AK Root Cellar : Palmer’s Turkey Red & The Red Beet = Good Eats

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

Ellen Vande Visse

Ellen Vande Visse, MS, was an organic market gardener from 1986-2006. She instructs and consults about sustainable agriculture, compost, compost tea, and eco-gardening through her own Good Earth Garden School and for UAA. She is a published author about Alaska gardening. For more info, please see goodearthgardenschool.com.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Palmer’s Turkey Red & The Red Beet = Good Eats

Posted by farmfresh

Posted: April 14, 2008 - 8:38 pm

If any of you have ventured into Palmer looking for a bite to eat, you may have noticed the slim pickens. The standard fare until about a month ago was a plethora of eateries offering plenty of foods fried, processed, smothered in cheese, and doused in MSG. Not that a nice greasy breakfast once in a while is not good for a lot of things but…

Both Restaurants, Turkey Red and the Red Beet are housed in remodeled/restored landmark buildings in the center of Palmer and both offer an atmosphere of community combined with daily offerings of nourishing whole foods.

Turkey Red, is located just off South Alaska Street across from the Valley Hotel. The building also offers Palmer residents and visitors a new shopping experience, a must see next time you are in town.

The name Turkey Red was chosen because of the first variety of wheat brought to America. Alex Papasavis, owner and head chef shared that early migrators from Eastern Europe did not carry personal possessions, clothing, or family heirlooms with them as they made the journey across the Atlantic, but toted suitcases bursting at the seams with seeds. On seed they brought was Turkey Red, a variety of winter wheat, planted in the late summer and harvested in early summer of the next year.

Our first meal at Turkey Red was like attending a community meeting with all our favorite people. The restaurant was full of friends, happily enjoying their yummy dinners. We had to force ourselves to sit down because at every table sat someone to visit with and celebrate how lucky we are to have such a terrific new restaurant in town.

If you manage to pass through Palmer and are looking for a good meal Turkey Red will not let you down. The lunch and dinner menu changes daily but you can always expect fresh sourdough breads, organic coffees, specialty teas blended by a local herbalist, yummy homemade broth soups, crisp salads, local wild harvested fish. When the summer harvest hits you can also expect local foods to grace the menu. If you are vegan or vegetarian no worries, Alex always offers options for you, too. Lunch and dinner prices are super fair given that nothing is processed and always made from fresh whole ingredients; entrees range from $6 to $22.

The Red Beet, located on Dahlia Street near the Borough building, is the other new restaurant in Palmer. Our first visit to The Red Beet was to hear the Carolina Chocolate Drops, an Old Time southern Bluegrass band. The show was fantastic. The Red Beet's open floor plan, beautiful hardwood floors, and windows that open to a grassy lawn offered a great space to listen to the music. We have since been there for lunch, the atmosphere was cozy and relaxed, yet sophisticated and elegant and the food was equally matched.

Sally Coppenberg the owner and chef of the Red Beet, said for now they are specializing in catered events but are also open for lunch daily. They, like Turkey Red, are committed to whole foods and bold flavors. They offer one $11 lunch item daily, with a vegetarian option, too. In addition to the main dining area, they also have a private dining area on the main floor, and upstairs offers additional dining space for larger parties.

Both restaurants are committed to offering seasonal, local, and wild harvested foods and a dining experience much different from other eateries in Palmer.

As a Palmer resident who likes someone else to make dinner and do the dishes once in a while, I am very thankful that Alex and Sally have created two dynamic dining experiences in Palmer. I applaud them both for their commitment to preparing “real” and healthy foods that taste great.

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Palmer’s Turkey Red & The Red Beet = Good Eats