food

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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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• 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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• Sitka Farmers Market vendor forms, information sheets and regulations for 2013 now available

SitkaFarmersMarketSignVendors looking to sell local food, arts and crafts, and other items at the 2013 Sitka Farmers Markets can find all the vendor forms, information sheets and regulations for this year by going to the Documents page on this site. The forms are in downloadable Acrobat PDF files.

The 2013 Sitka Farmers Markets will be managed by Bridget Kauffman, and she can be reached at sitkafarmersmarket@gmail.com or 738-8683 during the market season. Bridget’s co-managers will be Sabrina Cimerol for the first three markets and Garrett Bauer for the last three. Bridget is a former vendor (she used to sell home baked goods), so she should be a good fit for the manager position.

Our 2013 Sitka Farmers Markets will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on alternating Saturdays in July, August and September (July 6, 20, Aug. 3, 17, 31, and Sept. 14) at the Alaska Native Brotherhood Founders Hall on Katlian Street.

Bridget plans to host two pre-market meetings with potential vendors at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 10, and at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 24, at the See House behind St. Peter’s By The Sea Episcopal Church. This will be when she’s available to answer questions and make suggestions to help new and old vendors adjust to any food regulation changes from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, changes in the Alaska Quest electronic benefits program, etc. For more information, contact Bridget.

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• St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm schedules Saturday and Wednesday work parties through the summer

StPetersSignWithToDoListSignThe Sitka Local Foods Network will host several work parties on Saturdays and Wednesdays throughout the summer at St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm communal garden (located behind St. Peter’s By The Sea Episcopal Church on Lincoln Street).

Work parties are scheduled for 2-4 p.m. on several Saturdays this summer — on June 1, 8, 22, July 13, 27, Aug. 10, 24, and Sept. 7 and 21. Wednesday afternoon work parties take place from 4:30-6 p.m. on July 10, 24, Aug. 7, 21, and Sept. 4.

Produce grown at St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm is sold during the Sitka Farmers Markets to help fund Sitka Local Foods Network projects throughout the year. The work parties also are great for newer gardeners to learn about growing food in Sitka’s rainy climate.

During these work parties we usually need people to shovel dirt and sift soil, weed, mulch and spread fertilizer (seaweed) on the existing garden beds. Most garden tools will be provided, but we will need people to bring shovels and pick-axes if they have them. The work parties are kid-friendly, in case you want to teach your children about growing food.

For more information, contact St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm lead gardener Laura Schmidt at 623-7003 or 738-7009, or contact Lisa Sadleir-Hart at 747-5985. Fresh vegetables usually can be purchased during the work parties once crops start to ripen, and people who volunteer may be able to take some veggies with them when they go home.

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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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• Deadline extended on Sitka Community Food Assessment to get more completed surveys

SitkaCommunityFoodAssessmentSign2

The deadline for surveys to be completed in the Sitka Community Food Assessment has been extended to the end of the month. Our goal is 600 completed surveys and as of Tuesday, May 21, we had 392 that had been recorded.

The Sitka Community Food Assessment is a 2012 Sitka Health Summit project designed to help shape food policy and improve Sitka’s food security. To learn more about the project, KCAW-Raven Radio hosted an interview with project coordinator Lisa Sadleir-Hart that aired on Monday, May 20.

Additional information can be found in this March 26 post on the Sitka Local Foods Network website, and in this April 9 article from the Daily Sitka Sentinel.

Surveys are available online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MQTF22Q, or click the Sitka Community Food Assessment logo in the right column of this webpage. Printed copies are available at Kettleson Memorial Library. A sign has been posted at the corner of Lincoln and Lake streets to update people on the progress of the project.

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• Sitka joins communities around the world to host a local March Against Monsanto on Saturday, May 25

March Against Monsanto Yellow 72Millions of people around the world, including several in Sitka, will take a stand by hosting a local March Against Monsanto. The Sitka march takes place at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 25, at Castle Hill. So far, more than 370 marches around the world are planned on May 25.

The Sitka March Against Monsanto is being organized by Brett Wilcox, who has created a Facebook page with more details. Brett and his 14-year-old son, David, will take things a step (OK, many steps) further when they start a transcontinental run across the country in January to raise awareness about some of the ethically challenged practices of the agri-business Monsanto. These include creating GMO (genetically modified) foods that are unlabeled and untested, putting patents on crop seed so farmers have to pay high fees to plant food, and more.

In addition to the march, various Sitka residents will speak on a variety of topics, such as how GMO-food causes health problems, the number of former Monsanto executives who now work for our government, farmer suicides in India due to Monsanto practices, the Monsanto Protection Act slipped into the recently passed US Farm Bill, etc.

This month, Brett hosted free Monsanto Movie Nights at 7 p.m. on Fridays, May 10, 17 and 24, at Harrigan Centennial Hall.

According to a press release about the event:

Sitka’s March Against Monsanto will be held on Castle Hill, the location where Russia sold the vast territory of Alaska—land it did not own—to the U.S.A.

March organizer, Brett Wilcox, chose Castle Hill for Sitka’s March Against Monsanto for its symbolic significance. “There are many similarities between the original ‘Land Grab’ that took place with the first European expansion and Monsanto’s current global ‘Seed Grab,'” Wilcox states. “Both involve the privatization of Nature, a concept that was largely foreign to Native Americans and Alaska Natives. And both have resulted in loss of freedom and loss of life. The difference is that Monsanto’s seed grab not only further disenfranchises Native Americans; it disenfranchises all nations and all people. The citizens of the world are, as it were, sitting in our canoes in Sitka Sound, watching powerful people and corporations claim and repackage life as their own, thereby stealing our seed sovereignty and seed freedom.”

Chuck Miller, a Tlingit “Elder in Training”, will preside at the event. “My grandmother used to teach my family that we need to treat our food with respect or it will not provide for us,” Miller states. “My ancestors’ teachings are still a very big part of my life and I want to be able to pass that on to my children, grandchildren and those yet to come. GMOs are not the way to treat Mother Earth and the generations yet to come. I urge all the Native people of Alaska and our non-Native brothers and sisters to come and support this cause.”

“Sitka’s March Against Monsanto will not be a traditional march,” says Wilcox. “Sitka’s event will be a ceremony to honor nature as well as the indigenous people of Alaska and the Americas. We will stand on Castle Hill united with the people of the world in defense and protection of life and nature.”

For more information about the Sitka March Against Monsanto, contact Brett Wilcox at 747-7437 or brett@runningthecountry.com, or contact Chuck Miller at 752-9955 or cohomojo25@yahoo.com. KCAW-Raven Radio aired a story on Tuesday, May 21, about Brett’s and David’s plans to run across the country and to host this march. Brett also recorded a commentary for KCAW-Raven Radio.

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• Blatchley Middle School students learn about local soils and local foods

(The following is a letter to the editor sent to the Daily Sitka Sentinel from Blatchley Middle School earth science teacher Karen Lucas. The letter ran in the Thursday, May 16, 2013, edition, and Karen provided the Sitka Local Foods Network with a copy to post on our site.)

Dear Editor,

For our soil conservation studies, the seventh grade earth science students at Blatchley Middle School had a local soils expert come to class.

On a very sunny Monday, a couple weeks ago, Kerry MacLane, clad in bib overalls and broad brimmed hat, with his loaded-up wheelbarrow with five types of local soil, mini-greenhouse, plant starts, a very informative visual presentation, a tubular water wall, and a scavenger hunt up his sleeve that included a solar electric panel, solar powered fan, kale plants, newest compost pile, garlic and raspberry canes, wheeled his way down the halls of Blatchley.

After a concise basic powerpoint on local soils, greenhouse productivity, where our food comes from, and how Sitka disposes of waste; and learning that optimum soil for Sitka is one-third native soils, one-third compost and one-third sand; that starfish and herring eggs are good for the garden, too, and the lively discussion therewith; two teams were supplied each with a different scavenger hunt, and the class departed for the Blatchley Community Garden behind the school to identify items on their list.

Students nibbled on chives, kale and rhubarb, and generally exulted in being outdoors on that fine day in spring. Returning to the classroom, discussion ensued about the Farmer’s Markets, community greenhouse project, and the Sitka Local Foods Network, and how students could get involved in local gardening at home or in the community.

Kerry has certainly helped raise the consciousness of Blatchley students, and Sitkans alike, has been, and continues to be, instrumental in helping Sitka to progress toward sustainability in growing our own food, promoting community gardens, spearheading the Sitka Farmers Markets, and local greenhouse project that is underfoot, for all this, and for spending that Monday with us in the indoor and outdoor classroom, the Blatchley Middle School seventh grade earth science students are grateful; so, on their behalf and mine,  thank you, Mr. MacLane, for sharing your knowledge with us about local soils, making relevant and useful, the ‘dirt on dirt.’

Karen Lucas
Earth Science Teacher
Blatchley Middle School

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• Sitka Food Co-op to sell plant starts from the Sitka Local Foods Network during box pick-up on Monday, May 20

Local 1Looking for locally grown garden starts at reasonable prices? The Sitka Food Co-op just loaded up 12 boxes (about 15 trays of 4-inch pots) of garden and herb starts to bring to the “Local Producers Table” at the Sitka Food Co-op monthly box pick-up from 4-6 p.m. on Monday, May 20, at Grace Harbor Church (1904 Halibut Point Road).

The garden and herb starts are provided by the Sitka Local Foods Network and are available to help local gardeners get something growing in their own gardens. This is the second month the Sitka Local Foods Network has made garden starts available. Local produce will be available once the growing season hits its stride. This will be in addition to the regular Sitka Farmers Markets (alternate Saturdays from July through September) and Saturday work party sales at St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm (alternate Saturdays from the markets).

For more information, go to the Sitka Food Co-op page on Facebook or to the Sitka Food Co-op link above.

Also, Stuart Reid, the executive director of the Food Co-op Initiative, will be in Sitka this week. The Sitka Food Co-op will host Stuart at its board meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 23, at the Dock Shack, with dinner to follow at 6:30 p.m.

Local 2