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• Buying local food during a Southeast Alaska summer

Sitka Local Foods Network Board Vice President Cathy Lieser distributes "Alaska Grown" bumper stickers during the July Fourth parade in Sitka (Photo by Heike Hüttenkofer)

Sitka Local Foods Network Board Vice President Cathy Lieser distributes “Alaska Grown” bumper stickers during the July Fourth parade in Sitka (Photo by Heike Hüttenkofer)

By CATHY LIESER
Sitka Local Foods Network Board Vice President

I am cooking on a boat throughout Southeast Alaska this summer, so on May 5, I planted seeds in my garden, covered it with bird netting and wished it well until my return. The text from my friend read, “the weeds are winning,” luckily I have an herb garden on the boat.

I have been on the hunt for local food in the towns where we provision. It was a late spring, so early on I watched plots greening up and took mental notes. There was kale and rhubarb in Tenakee, with one grower who sells on Friday — The Party Time Bakery — which uses local produce for delicious meals. We bought a rhubarb-berry pie fresh out of the oven and took it back to the boat.

In Juneau, we stocked up at Pinkies Fish Market where the mission is to create a local food economy by sourcing local seafood and other farm fresh items. I toured the Jensen-Olson Arboretum (click here for Facebook page) with Merrill Jensen while he shared about their process toward having a certified virus-free Tlingít potato. The Wild Oven sourdough bakery found me sampling chewy and flavorful loaves that I found out got better with age. At the Second Saturday Market, I bought greenhouse-fresh basil picked that morning.

I barely missed the first Sitka Farmers Market on July 6, but did raid my garden for spinach, kale, lettuce, corn salad and miner’s lettuce. I thank those who watered for me during the hot month of June. Our next boat destination was Petersburg, where I finally arrived on a day where two growers were selling.

The Garden, which participates in the Alaska Grown program, is an abundant oasis of organic produce in the middle of town. Tonna Parker has turned a family lot into a production powerhouse using French intensive methods. For the last four years she has sold direct to the community, just stop by on a Tuesday or Saturday to see what she has available. I bought cucumbers and snap peas that did not make it home, I snacked while Tonna gave me a tour. She has beautiful raised beds, chickens, ducks and compact greenhouses where she is able to grow an astounding variety. Winter squash, pumpkins, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, bok choi, kale, corn salad, arugula, carrots, beans, peas, berries, eggs, the abundance went on and on.

I was incredibly inspired by her approach toward finding varieties that thrive in her micro climate, ones that are tough and aggressive growers. She trials open-pollinated varieties and saves her own seed for many of her plantings. Freely sharing her knowledge, Tonna said she would happily work herself out of a job, she just wants folks to grow local and reap the benefits.

Farragut Farm makes the trip into Petersburg by boat to sell direct twice a month. Marja Smets and Bo Varsano had beautiful, tender and sweet produce for sale. Radishes nearly the size of golf balls, collards, kale, chard, green onions, carrots, garlic scapes, edible flowers, pea shoots, peas, Napa cabbage, turnips, beets, and lettuce. Wow, to have root crops and full-sized heads of Romaine lettuce and cabbage this early on is a testament to dedicated growing. I had heard that Farragut sells to charter boats and indeed I can place an order via email to be picked up one hour on either side of the high tide in Farragut Bay. They will row and deliver to the boat.

If you love fresh flowers, Craig Olson and Deb Hurley of the Flower Farm run a flower CSA.  For a $100 subscription they deliver six bouquets a summer.  Stunning dahlia, snapdragon, campanula, linaria, veronica, delphinum, and ageratum to name a few.  They grow in three hoophouses and three heated greenhouses that were funded with a $20,000 grant from the Petersburg Development Fund. Planting starts on Jan. 9, and 60 percent of their sales are in veggie and flower bedding plants.

Inga’s Galley (click here for Facebook page) is the Petersburg reinvention of Sitka’s late-but-beloved Two Chicks on a Kabob Stick food cart. Amyee Peeler (one of the Two Chicks from Sitka) sources local produce whenever she can, and of course all of the seafood is local.

Unfortunately, the The Market In Petersburg was not happening on the Friday while I was in town, but I hope to hit it on July 19.

I’ll keep looking over the next two months wherever we dock, I am heartened to see folks committed to growing and sourcing the best food in Southeast. If you know of anyone that I’ve missed leave me a note at sitkalocalfoodsnetwork@gmail.com (put “Attention Cathy” in the subject line).

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• Alaska Division of Agriculture to host four On-Farm Food Safety Workshops in Southeast communities

Southeast Workshops flyer2

The Alaska Division of Agriculture is planning a series of four On-Farm Food Safety Workshops in Southeast Alaska communities the week of July 21-25. The workshops will be in Skagway, Haines, Juneau and Sitka.

These workshops are geared toward farmers both large and small, farmers market vendors, gardeners, and anyone who is interested in learning more about food safety in the production of fruits and vegetables.

The Sitka workshop will be from 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, July 25, in the upstairs classroom of the See House at the St. Peter’s By The Sea Episcopal Church (on Lincoln Street, the brown church with the steeple above Crescent Harbor). This is a voluntary educational event for farmers and gardeners who want to learn more about agricultural practices that help reduce the risk of food-borne illness, especially if they plan to sell or donate produce to the Sitka Farmers Market or other programs. For more information about the Sitka workshop, contact Lisa Sadleir-Hart at 747-5985.

The workshops are free, informal, and run for about three hours. The workshops consist of two powerpoint presentations – one on food safety, and introduction to both USDA GAP/GHP food safety audits and the FDA’s new Food Safety Modernization Act, and a second presentation that assists growers who are interested in marketing their produce to schools and local institutions.

The workshops include a site visit to a local farm or garden where we will conduct a mock food-safety audit and answer growers’ questions. We will also provide a wealth of food safety reference materials, and an introduction to online tools that can assist growers in creating a food safety plan, which is the first step in providing food safety assurance to their buyers.  All attendees will receive a copy of FamilyFarmed.org’s “Wholesale Success” reference manual, and a certificate for 3 hours of continuing education in farm food safety.

To learn about the Skagway, Haines and Juneau workshops, check out the flier posted above.

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• Skagway Garden Club hosts Southeast Alaska Garden Conference on July 19-21

gardenconference2013-1

The Skagway Garden Club will host the Southeast Alaska Garden Conference on July 19-21 at various locations in Skagway, Alaska. The cot for the conference is $99.

The keynote speaker will be Garden Writers of America Hall of Fame member  Jeff Lowenfels, longtime garden columnist with the Anchorage Daily News and the author of the books “Teaming With Microbes: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web” and “Teaming With Nutrients: The Organic Gardeners Guide to Optimizing Plant Nutrition.” Lowenfels also was the founder of the “Plant A Row for the Hungry” (aka PAR) program that has provided more than 14 million meals for the hungry, and he is former president of the Garden Writers of America.

Garden enthusiasts will be thrilled at the selection of topics ranging from gardening for Alaska’s pollinators to cooking with local edibles through the science behind the process of composting. The conference will have activities for kids and tours of Skagway’s finest gardens and historic garden sites, which includes the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park’s Herbarium.

The conference includes a Friday evening opening reception at the Red Onion’s Bombay Room; Keynote and Saturday program at the Arctic Brotherhood Hall; Saturday continental breakfast; garden tours; lunch at the Westmark Hotel featuring Laurie Constantino, author of  “Tastes Like Home: Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska;” glassblowing demonstration and dinner at Jewell Gardens; and Sunday workshops. This year’s conference is hosted by the Skagway Garden Club and sponsored by the Skagway Convention and Visitors Bureau.

• Master schedule for the 2013 Southeast Alaska Garden Conference

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• Invasive and damaging insect, the green alder sawfly, found in Sitka

GreenAlderSawflyAdult

GreenAlderSawflyLarvaFor the first time, an invasive insect called the green alder sawfly (Monsoma pulveratum) has been found in Sitka. This insect is considered a danger to alder trees in Sitka and other Southeast wetlands.

“Several days ago a positive identification has been made on the green alder sawfly in Sitka,” Bob Gorman, resource development faculty with the Sitka office of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, wrote in an e-mail sent to Sitka and Southeast gardeners, “This invasive, exotic insect has defoliated alder trees in Anchorage and surrounding areas. It is a potentially serious threat to alder in southeast Alaska. The attached fact sheet (linked at the bottom of this post) provides details on the green alder sawfly. Distribute this information as you see fit. Thanks.”

The green alder sawfly is native to Europe and North Africa, and its preferred diet is European gray alder. It was first reported in North America in 1995 in Newfoundland, Canada. In 2004 it was first collected in Alaska near Palmer. Since 2007, the green alder sawfly has been documented defoliating thin-leaf alder (Alnus glutinosa) in numerous locations in Southcentral Alaska, eliminating alder in some watersheds. The green alder sawfly has been found in red alder (Alnus rubra) trees along Sawmill Creek Road, Halibut Point Road and Jarvis Street.

On Friday, KCAW-Raven Radio aired a story about the green alder sawfly with more details from Gorman and USDA Forest Service entomologist Liz Graham, who flew to Sitka from Juneau after Gorman sent her photos of the insect’s caterpillars.

Please report any known or suspected infestations of green alder sawfly to the Sitka office of the UAF Cooperative Extension Service by calling 747-9440 or stopping by the office located in Room 122 at University of Alaska Southeast Sitka Campus. GPS (global positioning system) coordinates of known locations of the green alder sawfly will help in determining the extent of this insect, which probably overwintered in Sitka.

• Green Alder Sawfly: A Threat to Sitka and Southeast Watersheds flier from the UAF Cooperative Extension Service

 

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• Gov. Parnell signs executive order creating the Alaska Food Resource Working Group

AlaskaFoodPolicyCouncilLogoThe following is a note sent to members of the Alaska Food Policy Council listserv by Diane Peck, MPH, RD, a public health nutritionist with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Obesity Prevention and Control Program. Diane also is one of the lead contacts for the Alaska Food Policy Council.

Last Friday (June 28, 2013), at the Palmer Farmers Market, Gov. Sean Parnell signed Administrative Order No. 265 (http://gov.state.ak.us/admin-orders/265.html) to establish the Alaska Food Resource Working Group (AFRWG) to recommend policies and measures to increase the purchase and consumption of local wild seafood and farm products. This is a bit different than HCR 01. The AFRWG is composed of eight state agency commissioners or their designee. “The AFRWG shall collaborate with the Alaska Food Policy Council . . . and shall invite a member of the AFPC governing board to represent the AFPC at scheduled meetings.”

The goals of the group are:

  • Develop a mission statement that promotes increased use of locally grown and harvested foods within state and local agencies, institutions, and schools;
  • Identify factors that might discourage or prevent locally harvested and produced food from being purchased by federal, state and local agencies, institutions, and schools;
  • Review existing or proposed programs, policies, statutes, and regulations that impact the state’s food system and recommend to policymakers methods to improve coordination and implementation;
  • Identify research needed to support and encourage increased consumption and production of local foods within the state; and
  • Engage with the public to seek additional input on ways to promote the above-listed goals.

Lots of legislators and several commissioners were at the signing.  The governor said this elevates the group to “sub-cabinet” status.

To learn more about the Alaska Food Policy Council, go to its website or like its Facebook page. Sitka Local Foods Network board president Lisa Sadleir-Hart represents Sitka on the Alaska Food Policy Council.

• Alaska Food Policy Council press release about the executive order

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• Sitka to host six farmers markets in 2013 starting on Saturday, July 6

SitkaFarmersMarketSignThe Sitka Local Foods Network will host its sixth summer of Sitka Farmers Markets with six markets this year starting on July 6 and taking place on alternate Saturdays through Sept. 14. The Sitka Farmers Markets give Sitka residents a chance to buy and sell locally produced food and crafts.

The Sitka Farmers Markets take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 6, 20, Aug. 3, 17, 31, and Sept. 14 at the Alaska Native Brotherhood Founders Hall (235 Katlian St.). The markets feature local seafood (fresh, frozen, and cooked, ready to eat), locally grown and harvested fruits and vegetables, baked goods, locally made jams and jellies, live entertainment, locally brewed and roasted coffee, music, local arts and crafts, and a variety of other items gathered or made in Sitka. We emphasize local products and lots of fun. We are the first farmers market in Southeast Alaska to accept WIC coupons and Quest EBT for Food Stamps. You also can vote for the Sitka Farmers Market in the America’s Favorite Farmers Markets contest by following the links at http://www.sitkalocalfoodsnetwork.org/.

“The Sitka Farmers Market is a great way to connect with community members and support local entrepreneurs,” Sitka Local Foods Network Board President Lisa Sadleir-Hart said. “Circulating your dollars locally also has a multiplying effect and helps your neighbors.”

SLFNGroupwLindaThe Sitka Farmers Market started as a community wellness project that came out of a health priority planning meeting at the 2008 Sitka Health Summit. These events are sponsored by the Sitka Local Foods Network, Alaska Native Brotherhood Camp No. 1, Alaska Native Sisterhood Camp No. 4, Baranof Island Housing Authority, the Alaska Farmers Market Association and the SEARHC Health Promotion and Diabetes Prevention programs.

“We are excited to have Bridget Kaufmann, bread-baker extraordinaire and former vendor, as our new market manager,” Sadleir-Hart said. “Bridget brings loads of enthusiasm and some new ideas to the market and is focused on creating a sustainable market that can be in Sitka for the duration.” AmeriCorps volunteers Sabrina Cimerol and Garrett Bauer will assist Bridget and share co-market managing duties. “As always the market will be a place to support the growing local food movement in Sitka and learn more about how to eat more sustainably.”

Vendor fees are $30 for a 6-foot table, $40 for an 8-foot table and $20 for a 4-foot table. Vendors with their own tents pay $5 per foot. As always, we offer cost incentives for vendors growing locally produced food. The fees will help us cover the costs of renting ANB Founders Hall and its kitchen, hiring musicians and other expenses. To learn more about being a vendor or to sign up for a table, contact Sitka Farmers Market Coordinator, Bridget Kauffman at 738-8683 or by e-mail sitkafarmersmarket@gmail.com. Vendor rules, registration forms and other information for potential vendors can be found on the Documents page at http://www.sitkalocalfoodsnetwork.org/.

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• Greater Sitka Arts Council seeks entries for Sitka “state” Fair on Aug. 11

2013 Sitka State Fair flierHave you always wanted to participate in one of the official Alaska State Fairs, but didn’t have the money or time to get to Haines, Palmer or Fairbanks? The Greater Sitka Arts Council is seeking entries, including food entries, for the second annual Sitka “state” Fair, which takes place on Sunday, Aug. 11, at Harrigan Centennial Hall.

“The thinking was there are a lot of people in Sitka with a wide variety of interests and talents and a state fair would give them an opportunity to share them, show them off, and have some good old-fashioned, state-fair-type competition,” said Jeff Budd of the Greater Sitka Arts Council. “We also did it because it seemed like a lot of fun and meets our  stated Vision: Art is vital to a healthy vibrant community, and Mission: To increase awareness of the value of arts in Sitka through education, advocacy and programming. Also, as we were the first capital of Alaska that we deserved a state fair as much as Palmer or Haines.”

Entries will be taken for three age divisions — age 0-10, age 10-17, and age 18-older. Entry fees are $3 per item, with a maximum of nine total entries. Ribbons will be awarded for first, second and third place in each age division and category. Food contest entries should include two samples (one for the judges, one for display). Items are for display only, and no sales will be permitted.

Entries should be dropped off from 8-9 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 11, at Harrigan Centennial Hall. They will be judged from 9 a.m. to noon, and the fair will be open to the public from noon to 5 p.m. All entries must remain on display until 5 p.m.

Categories to be judged include:

  • Cupcakes
  • Savory Pies
  • Sweet Pies
  • Savory Bread
  • Sweet Bread
  • Artisinal Bread
  • Scones
  • Muffins
  • Jams
  • Jellies
  • Canned Fruit
  • Canned Vegetables
  • Home-Grown Vegetables
  • Hobbies (Crsfts, Collections)
  • Flower Arranging
  • Spam Hors d’Oeuvres
  • Pickling
  • Chickens (Caged)
  • Bunnies (Caged)
  • Vegetable/Fruit Art
  • Canned Fish
  • Smoked Fish

In addition, there also is a “Sitka Tuf” photography contest hosted by the Harry Race Photo Department. To learn more about it, go to the Harry Race website or the Harry Race page on Facebook.

To learn more about the Sitka “state” Fair, go to the Greater Sitka Arts Council website (scroll down for details) or the group’s Facebook page. Entry forms can be downloaded below, or you can get copies at the GSAC office, Room 108 of the Yaw Building on the Sheldon Jackson Campus, or at the Harry Race Photo Department.

• 2013 Sitka State Fair entry form

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• Sitka Farmers Market among 11 farmers markets accepting Alaska Quest Cards

(The following is from a press release from the Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Agriculture)

EBTattheFarmersMarketPALMER, Alaska – Eleven farmers markets throughout Alaska, including the Sitka Farmers Market, are now accepting Quest Cards, enhancing the state’s efforts to make healthy, locally-grown food available to Alaska households. Six markets (including Sitka) accepted the cards in 2012, and two markets accepted them in 2011, according to the Division of Agriculture.

The Alaska Quest Card is used by households qualified through the Alaska Food Stamp Program to purchase food from farmers markets and grocery stores.

“This program improves access to fresh, local foods to community members who are struggling financially.  Additionally, the program helps increase understanding of food insecurity issues in our community and how produce and other food vendors can be part of the solution,” said Lisa Sadlier-Hart, manager of the Sitka Farmers Market (Editor’s note: A correction, Sadleir-Hart is president of the Sitka Local Foods Network board of directors, which hosts the Sitka Farmers Markets; Bridget Kauffman is the market manager).

Quest cards are accepted in the following locations:

Anchorage

  • Spenard Farmers Market; the Anchorage Farmers Market; and the South Anchorage Farmers Markets (Saturday and Wednesday)

Kenai Peninsula

  • Anchor Point Saturday Farmers Market & Swap Meet, and the Homer Farmers Market

Western Alaska

  • The Bethel Farm Stand and the Dillingham Farmers Market

Fairbanks

  • Downtown Fairbanks Market and Calypso School Garden Farm Stands

Southeast Alaska

  • Sitka Farmers Market

These markets will also host Match Days, when Quest card holders can get twice the amount of fresh, local food for the first $20 spent with their cards.   Match Days are listed below:

Anchorage and Kenai Peninsula

  • First market of the month (markets happening twice a week will have matching both days);

Western Alaska, Fairbanks and Southeast Alaska

  • Throughout the summer until funds run out.

Check the Alaska Division of Agriculture website at http://www.dnr.alaska.gov/ag/ag_FMI.htm for more information on Alaska’s farmers markets, including those that accept Quest Cards.  For more information on the Alaska Quest Card, go to http://www.akquest.alaska.gov.

See you at the market, where it’s Closer. Fresher. Better.

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• Alaska Division of Forestry Community Forestry Program to host tree care and planting classes in Sitka

A cluster of Parkland apples (photo from the Alaska Pioneer Fruit Growers Association gallery, http://www.apfga.org/)

A cluster of Parkland apples (photo from the Alaska Pioneer Fruit Growers Association gallery, http://www.apfga.org/)

The Alaska Division of Forestry Community Forestry Program, in partnership with Sitka Tree and Landscape Committee, is coordinating three classes on tree health care and planting in Sitka. The classes are open to the public at no charge. Sign-up beforehand is not required. The schedule is as follows:

  • Diagnosing Tree Health Problems
    Monday, June 3, 6:00 – 8:30 pm
    Bob Gorman, UAF Cooperative Extension Service Sitka Office
    Natural Resources & Community Development Faculty
    Learn to observe signs and symptoms and to gather information about the biological, environmental, and cultural factors that affect a tree’s health.
  • Tree Selection, Planting, & Care
    Tuesday, June 4, 6:00 – 8:30 pm
    Patricia Joyner, Alaska Division of Forestry
    Community Forestry Program Manager and certified arborist
    Learn to select the right site, choose a high quality tree, and plant and maintain it.
  • Plant a Tree
    Wednesday, June 5, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
    Patricia Joyner
    Help plant trees in a city park. Apply what you learned in Wednesday’s class in the real world.

The classes will be held at Harrigan Centennial Hall on Monday and Tuesday and will meet at Centennial Hall on Wednesday before going to Sealing Cove for a tree planting. For information, contact the Division of Forestry at patricia.joyner@alaska.gov, 907-269-8465, or Lynne Brandon, Sitka Parks and Recreation, at 747-1852.

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• Blatchley Community Gardens to host a memorial for Kathy Swanberg on Friday, May 24

Blatchley Community Gardens entrance

Blatchley Community Gardens entrance

The Blatchley Community Gardens and Blatchley Middle School will host a memorial for Kathy Swanberg in the community garden behind the school at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, May 24.

A bench built by Blatchley teachers will be dedicated in her honor. Family and friends are invited to attend, and a short reception will follow in the library.

Kathy Swanberg passed away in November 2012. She was the longtime secretary at the middle school and a gardener in the community gardens.

To learn more about the memorial and Blatchley Community Gardens, contact Dave Nuetzel at 738-8732 or community.garden@hotmail.com, or go to the Blatchley Community Gardens’ Facebook page.