Grow North Farm, Muldoon Saturday Market, Stand Up For John Lewis

 These are some of the veggıes I pıcked up last week from Grow North Farm.  By subscribing to the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) I pick up a selection of vegetables they select from what is ready to harvest each week.  You can see

I got a basic recipe for turnip greens online, but spruced it up.  It came with onions and garlic.  In addition to the turnip greens (which I steamed withwhite wine) and added walnut pieces, raisins, and hot sauce.

I thought it was great.  My wife ate it, which is always a positive.  

She made the turnips and cooked up the kale the next night.  

There were two booths selling non-food items.  And that many selling vegetables.  Some of that may be due to it being early in the season and not that much is ready to harvest.  But refugees raise the crops at this farm and wonder how much ICE fear is impacting the market.  And I'm trying to figure out ways to let you know how to contact vendors without making that information easily collectable.  Photos probably.  Mirthalaska.com

The soaps were amazing.  The fragrance was not overpowering (like a certain department store that no longer has a location in Anchorage) and the designs are spectacular.  They almost look like they belong in a bakery.  

This "is a seed from the ivory palm in South American rainforests" according to the bookmark sized card the vendor passed out.  It's an ivory alternative.

The necklaces below are made from this Tagua Ivory.  The card also says, "I design in Alaska, and our products are made in Columbia."   www.lajoyatagua.com  From the website:

"The main mission of LA JOYA is to empower women in Colombia who have been the victims of social problems.

Through developing jewelry made from natural seeds, in sustainable ways, we are preserving the environment and contributing to the social development of communities."

​

This was a week ago Thursday.  

That Saturday I went to the market on Muldoon.  Chanshtnu Park.  

I'm not sure if it's just early and people are waiting for other things to ripen or people are concerned about ICE showing up.  Many of the food vendors at this market were refugees in the past.  Someone else suggested there were just too many farmers' markets competing.  

Eclectic Cal describes this booth well.  The key things I saw were the carved walking sticks (lower right behind the blue jug) and the chaga.  Cal also took part in the musical part of the market.  He also offered chaga tea so people could taste it.

Cleveland Clinic has a page on Chaga:

"Sure, you’ve heard of portobello and shiitake mushrooms. But have you heard of chaga mushrooms?

Typically found in Siberia, the fungi have been used throughout history to boost immunity thanks to it being full of antioxidants."

And in Alaska too.  On birch trees.  An Alaska Native gentleman carrying his very young grandson knew what chaga was.  Something he'd collected.   

And this is Alizka.  She grew up in the mountains in Romania and is right at home gathering wild edibles and medicines here as well.  We didn't talk about nationality (though she speaks Hungarian as well as Romanian and English) and she agreed to the photo, but I've smudged her face just to be on the safe side. (I hate having to do this.) She offered a blueberry and (some kind of seaweed from the Atlantic) paste that has some crazy high percentage of vitamins and minerals people need.  She also had a lot of different salves.  you can contact her at novalunaherbals@gmail.com.  

I was back to get my weekly allotment of veggies at Grow North again this past Thursday and from there I biked to the Park Strip for the celebration of John Lewis.  I'm behind in my blogging so I'll leave it at that rather than try to add more.  Let me get this up first.  

If you want to Stand Up, this is an organization that is coordinating with lots of others working to 

"To stand up for social, housing, environmental, economic, and racial justice across the state of Alaska. We are a BIPOC led 501c4 that uses direct action to confront systemic injustice, mobilize community, and amplify underrepresented voices." (From the Stand Up Alaska website.)

 

 They have zoom orientations on Wednesdays at 7pm and I went this past Wednesday to find out what all they're doing.  Their website will help out.  I'd recommend the Wednesday night zoom.  Just click on the Action Alaska zoom and will tell you how to connect.  I got a full orientation and got to ask lots of questions.