Jasmine Shaw of the UAF Cooperative Extension Service watches a pressure canner gauge at a Sitka Kitch class on home food preservation. Jasmine will be at the Sitka Farmers Market on Saturday to test pressure canner gauges.
Jasmine Shaw from the UAF Cooperative Extension Service Sitka Outreach Center will do pressure gauge testing at the Sitka Farmers Market, from 10-11:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 30, at ANB Founders Hall. She will be at the Transition Sitka booth with Barbara Bingham for the first half of the market (usually back by the stage).
It is recommended to check dial gauges for accuracy before use each year. Gauges that read high cause underprocessing and may result in unsafe food. Low readings cause overprocessing and may indicate that the accuracy of the gauge is unpredictable. Bring in the lid for your canner for a free test. In just a few minutes, you can make sure your dial gauge is accurate and functioning properly.
Jasmine also can provide pressure canner gauge testing at her office at UAS Sitka Campus, and she can be reached at 907-747-9440 or jdshaw2@alaska.edu to set up an appointment.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SITKA LOCAL FOODS NETWORK Sitka Farmers Market volunteer Corey Accardo, left, and Sitka Local Foods Network board member Edie Leghorn, right, present the Table of the Day Award for July 16 to Charlie Bower III of Natural Artist Enterprize. Charlie sold mushrooms and mushroom products, salmonberry popsicles, local books, and other items. He received a Sitka Local Foods Network tote bag, a Sitka Farmers Market special label chocolate bar, a bag of salad greens, a jar of Moosetard mustard, a jar of Foraged & Found kelp salsa, and a bottle of Moosetard Lead Dog BBQ sauce. The next Sitka Farmers Market is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 30, at the Alaska Native Brotherhood Founders Hall (235 Katlian Street). Vendors can register online (by Thursday morning on market week) 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 gray and drizzly for the second Sitka Farmers Market of the 2022 season, our 15th summer. This market, on Saturday, July 16, had a small number of vendors registered, so all of the vendors were moved inside the Alaska Native Brotherhood Founders Hall, where the first 12 years of Sitka Farmers Markets were held.
We appreciate everybody who made this market season a success, especially all of our vendors, volunteers, and our customers who wore masks to help prevent the spread of Covid-19. If the city’s Covid-19 risk level is high, we require masks inside ANB Hall. If the city’s Covid-19 risk is medium, we recommend people wear masks inside.
We didn’t have as many booths as in previous years, but the smaller markets seemed to have worked. We still had fresh local produce, as well as a variety of Alaska Grown value-added products, local eggs, mushrooms, and arts and crafts. The Sitka Local Foods Network farm stand accepts and matches WIC coupons and SNAP EBT benefits.
Our markets the rest of the season are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, July 30, Aug. 13, 27, Sept. 10, and 24, at the ANB Founders Hall, 235 Katlian Street. Potential vendors 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.
A slideshow of scenes from the second market of the summer is posted below.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SITKA LOCAL FOODS NETWORK
Sitka Farmers Market volunteer Corey Accardo, left, and Sitka Local Foods Network board member Edie Leghorn, right, present the Table of the Day Award for July 16 to Charlie Bower III of Naturdal Artist Enterprize. Charlie sold mushrooms and mushroom products, salmonberry popsicles, local books, and other items. He received a Sitka Local Foods Network tote bag, a Sitka Farmers Market special label chocolate bar, a bag of salad greens, a jar of Moosetard mustard, a jar of Foraged & Found kelp salsa, and a bottle of Moosetard Lead Dog BBQ sauce. The next Sitka Farmers Market is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 30, at the Alaska Native Brotherhood Founders Hall (235 Katlian Street). Vendors can register online (by Thursday morning on market week) 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.
Andrew Jylkka of the Sitka bakery Southeast Dough Company puts a tray of fresh-baked bread into a rack to cool. His business was one of the 12 finalists in the 2022 Path to Prosperity business development competition.
JUNEAU, Alaska — The Path to Prosperity Business Competition has selected this year’s cohort of 12 businesses to advance to the second round of the competition. This year’s list of finalists includes two businesses from Sitka — Laura Tirman of Alpenglow Adventures and Andrew Jylkka of Southeast Dough Company.
Started by Sealaska and The Nature Conservancy in 2013 and administered by Spruce Root Community Development, Path to Prosperity is an award-winning competition for small businesses and start-ups located in Southeast Alaska. The 2022 cycle of the Path to Prosperity competition aims to assist Southeast Alaskan entrepreneurs in contributing to a sustainable and regenerative tourism industry in the region that is community-led and locally owned.
In Round 2 of the competition, finalists will participate in Path to Prosperity’s innovative Business Boot Camp where they will get access to resources, work with mentors, and receive one-on-one consulting to develop their business plans. Two finalists will be selected to win $25,000 each to grow their businesses. The following businesses were selected as this year’s finalists:
Business Name, Primary Applicant, Location
Alaska Brown Bear Bread Co., Sean Williams, Hoonah
Alpenglow Adventures, Laura Tirman, Sitka
Costa Brava, Rebecca Kameika, Haines
Fathoms Alaska, Seth Bader, Juneau
Instant Vintage Photos, Kimberly Pruitt, Skagway
New Earth Fungi, Alannah Johnson, Juneau
Rooney’s Roost B&B, Caitlin Cardell, Wrangell
Scoot AK, Aaron Angerman, Wrangell
SEAK Expeditions, Joseph Oesterling, Haines
Silverthorn Charters, James Silverthorn, Thorne Bay
Southeast Dough Company, Andrew Jylkka, Sitka
The Wheelhouse, Pat Blair, Petersburg
From starting Wrangell’s first electric scooter rental company, to offering experiential three-week canoe trips for Alaska Native youth, to hosting an inaugural catch-and-release steelhead tournament on Prince of Wales Island, the 2022 Path to Prosperity finalists are defining Southeast Alaska’s visitor industry, creating jobs, and driving regenerative economic growth.
“Sustaining healthy communities in the 21st century means translating Indigenous knowledge, community resilience, and collaborative adaptability into sustainable jobs and innovative economic opportunities,” Spruce Root Executive Director Alana Peterson said. “The Path to Prosperity Competition supports the type of place-based economic development where locally owned and operated businesses are given support to be successful and to develop products and services that solve some of our greatest challenges in the region. A total of 23 entrepreneurs from eight communities applied to Round 1 of Path to Prosperity in 2022.”
While the majority of finalist businesses are involved in the visitor industry, there were some food businesses, such as Southeast Dough Company, to make the finals. Southeast Dough Company is a bakery based in Sitka that specializes in sourdough bread and other fermented products. Jylkka and Southeast Dough Company also won the 2020 Sitka Food Business Innovation Contest.
“Participating in Path to Prosperity will help me bring the vision of Southeast Dough Company into clearer focus,” Jylkka said. “It will help me refine my goals and build my skillset to grow this business in a sustainable way.”
Sitka’s other finalist, Alpenglow Adventures, will connect tourists with Sitka in a meaningful way by offering multi-day active adventures that include hiking, biking, kayaking, culture, food, art, and more. Alpenglow Adventures will work with and support existing local businesses by incorporating these businesses in the multi-day itineraries sold to guests as a package deal.
According to the Sustainable Southeast Partnership, regenerative tourism is a holistic approach to tourism that proactively works to improve ecosystems, elevate local economies, and promote meaningful and responsible visitor experiences. Authentic local representation, deep community involvement, and practical and innovative steps for conserving and enhancing the environment are central to this approach.
Over 10 competition cycles, Path to Prosperity has received more than 320 applications from Southeast Alaskan small business owners and entrepreneurs across 23 communities. The program has trained 122 finalists at Business Boot Camp and awarded 19 winners $610,000 to build their local businesses. All the participants have been trained in the “triple-bottom-line” approach to building a business by learning to measure their profitability as well as the environmental and social impacts of their business. In recent years, competition winners include Skyaana Coffee Co. (Klawock); Barnacle Foods (Juneau); Foundroot (Haines); Village Coffee Company (Yakutat); Kasaan Arts, Museum & Canoes (Kasaan); and more.
This program is supported by The Edgerton Foundation, Sealaska, USDA, Opportunity Finance Network, The Nature Conservancy, Wells Fargo, Oweesta Corporation, The Sustainable Southeast Partnership, Avista Foundation, Kensington Mine, AK Litho, Elgee Rehfeld, and Alaska Brewing. Spruce Root is grateful for their contributions.
Path to Prosperity is a Spruce Root program. Spruce Root provides local entrepreneurs with access to business development and financial resources in the form of loan capital, business coaching, workshops, and competitions. Together, these programs drive a regenerative economy across Southeast Alaska so communities can forge futures grounded in this uniquely Indigenous place. To learn more about Path to Prosperity or Spruce Root’s other services, visit their website at www.spruceroot.org or email grow@spruceroot.org.
The fisheries department at Sitka Tribe of Alaska is trying to better understand the distribution networks for the cultural and traditional resources used here in Southeast Alaska.
A request from STA fisheries biologist Kyle Rosendale: “Sitka Tribe of Alaska is asking anyone interested in herring eggs to fill out this brief survey to better understand the distribution of herring eggs and the needs of communities around the state. Respondents will be entered into a drawing for up to $300. Please share the survey with anyone who might be interested. Gunalchéesh!“
All surveys are confidential. If you have any questions, please email Kyle directly at kyle.rosendale@sitkatribe-nsn.gov.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SITKA LOCAL FOODS NETWORK Sitka Farmers Market volunteer Shannon Cellan, center, presents the Table of the Day Award for July 2 to Harriet, left, and Ron McClain of Fish Bone Studios. Harriet and Ron sold local books, pottery, and other items. They received a Sitka Local Foods Network tote bag, two Sitka Farmers Market special label Theobroma chocolate bars, a jar of Barnacle BBQ sauce, a jar of Foraged & Found kelp salsa, and a bottle of Moosetard Lead Dog BBQ sauce. The next Sitka Farmers Market is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 16, at the Alaska Native Brotherhood Founders Hall (235 Katlian Street). Vendors can register online (by Thursday on market week) 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.
Sunny skies and hot weather greeted the first Sitka Farmers Market of its 15th summer. This market, on Saturday, July 2, saw the market return to its roots at Alaska Native Brotherhood Founders Hall, where the first 12 years of markets were held.
We appreciate everybody who made this market season a success, especially all of our vendors, volunteers, and our customers who wore masks to help prevent the spread of Covid-19.
We didn’t have as many booths as in previous years, but the smaller markets seemed to have worked. We still had fresh local produce, as well as a variety of Alaska Grown value-added products, local eggs, mushrooms, and arts and crafts. The Sitka Local Foods Network farm stand accepts and matches WIC coupons and SNAP EBT benefits.
Our markets the rest of the season are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, July 16, 30, Aug. 13, 27, Sept. 10, and 24, at the ANB Founders Hall, 235 Katlian Street. Potential vendors 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.
A slideshow of scenes from the first market of the summer is posted below.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SITKA LOCAL FOODS NETWORK
Sitka Farmers Market volunteer Shannon Cellan, center, presents the Table of the Day Award for July 2 to Harriet, left, and Ron McClain of Fish Bone Studios. Harriet and Ron sold local books, pottery, and other items. They received a Sitka Loccal Foods Network tote bag, two Sitka Farmers Market special label chocolate bars, a jar of Barnacle BBQ sauce, a jar of Foraged & Found kelp salsa, and a bottle of Moosetard Lead Dog BBQ sauce. The next Sitka Farmers Market is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 16, at the Alaska Native Brotherhood Founders Hall (235 Katlian Street). 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.
Sitka Local Foods Network 
You must be logged in to post a comment.