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AK Root Cellar

This blog is for those of you who would like to add more local foods to your diet, meet local farmers, learn new recipes based on seasonal eating and preserving the summer harvest. Food is political too, so here you can learn about and influence local and national agriculture issues, and participate in helping to rebuild the Alaska food system. May each of you chew happily and wisely.

About me

Kim Sollien

Kim came to Alaska in 2000 and studied sustainable development at APU. Working for Chickaloon Native Village, she helped launch a sustainable foods initiative that included organic gardening classes, community gardens and a four-season greenhouse that produces fresh produce. She helped bring the national conference, Bioneers, to Alaska in 2004. Her passion in working toward food security and rejuvenating the Alaska food system influences all aspects of her professional and personal life.

Local farms and CSAs

NEWSLETTER

Sustainable Agriculture for Alaska

This July-Sept., 2008 Cooperative Extension newsletter includes a story by Matt Shaul of Cranberry Ridge Farm on how his Wasilla farm got started in goat cheese production.

PDF: Sustainable Agriculture for Alaska

EATING LOCAL

High grocery bills spur CSA interest

Read this June 9, 2008 Fairbanks News Miner story on three Fairbanks-area CSAs and growing demand for their local produce.

Farmers' Markets 2008

Look here for a comprehensive list of local farmers' markets.

Resources

DNR's new farm, food, etc. directory

This Excel spreadsheet includes 16 categories from farms to farmers markets, herbs to aquaculture. Provided by the Div. of Agriculture, Department of Natural Resources

Local Farms and CSAs

Find local produce, eggs, fowl and meat nearby.

WEB RESOURCES

Slow Food USA

Envisions a future food system based on principles of high quality and taste, environmental sustainability, and social justice.

Food Routes

Explains the hows and whys of buying local, plus an action kit.

Local Harvest

Helpful website to find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food. Local producers also register on this site.

Sustainable Agriculture

Dedicated to educating the public on a sustainable food and agriculture system that is economically viable, environmentally sound, socially just, and humane.

American Farmlands Trust

The nation's leading advocate for farm and ranch land conservation.

Community Food Security Coalition

Dedicated to building strong, sustainable, local and regional food systems that ensure access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food.

Weston Price Foundation

Dedicated to restoring nutrient-dense foods to the human diet through education, research and activism.

Alaska's Farmers are Living Libraries

Posted by farmfresh

Posted: March 12, 2008 - 10:09 pm

I really appreciate each of you for participating in the conversation about the local carrots vs. global organic carrots. By learning together, having meaningful dialogue, and sharing opportunities to act, I believe we can have a positive impact of AK foods system and get more locally grown foods into the hands of those of us who want them.

There are a number of barriers to overcome before the Alaska box option is a reality. The first major hurtle would be to identify all the producers who grow and store vegetables in volume; of those, who would be willing to participate in starting program like this? The second obstacle would be securing a site to fill the boxes and then we would need a trucking and air transport plan to distribute the boxes. In my mind each of these steps would need to happen regionally. The next hurtle would be educating the public about the AK box and why everything in the box might not be organic.

An all-organic Alaska veggie box might be the goal of this initiative but until we move from a percentage of eating only 2% local to 50% local, there just isn’t enough local organic produce to meet the supply of our demand. But how we increase the supply of organic produce and get new farmers or transition conventional farmers into growing organically, I’m not sure.

What I do know is that the farmers farming in Alaska right now are Living Libraries. Each of them knows how to grow food. This knowledge comes from years of trial, error, and thoughtful observation, skills that can’t be learned in a book. Aside from nurturing loving parents, and brilliant educators who inspire learners to excel, farmers are the most important members of our community. Given our current state of food insecurity Alaskans can’t afford to be too choosey. If the few farmers we have give-up because the market is too small, risks too high, the profits too low, and decide to stop producing food for Alaska, our food system will cease to exist. I see the concept of an all Alaskan box as an opportunity to engage each other and farmers in a dialogue about rejuvenating Alaska’s food system. To do this we must all play our part with enthusiasm.

So what are we to do? At some point soon those organic carrots from California, that we enjoy so much, will be too expensive to import… when this happens, hopefully the local carrot farmer held out and maybe implemented some organic methods, because WE supported them through their transition.

I guess that's all for tonight...

Chew happily and wisely (32 times)
Kim

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9 March 17, 2008 - 9:29pm | wilkinsons

Alaskan only veggie box

Just want to stand up and be counted and let you know that I am interested in participating in an Alaskan only veggie box. I have been a member of Full Circle Farms for about a year and I love it BUT my first priority after feeding my family is to support Alaskans. Please provide more information on how this can happen. Thanks

8 March 17, 2008 - 9:20pm | aklee2

local

We are a funny people. We pay and maintain parks so our dogs have a place to play, but farmers sell out of the back of a truck in someone’s parking lot like gypsies.

Maybe we should consider supplying farmers a place they can gather to sell their products to people interested in buying local.

March 17, 2008 - 9:41pm | farmfresh

public market

great point! I'd gladly pay extra taxes for a year-round space to buy local foods.

7 March 17, 2008 - 2:15pm | Beth_451

We have to start somewhere

During spring break, I finally decided to do something about HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup), trans or saturated fats, and MSG (which masquerades as many things including "natural flavors") and purged them (or 99% of them) from my cupboards and refrigerator. This, of course, eliminates most processed foods including many labels that claim to be "organic" but contain hidden ingredients.

Personally, I would rather buy whole foods -- potatoes, carrots, tomatoes -- and make my own sauces, salsas, soups, etc. with wholesome ingredients. Eventually, I would like to make all of those whole foods even better by getting them organic, but everyone has to start somewhere, and I sense more danger in the additives than the pesticides at this point.

Sure I buy some organic produce each time I go to the store to support the organic growers, but frankly I can’t afford it. I do buy Alaska Grown first, though, organic or not. I tell the guys stocking produce how much I appreciate Alaska Grown vegetables and try to make a statement, even though I might be able to buy Idaho potatoes for cheaper (Huh?). At least I’m convinced that Alaskan produce tastes better! I just started a CSA with Spring Creek Farms, and I’m looking forward to seeing how that works for us.

In the meantime, I AM trying to buy hormone free dairy, meats, and eggs. The prices at Natural Pantry and Fred Meyers knock my socks off. I can only imagine what I might have to pay at a local farm. Maybe we’ll just have to eat less meat or make it stretch further.

My dream is to be able to find farms that sell the products I need, go on biweekly or monthly rounds to pick up fresh local meats and dairy and supplement with coops such as Azure Standard. But, the whole idea gives me a headache. I love “one stop shopping.” Doing my banking, filling up my gas tank, getting my groceries, and buying sundries from stockings to headlights to potting soil all in one place sounds good to me. Only recently, I’ve realized that a huge portion of our money every month goes to Freddies.

If there could be some place that I could go and get local honey, syrup, jam, veggies, fruit, meat, milk, cheese, eggs, etc. on a regular basis, I would be there supporting the local farm economy and my family’s health.

6 March 16, 2008 - 8:23am | zippy_pinhead

Back to the point...

I think the point here is that possibly it's better to keep buying local even if it means we can't always have organic. Frankly - conservation wise, I prefer local over imported in all cases. Transportation is a huge, huge impact and imports just aren't good for Alaska. But when it comes to what I want to put into my family's bodies, I certainly lean organic. As benign as many agricultural chemicals may be, my preference is to be precautionary and avoid them entirely.

Of course there's another paradox. Do local farms respond to market forces like other businesses (allegedly) do? And if so, I do see the point that continuing to buy non-organic local over imported organic - to keep our farm base alive - just does not provide the market push required to encourage local farms to increase the organic supply.

As it is... 3 bucks for bunch of organic carrots and a 6 dollar head of cabbage are not, apparently, enough of a push to increase the local organic supply...

Wow. Economics is hard.

5 March 13, 2008 - 5:31pm | yukongold

A Boycott of AK Grown Will Only Hurt Alaskan Farmers

Calling for a boycott of Alaska Grown will only add more injury to Alaskan farmers. There are many quality and committed farmers who use this label as a marketing tool and consumers who use it to identify local products. The real issue here is that state leadership is not supportive of our farmers and thus maintians policies and regulations that are destructive to prosperity. In many cases our state works directly against our farmers. There is no better example than the Alaska Grown label in which the state actively sued our farmers to gain exclusive access over. Originally the label was actually developed by farmers and the state to provide marketing and financial support to farmers in Alaska - not to sell sweatshirts and tee shirts at chain stores who's money directly leaves the state. After continued vigalance and wasted tax dollars the state eventually won the lawsuit and no has exclusive rights over the label but its original intended benifit has been skewed. I AM NOT saying that we shouldn't support Alaska grown though because for now it's all we and our farmers have! It would have been a better outcome if farmers were able to maintain ownership. Then there is the dairy-I won't bother to go to deep into the issue other than to say Alaskan consumers and Dairy producers deserve to have our own creamery- one that is supported by 100% local AK. milk not like Mat. Maid which was up to 80% non local in its dying days. The state also had a great hand in its demise as well, even up to the point of trying to "save" it in its final days with the "task force." As discussed on this blog once before, we now have positive legislation that would legalize the sale of raw milk in Alaska and allow family farms to sell from the farm just like over a dozen other states in the U.S. Think about it, if you buy a pack of cigarettes or wine at the store it has a disclaimer. But we can't go to the store and by local milk? That's the influence of money,power and good lobbyists. Perhaps this is what we are up against. Will our legislators have the will to make this happen? Im doubtful but have to be optomistic. As Sir Winston Churchill once said: "You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else."

March 14, 2008 - 9:58am | eschatonhc

raw milk legislation

The process for this legislation seems to have stalled. Contact your legislator and insist on efficiency and transparency in government.

4 March 13, 2008 - 4:44pm | m2evans

Hi, Kim: I'm enjoying your

Hi, Kim: I'm enjoying your thoughtful articles. Yesterday's "Local Carrot" has got me wondering about getting buy-in from a place like Costco, thereby guaranteeing local growers of a market, in the name of sustainability (a business practice that is in the best interest of the future of life on earth). Also wondering if the municipality, under Begich, would want to lend its weight to such an enterprise, in the name of good governance. Thanks for the public service you provide. Mei Mei

3 March 13, 2008 - 1:28pm | HappyEating

Sourcing Local has little to do with business decisions

Regarding the comment on boycotting Alaska Grown - I feel that sourcing locally has little to do with decisions made on who was chosen to auction equipment off. I think we are getting off topic.

2 March 13, 2008 - 9:03am | auction

boycott "alaskan grown"

FOR THE ALASKAN FARMER TO SELL ITS PRODUCTS LOCALLY IT CANNOT TAKE A MEAL OFF THE PLATES OF ALASKAN FAMILIES AND EXPECT THEM TO SUPPORT THEM. i SUGGEST THAT EVERYONE READ THE AUCTIONEERS CRY FOUL BLOG AND GET INFORMED AND INVOLVED.

March 16, 2008 - 7:59am | zippy_pinhead

This isn't about food. Totally different issue.

This post is about the decision by the State to use Outside auctioneers, instead of local, to sell off Mat Maid.

1 March 12, 2008 - 11:07pm | zippy_pinhead

Fascinating perspective

And makes a lot of sense.

Maybe we should start talking about about what tools we have, as consumers, to encourage more local organic production.

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AK Root Cellar

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Local farms and CSAs

Resources

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Alaska's Farmers are Living Libraries