August 14, 2009 by Charles Bingham

• Third Sitka Farmers Market takes place on Saturday (Aug. 15)

The third Sitka Farmers Market of the season takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15, at the Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall (235 Katlian St.) and in the adjoining parking lot owned by the Baranof Island Housing Authority.

“The Sitka Farmers Market offers unique varieties of fresh, nutritious food at the peak of flavor, creates a vibrant community gathering place, and provides the opportunity for learning about healthy life choices and local products,” says Linda Wilson, Sitka Farmers Market Co-Coordinator.

The Sitka Farmers Market features about 20-30 vendors each market who sell locally grown produce, locally harvested fish and locally made arts and crafts. Local musicians perform on the stage inside the ANB Hall and in the jam tent outside, local cooks make ready-to-eat dishes and there are activities for the children. The Sitka Farmers Market is the only farmers market in Southeast Alaska authorized to accept WIC vouchers, which can be used by WIC-eligible families to purchase produce.

Booths are available for Saturday’s market for $5 a table. For more information about this week’s market, contact Linda Wilson at 747-3096 (nights) or lawilson87@hotmail.com, or contact Kerry MacLane at maclanekerry@yahoo.com.

By the way, don’t forget to vote for the Sitka Farmers Market in the “Love Your Farmers Market” contest sponsored by Care2.com and LocalHarvest.org. The market with the most votes wins $5,000. To vote, just click on the contest logo below and follow the link.

August 12, 2009 by Charles Bingham

• Capital City Weekly covers Sitka Farmers Market

Capital City Weekly screenshot showing the Table of the Day Award winners from the second Sitka Farmers Market of the summer (Aug. 1)

This week’s edition of Capital City Weekly (a free Southeast Alaska regional weekly newspaper that comes out on Wednesdays) had some good coverage of the Sitka Farmers Market.

Click here to see a photo honoring Table of the Day Award winners Pete Karras and Mimi Goodwin from the second Sitka Farmers Market on Aug. 1. This photo ran in the Health section of the paper.

Click here to see a package of four photos taken by Capital City Weekly reporter Libby Sterling when she was in Sitka for the first Sitka Farmers Market on July 18. This package ran in the Outdoors section of the paper.

By the way, the third Sitka Farmers Market of the summer takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15, at the Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall, 235 Katlian St. Some booth space is available, so call Linda Wilson at 747-3096 (nights and weekends) for more information.

The Sitka Local Foods Network (the 501(c)(3) non-profit group that sponsors the Sitka Farmers Market) welcomes any volunteers who want to help set up the market before it opens and take it down once the market is over. Also, the Sitka Local Foods Network accepts donations of extra locally grown produce and berries people may have to sell at the network’s booth at the Sitka Farmers Market. The money raised at the network’s booth helps fund Sitka Local Foods Network projects (the market, community gardens, seed money for the community greenhouse project, educational speakers, etc.). Just drop your extra produce off at the network’s booth, usually outside right next to the building on Katlian St., at the start of the market.

And finally, there was one last story of interest in this week’s Capital City Weekly. Click here to read an article and photo package about the variety of plants being grown at the Jensen-Olson Arboretum in Juneau.

A screenshot from the Capital City Weekly photo package about Sitka's local foods from the first Sitka Farmers Market of the summer (July 18)

August 9, 2009 by Charles Bingham

• Juneau Empire features Sitka Farmers Market

A screenshot of the Juneau Empire page showing the winners of the Table of the Day Award from the second Sitka Farmers Market on Aug. 1

Click here to see where the Juneau Empire on Sunday ran a photo of Sitka Local Foods Network volunteer Maybelle Filler giving Pete Karras of Pete’s Sourdough Bread and Mimi Goodwin of Just Arts the Table of the Day Award from the second Sitka Farmers Market of the season on Aug. 1 (Pete and Mimi shared a table).

In addition to the Sitka Farmers Market photo, there were other articles of note in Sunday’s Juneau Empire for those interested in learning more about local food.

Click here to read about the second annual Juneau Farmers Market and Local Foods Festival, which takes place on Aug. 29. Juneau only hosts one farmers market a year. Click here for the Juneau Farmers Market site.

Click here to read an article about the Juneau Community Garden. The Juneau Community Garden’s annual Harvest Fair is Saturday, Aug. 22. Click here to go to the Juneau Community Garden site. Click here for the Juneau Community Garden Association site.

Click here to read an article about the poisonous baneberry, a red berry that grows here in Sitka as well as in Juneau. There are photos, to help people identify this poisonous berry.

August 9, 2009 by Charles Bingham

• Vote for the Sitka Farmers Market in the ‘Love Your Farmers Market’ contest

Sitka Farmers Market Calls On Community To Vote For It In The ‘Love Your Farmers Market’ Contest In An Effort To Win $5,000 From Care2.com

Prizes to help farmers markets across the country promote fresh, local foods and small family farms

SITKA, Alaska, Aug. 9, 2009 — Sitka residents have a fun new way to show the Sitka Farmers Market some love — and help this farmers market win $5,000 through a fun, online contest.

The “Love Your Farmers Market” contest, sponsored by Care2.com and LocalHarvest.org, will award the voters’ favorite farmers market the grand prize, which will go a long way to help the Sitka Farmers Market support local family farmers and provide Sitka with fresh, healthy, locally grown food. Voting opened on June 19 and closes on Sept. 17. In addition to the $5,000 grand prize for the top farmers market, there are several other prizes including weekly $250 prizes for a random market and some prizes for voters (tote bags, $50 prizes for top recruiters to spend at their market, etc.).

Such a contest couldn’t be more timely. With a global recession, food scares and growing concern over industrial farming practices, Americans are searching for ways to reconnect with local, healthy and safe foods for themselves and their families. “Recession gardens” are popping up around the country. Organic food is now a $20 billion industry and still expanding in spite of the economy. First Lady Michelle Obama broke ground on the new White House organic vegetable garden. More and more, Americans are visiting their local farmers markets to feed their families and support their local farmers.

Care2 (www.care2.com), the largest online community of people passionate about making a difference, is teaming up with LocalHarvest (www.localharvest.org), America’s most popular website for finding food grown close to home, to bring public awareness to the need to support family farms, fresh healthy food, and the farmers markets that connect these farms and food to our communities.

In addition to the grand prize, Care2 is awarding $3,000, $2,000 and two prizes of $1,000 to the four runner-ups respectively. Local residents and market supporters will determine the winners of this contest, and can vote for the Sitka Farmers Market by going to this link.

“This is the best time to support America’s farmers markets,” said Randy Paynter, president and founder of Care2.com. “More and more Americans are taking an interest in local foods, sustainable farming and healthy eating. Care2 is proud to reward the farmers markets that our members love, and to grow the local food movement, one vote at a time.”

“People across the country are rediscovering the benefits of local food,” said Erin Barnett, Director of LocalHarvest.org. “Not only is the food at your farmers market fresher, tastier, and better for the environment, it’s also good for your local economy. By supporting farmers markets, we support family farmers and help them stay in business.”

“Five thousand dollars would make a huge impact on the kinds of support we can offer to farmers and outreach we can do to the community,” said Kerry MacLane, president of the Sitka Local Foods Network, which sponsors the Sitka Farmers Market. “We encourage all of our neighbors and customers to visit the contest web site and vote for us.”

Click here to vote or click on the contest logo above.

August 9, 2009 by Charles Bingham

• Special e-newsletter for Sitka Farmers Market

Click here to read a special e-newsletter from Linda Wilson about the Sitka Farmers Market and issues related to our second market on Aug. 1.

In addition to the issues listed in the special e-newsletter, please remember that no pets are allowed inside the Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall during the markets because food preparation and sales are taking place in the building. Please leave all pets at home (or in your car).

Also, we gladly take any donations of extra produce grown in family gardens to be sold at the Sitka Local Foods Network booth. The proceeds from these sales help support our projects, such as rent for the markets, supplies for St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm and seed money for our proposed Sitka Community Greenhouse and Education Center. We’re always looking for new vendors, especially those people with big gardens who want to sell some of their extra veggies, people who pick berries and people who sell baked bread.

By the way, our next Sitka Farmers Market is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15, at ANB Hall on Katlian Street.

August 9, 2009 by Charles Bingham

• Down To Earth u-pick garden gives Sitkans a new option for fresh produce

Many people enjoy going to the Sitka Farmers Market to get fresh, locally grown produce, but for some of them two weeks between markets is too long to wait for fresh veggies.

Sitka resident Lori Adams opened the Down To Earth u-pick garden in July, so now folks don’t have to wait as long to get fresh, locally grown produce, especially if they don’t have their own gardens. Down To Earth u-pick garden is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday on two-thirds of an acre at 2103 Sawmill Creek Rd. (across from the Mormon church). A small sign in front of her business lets people know what’s available for picking.

“People can show up for a tour and pick what is available,” Adams said when she opened in mid-July. “Right now we have strawberries, zucchini, kale, Egyptian walking onions and miscellaneous herbs. Coming soon will be carrots, peas, celery, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes and Kohlrabi.”

Adams grew up on a family farm in Albany, Ore., but it wasn’t until she moved to Sitka that she realized how much she loved gardening. She brought some of her produce to two of last year’s three Sitka Farmers Market events, but realized there was some produce that wouldn’t last the two weeks between markets this year and a u-pick garden was a way she could make it available to other residents. She worked with the Sitka Planning Commission and then the Sitka Assembly to get the zoning code changed to allow home horticulture in residential zones.

Adams said she will grow many Sitka staple crops that she knows do well in this climate, but she also will try a few experimental varieties. She’s hoping her business will inspire other Sitka residents to grow their own gardens.

“You have to embrace the plants that like to live here, instead of knocking yourself out trying to grow things that don’t like to grow here,” Adams told the Daily Sitka Sentinel when she opened. “Take it easy on yourselves. … I’m hoping people will get enthused and do it themselves — the more of us the better. More of us could do more than we realize. If you just know how and keep trying, people will be surprised with what they can grow.”

Some of the garden beds at Down To Earth u-pick garden in July

A woman checks out some broccoli she picked in July at Down To Earth u-pick garden in Sitka

Down To Earth u-pick garden is a good place for families to pick fruits and veggies together

August 6, 2009 by Charles Bingham

• Sitka Local Foods Network featured in Christian Science Monitor

A screenshot of the Christian Science Monitor site showing the Sitka Local Foods Network story

A July 17 Daily Sitka Sentinel article about the Sitka Local Foods Network that was picked up by the Associated Press newswire still has legs. It showed up in the Christian Science Monitor on Thursday (Click here to read the story). It’s nice to see we’re still getting some national exposure.

The Alaska Dispatch blog saw the story in the Christian Science Monitor and posted this response (Click here to read it).

August 5, 2009 by Charles Bingham

• Only two more days to vote for the Sitka Farmers Market in the America’s Favorite Farmers Markets contest

Just a reminder there are only two days left to vote for the Sitka Farmers Market in the America’s Favorite Farmers Markets contest, an event sponsored by the American Farmland Trust. Click here to read our original post about the contest last week.

To vote in the contest, click here or click on the logo above and you will be taken to a site where you can search for the Sitka Farmers Market by using the zip code or state search functions next to the Google map. When you vote, you can write some notes about why you like the Sitka Farmers Market. The deadline to vote is midnight EST on Saturday, Aug. 8 (8 p.m. Alaska time on Friday, Aug. 7). We are competing in the small market category.

By the way, the third Sitka Farmers Market of the season takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15, at the Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall, 235 Katlian St. We look forward to seeing you there. A photo gallery from the Aug. 1 market was posted on this site two days ago, so click here to check it out.

August 5, 2009 by Charles Bingham

• Local foods articles in Capital City Weekly and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

This week’s issue of Capital City Weekly, a free weekly newspaper distributed throughout Southeast Alaska, included four local food-related stories. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, a daily paper in Fairbanks, also has had a couple of local food-oriented stories the past couple of days. Here are some links to the articles.

Click here to read a Capital City Weekly article on a new community garden being built behind the Glory Hole homeless shelter in downtown Juneau.

Click here to read a Capital City Weekly article on the Montessori Borealis Adolescent Program’s vegetable garden project in Juneau’s Mendenhall Valley.

Click here to read a story about a couple of upcoming University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service classes this weekend in Juneau about how to market specialty food products (geared toward people selling at farmers markets).

Click here to read a Capital City Weekly article on home canning of crab and geoducks by Sonja Koukel of the Juneau office of the UAF Cooperative Extension Service.

Click here to read a Fairbanks Daily News-Miner story from Wednesday’s paper from Roxie Rodgers Dinstel of the Fairbanks office of the UAF Cooperative Extension Service about how fireweed (which grows wild in Sitka) can add a subtle flavor to different meals.

Click here to read a Fairbanks Daily News-Miner story from Tuesday’s paper about how Fairbanks students are turning their schoolyards into blooming gardens as part of the EATING (Engaging Alaska Teens IN Gardening) program run by the Calypso Farm and Ecology Center. Click here to read more about the EATING program on the Calypso Farm site.

August 3, 2009 by Charles Bingham

• Pete Karras, Mimi Goodwin win second Table of the Day Award

Pete Karras, left, of Pete's Sourdough Bread, and Mimi Goodwin, right, of Just Arts, receive the Table of the Day Award from Maybelle Filler for the second Sitka Farmers Market of the season

Pete Karras of Pete’s Sourdough Bread and Mimi Goodwin of Just Arts won the “Table of the Day Award” for the second Sitka Farmers Market of the season on Aug. 1.

The Sitka Local Foods Network selected the shared table — which featured Pete’s freshly baked sourdough bread and Mimi’s beaded artwork — to receive the $25 cash prize, an Alaska Farmers Market Association tote bag, a bouquet of flowers and a certificate of appreciation. An identical prize package will be awarded to a deserving vendor at each of the four remaining Sitka Farmers Markets.

The third market of the season takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15, at Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall. Keep your eye on this site for more information.

Also, a new photo gallery from the second Sitka Farmers Market has been posted on Shutterfly (an online photo-sharing site). Click this link to check out the photos.