local Foods Network board president Charles Bingham, right, presents the Sitka Farmers Market Table of the Day Award for Aug. 7 to Kaleb Aldred, left, and Andrea Fraga of Middle Island Gardens. Andrea and Kaleb sold a variety of fresh veggies grown in their garden. Andrea and Kaleb received a certificate, a tote bag, a bag of Alaska Flour Company barley pancake flour, a bottle of Bridge Creek Birch Syrup, two Sitka Farmers Market special label chocolate bars, and a jar of Moosetard mustards. Aug. 1-7 was National Farmers Market Week. The next Sitka Farmers Market is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 21, on the plaza outside Harrigan Centennial Hall. Vendors can register online (by Thursday, Aug. 19) at https://sitkafarmersmarket.eventsmart.com. More details about the Sitka Local Foods Network and Sitka Farmers Market can be found at http://www.sitkalocalfoodsnetwork.org.

It was National Farmers Market Week on Aug. 1-7, and the Sitka Local Foods Network celebrated with its fourth Sitka Farmers Market of the summer on Saturday, Aug. 7. There was a bit of rain before the market, but it dried up to only a few sprinkles during the market.

Due to a growing COVID-19 count, we instituted a face mask policy this summer to try and protect our customers and vendors from the coronavirus. That face mask policy will be in force when we hold our fourth Sitka Farmers Market from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 21, on the plaza outside Harrigan Centennial Hall. We ask all customers and vendors to wear masks.

The markets are being held outside this year to try and prevent the spread of the coronavirus. We haven’t had as many booths as in previous years, but the smaller market seems to be working. We still have fresh local produce, as well as a variety of Alaska Grown value-added products, local eggs, mushrooms, and arts and crafts. We should have some cooked food at Saturday’s market. We do have a couple of new vendors registered for this market, and we’d love to see a fish vendor or a baked goods vendor, too.

The Sitka Local Foods Network needs a volunteer or two to help set up the market, sell produce during the market, and take down the market after it’s over. If you’re interested in helping us with the market, contact Charles Bingham at (907) 623-7660 or Nalani James at (808) 778-9888.

We also are recruiting new vendors, and they can register and pay their vendor fees by going to https://sitkafarmersmarket.eventsmart.com. More information about the Sitka Local Foods Network and Sitka Farmers Market can be found at http://www.sitkalocalfoodsnetwork.org.

The Sitka Local Foods Network does take WIC farmers market coupons and Alaska Quest SNAP EBT cards, and offers a matching program for produce purchased at the SLFN farm stand (if you buy $5 of produce, you will receive $10 worth).

A slideshow of scenes from the fourth market of the summer is posted below.

  • FARMERS MARKET WEEK – Kaleb Aldred and Andrea Fraga, at right, sell produce picked from their Middle Island gardens during the Sitka Local Foods Network’s Sitka Farmers Market Saturday outside Harrigan Centennial Hall. The U.S. secretary of agriculture proclaimed August 1-7 National Farmers Market Week, to champion the work of direct-to-consumer producers, market managers and customers. (Daily Sitka Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
  • PHOTO COURTESY OF SITKA LOCAL FOODS NETWORK Sitka Local Foods Network board president Charles Bingham, right, presents the Sitka Farmers Market Table of the Day Award for Aug. 7 to Kaleb Aldred, left, and Andrea Fraga of Middle Island Gardens. Andrea and Kaleb sold a variety of fresh veggies grown in their garden. Andrea and Kaleb received a certificate, a tote bag, a bag of Alaska Flour Company barley pancake flour, a bottle of Bridge Creek Birch Syrup,, two Sitka Farmers Market special label chocolate bars, and a jar of Moosetard mustards. Aug. 1-7 was National Farmers Market Week. The next Sitka Farmers Market is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 21, on the plaza outside Harrigan Centennial Hall. Vendors can register online (by Thursday, Aug. 19) at https://sitkafarmersmarket.eventsmart.com. More details about the Sitka Local Foods Network and Sitka Farmers Market can be found at http://www.sitkalocalfoodsnetwork.org.
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Check out the August 2021 edition of the Sitka Local Foods Network newsletter

The Sitka Local Foods Network just sent out the August 2021 edition of its monthly newsletter. Feel free to click this link to get a copy.

This month’s newsletter includes short stories about National Farmers Market Week and the 2021 Sitka Farmers Market season, information about how you can support the Sitka Local Foods Network by buying a t-shirt or hoodie from our online store, an update on new high tunnels at St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm where we grow our produce, an invitation to join our board of directors, and information about our 2021 sponsorship program. Each story has links to our website for more information.

You can sign up for future editions of our newsletter by clicking on the newsletter image in the right column of our website and filling in the information. If you received a copy but didn’t want one, there is a link at the bottom of the newsletter so you can unsubscribe. Our intention is to get the word out about upcoming events and not to spam people. We will protect your privacy by not sharing our email list with others. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, like our Sitka Farmers Market page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@SitkaLocalFoods).

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Buy a t-shirt or hoodie to support the Sitka Local Foods Network

The Sitka Local Foods Network has some swag you can order through our new online store, which will be delivered directly to your house.

Help support the Sitka Local Foods Network by buying a shirt or hoodie. Proceeds from the fundraiser help support growing more local produce at the St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm communal garden, hosting the Sitka Farmers Market, sponsoring the Sitka Food Business Innovation Contest, and helping connect Sitka residents to gardening, cooking, and food preservation education opportunities.

In addition to our Sitka Local Foods Network and Sitka Farmers Market logos, we also have added the five special designs Lisa Teas Conaway created for our fifth through ninth years of the Sitka Farmers Market. These designs include Chatham Strait Carrots, Biorka Beets, Kruzof Kale, Redoubt Rhubarb, and Sitka Sound Strawberries.

The Sitka Local Foods Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to increase the amount of locally produced and harvested food in the diets of Southeast Alaskans. These shirts make great holiday and birthday gifts, too. We thank you for your support.

To visit our online store, go to https://www.bonfire.com/store/sitka-local-foods-network-shirt-fundraiser/

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Scenes from the third Sitka Farmers Market of the summer

PHOTO COURTESY OF SITKA LOCAL FOODS NETWORK
Sitka Farmers Market manager Nalani James, left, presents the Table of the Day Award for July 31 to Ashley Ward of Ward Craft who sold her homemade ear rings, Sitka Seasonings spice mixes made by daughter, Abigail, custom wooden spoons and bowls and knives made by husband, Dustin, and more. Ashley received a certificate, a tote bag, a bag of salad mix, a bunch of carrots, a Sitka Farmers Market special label chocolate bar, and a jar of Moosetard mustards. The next Sitka Farmers Market is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 7, on the plaza outside Harrigan Centennial Hall. National Farmers Market Week is Aug. 1-7, so celebrate by coming to the market on Saturday. Vendors can register online (by Thursday) at https://sitkafarmersmarket.eventsmart.com. More details about the Sitka Local Foods Network and Sitka Farmers Market can be found at http://www.sitkalocalfoodsnetwork.org.

It was mostly sunny, but also overcast, when the Sitka Local Foods Network held its third Sitka Farmers Market of the summer on Saturday, July 31, perfect weather for a market.

Due to a growing COVID-19 count, we instituted a face mask policy this summer to try and protect our customers and vendors from the coronavirus. That face mask policy will be in force when we hold our fourth Sitka Farmers Market from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 7, on the plaza outside Harrigan Centennial Hall. We ask all customers and vendors to wear masks.

Also, this week, Aug. 1-7, is National Farmers Market Week, so stop by Saturday’s Sitka Farmers Market to celebrate.

The markets are being held outside this year to try and prevent the spread of the coronavirus. We haven’t had as many booths as in previous years, but the smaller market seems to be working. We still have fresh local produce, as well as a variety of Alaska Grown value-added products, local eggs, mushrooms, and arts and crafts. We should have some cooked food at Saturday’s market. We’d love to see a fish vendor or a baked goods vendor, too.

The Sitka Local Foods Network needs a volunteer or two to help set up the market, sell produce during the market, and take down the market after it’s over. If you’re interested in helping us with the market, contact Charles Bingham at (907) 623-7660 or Nalani James at (808) 778-9888.

We also are recruiting new vendors, and they can register and pay their vendor fees by going to https://sitkafarmersmarket.eventsmart.com. More information about the Sitka Local Foods Network and Sitka Farmers Market can be found at http://www.sitkalocalfoodsnetwork.org.

The Sitka Local Foods Network does take WIC farmers market coupons and Alaska Quest SNAP EBT cards, and offers a matching program for produce purchased at the SLFN farm stand (if you buy $5 of produce, you will receive $10 worth).

A slideshow of scenes from the third market of the summer is posted below.

  • PHOTO COURTESY OF SITKA LOCAL FOODS NETWORK Sitka Farmers Market manager Nalani James, left, presents the Table of the Day Award for July 31 to Ashley Ward of Ward Craft who sold a ear rings, Sitka Seasonings spice mixes made by daughter, Abigail, custom wooden spoons and bowls and knives made by husband, Dustin, and more. Ashley received a certificate, a tote bag, a bag of salad mix, a bunch of carrots, a Sitka Farmers Market special label chocolate bar, and a jar of Moosetard mustards. The next Sitka Farmers Market is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 7, on the plaza outside Harrigan Centennial Hall. National Farmers Market Week is Aug. 1-7, so celebrate by coming to the market on Saturday. Vendors can register online (by Thursday) at https://sitkafarmersmarket.eventsmart.com. More details about the Sitka Local Foods Network and Sitka Farmers Market can be found at http://www.sitkalocalfoodsnetwork.org.