April 21, 2010 by Charles Bingham

• Volunteers prepare St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm garden beds for planting, next work party is May 1

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Several volunteers helped out at a work party on Saturday afternoon, April 17, to get the St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm communal garden ready for planting next month.

The volunteers pulled weeds, mixed kelp and compost into the soil, built a couple of new garden beds, painted some new planters, transplanted some strawberries, cleaned out the storage shed and performed a lot of the tasks needed to get a garden ready for planting. In addition to the slideshow above, click here and scroll down for a similar slideshow on our Shutterfly site.

The next work party takes place from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, May 1. St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm is located behind the See House behind St. Peter’s By The Sea Episcopal Church on Lincoln Street. Tools and gloves will be provided.

Food grown at the St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm communal garden is sold at the Sitka Farmers Markets, which start on July 17. For more information about the May 1 work party, contact Doug Osborne at 747-3752 or doug_las@att.net, or contact Lisa Sadleir-Hart at 747-5985 or 3akharts@acsalaska.net.

Planting parties at St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm take place from 2-4 p.m. on three straight Saturdays in mid-May — May 15, 22 and 29 — safely after the last frost of the spring. For more information on the planting parties, contact Lisa Sadleir-Hart at 747-5985 or 3akharts@acsalaska.net.

Also, a work party is scheduled for 12:30-3 p.m. on Saturday, April 24, at Seaview Gardens, a garden at 3509 Halibut Point Road owned by Sitka Local Foods Network secretary/treasurer Linda Wilson that also provides produce sold at the Sitka Farmers Markets. This work party will start off with homemade pizza, then volunteers will help Linda prepare new garden beds for planting so we have more produce to sell at the Sitka Farmers Markets. For more information on this work party, contact Linda at 747-3096 (evenings and weekends only) or send her an e-mail at lawilson87@hotmail.com.

April 19, 2010 by Charles Bingham

• Sitka Global Warming Group, Sitka Local Foods Network offer Sitka garden-matching program

Michelle Putz of the Sitka Global Warming Group staffs the garden match booth at the Let's Grow Sitka event on March 14, 2010

Do you have a planting bed that you don’t have the time or energy to cultivate? Do you wish you could grow some vegetables, but have no place to put them?

Sitka Global Warming Group (SGWG), in conjunction with the Sitka Local Foods Network, is offering a garden-matching program to help people who have garden space get matched up with people who want to plant and tend a garden. This is an effort to increase the amount of food grown and eaten locally. SGWG asks Sitka residents who have garden space to share or residents who need a garden space to contact the group at info@sitkaglobalwarming.org. Provide your name, email address, phone number, size of the spot available or wanted, and the location of either the spot that is available or the address of the person who wants the spot.

So far the garden match program has paired up a couple of gardeners with garden beds, and helped get a few more people gardening at the homes of their friends and families. But the garden match program needs more garden spaces and gardeners. Michelle Putz of SGWG said they need more garden spaces along Halibut Point Road (where they have several available gardeners) and they need more gardeners along Sawmill Creek Road (where they have several available garden spaces).

“Can you (or someone you know) spare a little bit of garden or yard space that could be shared, especially on HPR?” Michelle asked in a recent e-mail. “Do you or someone you know long to get some veggie seeds in, but have nowhere to do it? Please call me ASAP at 747-2708. Would you like to help match people? Call if you’d like to volunteer.”

Michelle said the group is not setting any expectations of either the people who offer garden space or who want a garden space. Sharing of produce will be encouraged, but won’t be an expectation. SGWG also does not know how many participants to expect.

“This is the first year that we will do this,” Michelle said. “We’ve seen plenty of people who want to grow their own food but don’t have space to do it, and we have seen a lot of planting beds and garden spots that go unused during the summer because people are too busy or lack knowledge or experience in growing a garden. This is a great way to match those unused gardens with someone who will make them productive and increase the amount of vegetables being grown in Sitka.”

“Growing food locally has many benefits,” Michelle added. “For our group, the benefit is reducing the miles that food is shipped [thus reducing fuel use and carbon dioxide emissions]. But growing food locally also makes the food cheaper and improves the quality and healthfulness of the vegetables, since they are fresher. Growing food locally also improves our ‘food security,’ making a food shortage less likely in times of high fuel prices or bad weather. And local food tastes really good.”

April 19, 2010 by Charles Bingham

• Sitka Seafood Festival steering committee to meet on Thursday, May 6

The next meeting of the Sitka Seafood Festival steering committee takes place at ~~7:30~~ p.m. on Thursday, May 6, at ~~Harrigan Centennial Hall~~ (Editor’s note: The meeting has been changed to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 6, at the Sitka Fire Station). Six smaller committees are supposed to hold meetings before the steering committee meets again.

During the April 17 steering committee meeting, the discussion included an update on the group’s fundraising raffle that takes place at noon on Sunday, May 9, at the Bayview Restaurant. Raffle tickets were distributed to committee members, who will sell them for $5 each. The tickets also will be available at several locations that will be announced later this week. The prizes include a Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc mountain bike worth $550 from Yellow Jersey Cycle Shop, $125 worth of king salmon from F/V Cloud Nine (Betsy and Moe Johnson) and 11 “Taste of Sitka” prizes of restaurant gift certificates with a variety of price values that will be awarded individually. For more raffle info or to purchase tickets, contact Linda Olson at 747-6985.

The steering committee also discussed the need to visit more businesses for donations or sponsorships. Committee members are trying to get the donations/sponsorships confirmed by May 9 so the businesses can be acknowledged in Sitka Seafood Festival promotions leading up to the festival. Donations will be accepted after the May 9 deadline, but they may not receive as much recognition. There are several tiers based on the level of the donation/sponsorship. Donation/sponsorship checks need to be written to the “Sitka Conservation Society” with a memo of “Sitka Seafood Festival” or “SCS/SSF” (the Sitka Conservation Society is letting the festival share the society’s 501(c)(3) non-profit permit until the festival can get its own permit).

Committee members also discussed the tentative schedule, which includes on Friday, Aug. 6, a formal opening banquet dinner with a guest chef and live music following the dinner. On Saturday, Aug. 7, the tentative schedule includes a parade, vendors (including food and a beer garden), educational booths, entertainment booths, a stage with live acts (bands, cooking demonstrations, NANDA, etc.), a variety of contests for the kids, a “Taste of Sitka” with local chefs, and the headliner band and dance at night.

So far, the committee has booked “NANDA: Acrobaticalist Ninja Action Heroes,” a four-man juggling, acrobatic, martial arts and comedy troupe (see clip below). The committee hopes to confirm a headline music act and guest chef in the near future.

To learn more about the Sitka Seafood Festival or to volunteer to help on one of the committees, e-mail sitkaseafoodfestival@gmail.com. You also can contact Alicia Peavey at alaska_al33@hotmail.com or 1-928-607-4845. The Sitka Seafood Festival also has a new website under development, and eventually updates will be posted on the site.

Tentative schedule for the 2010 Sitka Seafood Festival (Aug. 6-7)

Sitka Seafood Festival business donation assignments (who asks) (updated)

Advertising Committee and tasks

Beverage Committee and tasks

Culinary Committee and tasks

Education Committee and tasks

Entertainment Committee and tasks

Fundraising Committee and tasks

April 15, 2010 by Charles Bingham

• Work parties scheduled for St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm

St. Peter's Fellowship Farm sign

Two work parties are scheduled to prepare the St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm for planting later this spring. The work parties are from 1-3 p.m. this Saturday, April 17, and again from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, May 1. St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm is located behind the See House behind St. Peter’s By The Sea Episcopal Church on Lincoln Street.

These work parties will focus on preparing the soil and getting the raised beds ready for spring planting. Tools and gloves will be provided. Food grown at the St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm communal garden is sold at the Sitka Farmers Markets, which start on July 17. For more information, contact Doug Osborne at 747-3752.

Planting parties at St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm take place from 2-4 p.m. on three straight Saturdays in mid-May — May 15, 22 and 29 — after the last frost. For more information on the planting parties, contact Lisa Sadleir-Hart at 747-5985 or 3akharts@acsalaska.net.

Barren garden beds wait to be prepared for planting at St. Peter's Fellowship Farm

April 15, 2010 by Charles Bingham

• The new Sitka Local Foods Network e-newsletter (April 13)

Click here to read the current Sitka Local Foods Network e-newsletter courtesy of Linda Wilson. Don’t forget, you can sign up for the e-newsletter by typing your e-mail address in the “Join Our Mailing List” box on bottom of the left side of the page.

This issue of the e-newsletter includes information about April being National Garden Month, about local garden work parties for gardens that help supply the Sitka Farmers Market with vegetables, growing apple trees in Sitka and growing rhubarb.

April 12, 2010 by Charles Bingham

• Sitka gardeners to meet Tuesday, April 20, at UAS-Sitka Campus

Local gardener Evening Star Grutter of Eve's Farm, shown here with some of her homemade jams during the Aug. 29, 2009, Sitka Farmers Market, will be the guest speaker at April's meeting of the Sitka Gardeners Club

The Sitka Gardeners Club’s monthly get-together takes place from 7-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 20, in Room 106 at the University of Alaska Southeast-Sitka Campus on Japonski Island.

The get-together provides a venue for gardeners of all types, interests and skills to informally exchange ideas, information, seeds and growing tips. Share and learn from other gardeners with no dues or commitments other than good fellowship.

Sitka gardeners plan to meet on the third Tuesday of the month at the UAS-Sitka Campus. This month’s meeting will feature gardening tips from Evening Star Grutter of Eve’s Farm, and it is sponsored by UAS-Sitka Campus and the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service. For more information, call Cheryl Stromme at 747-9473 or Bob Gorman at 747-9413.

April 12, 2010 by Charles Bingham

• Sitka Seafood Festival steering committee to meet on Saturday, April 17

The next meeting of the Sitka Seafood Festival steering committee is 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 17, at Harrigan Centennial Hall.

During the April 10 meeting, the committee voted Lily Herwald in as secretary and Phyllis Hackett as bookkeeper. The committee also decided to book “NANDA: Acrobaticalist Ninja Action Heroes,” a four-man juggling, acrobatic, martial arts and comedy troupe that is performing at the Southeast Alaska State Fair on July 29-Aug. 1 in Haines, the weekend before the Sitka Seafood Festival (Aug. 6-7). A headline music group also is being booked.

Committee members will be canvassing local businesses for donations to cover the costs of hosting the inaugural Sitka Seafood Festival, and the deadline for donations is May 9 (Mother’s Day). A donation/sponsorship letter has been approved and committee members soon will distribute it to local businesses. Donations will be accepted after May 9, but that’s the deadline to be included in the event promotional materials, which uses a tier system based on the amount of the donation. Donation/sponsorship checks need to be written to the “Sitka Conservation Society” with a memo of “Sitka Seafood Festival” or “SCS/SSF” (the Sitka Conservation Society is letting us share their 501(c)(3) permit until we can get our own next year).

Also, committee members are seeking prizes for a raffle and raffle prize commitments are needed by Wednesday, April 14, to either Alicia Peavey (alaska_al33@hotmail.com or 1-928-607-4845) or Linda Olson (747-6985 or Baranof Elementary School). The raffle will feature 800 tickets at $5 each, with the drawing to take place on May 9 (Mother’s Day). Donations of merchandise, including locally caught seafood or gourmet meals of Sitka seafood, are greatly appreciated.

During the April 5 meeting, the steering committee decided to hold the inaugural Sitka Seafood Festival on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 6-7. The tentative plan is to have an opening dinner on Friday night with a guest chef and the possibility of live music. The main events will be on Saturday, with vendors set up all day, contests, a parade, cooking demos, music and educational activities. The headliner music guest will play a concert/dance on Saturday night.

Sitka Seafood Festival minutes from the April 10, 2010, meeting

Sitka Seafood Festival committee breakdown and job tasks (updated)

Sitka Seafood Festival business donation assignments (who asks) (updated)

April 7, 2010 by Charles Bingham

• Sitka subsistence herring egg harvest in progress

Michael Baines prepares hemlock trees and branches before they are placed in the water to catch herring spawn (Photo taken by Ed Ronco of KCAW-Raven Radio)

If it’s snowing in April, it probably means it’s time for the subsistence herring egg harvest in Sitka. This is one of the most important signs of spring in Sitka, especially for the Tlingít, Haida and Tsimshian people who lived in Southeast Alaska long before the first Europeans showed up.

On the KCAW-Raven Radio news Tuesday, KCAW reporter Ed Ronco reported on a trip he took with Sitka Tribe of Alaska Vice Chairman Michael Baines and his sister, Betty Baines, to place hemlock trees and branches into Sitka Sound, near Kasiana Island, to collect the herring spawn. The story link includes an audio postcard, where Michael Baines discusses the herring roe’s importance to the Native culture, and a few photos of the hemlock branches and trees being prepared. The herring eggs will collect on the branches, which will be pulled from the water a few days later, hopefully with a thick mass of roe. (Editor’s note: On Friday there was a follow-up story featuring the fishing vessel Julia Kae, skippered by Steve Demmert, which has been distributing herring eggs to local residents of Sitka and surrounding communities.)

The herring harvest is an amazing time in Sitka, because it seems like every species comes to town for the herring. There are more whales, eagles, sea gulls, sea lions, etc., around town, and even halibut and salmon are looking for meals of herring eggs. Pauline Duncan produced this Tlingít curriculum about herring geared toward younger students for the Alaska Native Knowledge Network. The blog Kiksadi News by Heen Kweix’ (Bob Gamble) tells how subsistence herring eggs are harvested and prepared (scroll down to the second item).

There also is a large commercial harvest of herring just before the subsistence herring roe harvest. The commercial harvest this year had a record guideline harvest of 18,293 tons, and finished just 550 tons short of that goal. The growing commercial harvest has put a lot of pressure on the relatively small subsistence harvest, in 2005 only 72,000 pounds (not tons) were taken out of a target range of 105,000 to 158,000 pounds. Sitka Tribe of Alaska regularly submits proposals to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (which manages both the commercial and subsistence fisheries) to increase the subsistence harvest, but the proposals have not been passed. The subsistence herring eggs are used not just in Sitka, but all over the state and they are a popular trading subsistence food (for example, a Tlingít in Sitka might swap herring eggs with an Iñupiat for caribou meat from the Kotzebue area, since caribou is an item not found in Southeast Alaska).

April 7, 2010 by Charles Bingham

• Sitka Seafood Festival steering committee to meet on Saturday, April 10

Sockeye salmon hang in a smoker in preparation for the 2009 ANSWER Camp program

The next meeting of the Sitka Seafood Festival steering committee is 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 10, at the Bayview Wine Bar (on the second floor of the Bayview Building on Lincoln Street).

Sitka Seafood Festival committee breakdown and job tasks

Final draft of Sitka Seafood Festival donation letter

Sitka Seafood Festival business donation assignments (who asks)

April 5, 2010 by Charles Bingham

• Sitka Seafood Festival steering committee meets tonight (April 5)

Grillmaster Rick DeGroot checks salmon fillets barbecuing for a 2007 prostate cancer awareness event in Sitka

The Sitka Seafood Festival steering committee will meet at 7:30 p.m. tonight (Monday, April 5) at Harrigan Centennial Hall. The meeting times have been moving around in recent weeks as they try to find a time that can get local restaurant people involved.

Tonight’s meeting will finalize a sponsorship letter for fundraising, discuss a raffle fundraiser, discuss work committees and duties, discuss budget for music and possible guest chefs, etc.

At the last meeting on April 1, the group finalized the mission statement, “The Sitka Seafood Festival’s mission is to celebrate wild Alaska seafood.” The steering committee also decided that this year’s inaugural event will focus on culinary experience, entertainment (music) and education.

Sitka Seafood Festival committee breakdown

Sitka Seafood Festival tasks

Rough draft of Sitka Seafood Festival donation letter

Sitka Seafood Festival business donation assignments (who asks)