All About Seeds

“Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders. 
–Henry David Thoreau

This time of year I go seed crazy.  I sort and count them like money, only they are more valuable because each one can grow delicious, nutritious food which, unlike money, we can eat.  In each seed I have high hopes for a beautiful and successful garden.

In January the seed catalogs start coming, and even though I have more than enough seeds from last year, dreaming of my garden is a fine way to pass a cold winter night.  When I see a new variety that promises bigger, better, faster, more beautiful and tastier vegetables my knees go weak and my lip trembles. I could easily spend a fortune on seeds, wiping out our savings and dooming us for bankruptcy.  So mostly I just “window shop” in the seed catalogs.

You can actually learn a lot about gardening from reading seed catalogs.  They usually have sections on how to grow each vegetable, and other interesting facts.  For instance, did you know Brussels Sprouts were first recorded in Belgium in 1752?  Of course, you have to be careful because it might say to start something in February and plant it out in mid-March, but of course that won’t work here.

Always take a look at where the seed company is located to get an idea of the climate, and try to find seed companies with a similar climate to us.  I like Fedco or Johnny’s in Maine and Territorial out of Oregon, but there are many great seed companies.  Denali Seed Company supposedly makes its seed for Alaska, although they do not grow the seed here due to our short season and wet autumns.

It also helps to have a general idea of what will or won’t work up here. Cold-season crops like lettuces, the cabbage family, peas, and most greens do great up here and you can choose any variety that looks good. Dry beans, corn, melons, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, basil, and even tomatoes are all warm-season crops, and don’t do very well here without some sort of help; greenhouse, cold frame or hoop-house.  Other vegetables are in between and you do need to pay attention to what variety you get.

Here is the down-and-low about other terms you might run into:

Heirloom: This just means it is an old variety that has been around a while.  It might be well-known and available like Detroit Dark Red Beets, or an obscure variety you can only find in one place.  Oftentimes heirloom seeds are bred for taste rather than holding capabilities, so they can be really rewarding to grow.

Hybrid: No, this does not mean GMO! A hybrid is simply a cross between two varieties.  If you collected the seeds from a hybrid, you would not get anything resembling the hybrid or the parents. The advantages of hybrid seeds is “hybrid vigor,” which means they have superior qualities such as better germination, faster growth, and higher disease resistance.  If you are not planning on saving seeds, there is nothing wrong with planting hybrids.  They are usually denoted by an F1 on the seed packet.

Incidentally, you do not have to worry about inadvertently buying GMO seeds because they are not yet made for the home gardener market.  However, you might be interested to know that Monsanto owns Seminis, one of the largest seed companies that supplies smaller seed companies.  See the bottom for a list of Monsanto-free seed companies.

Open Pollinated: This is opposite of hybrid.  You may save seeds from these plants and get something that resembles the parent plant, although there will be some variability.  All heirlooms are open pollinated.

Organic: This means the seed is grown on a certified organic farm, without the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.  It’s a good idea to buy organic seeds because they will be better adapted to growing with less inputs.  The production of conventional seed requires greater chemical inputs than their food counterparts because the crop is in the ground longer and they are not regulated the same as food crops.

I recommend buying your seed from a locally owned store such as Alaska Mill and Feed or Sutton’s Brown Thumb on Tudor.  That way, you are supporting the local economy and avoiding shipping costs.  If you can’t find what you want, there are many small seed companies online to try.  But be careful, you will soon have more seed catalogs than you know what to do with, and you might develop a seed addiction like me!

Seeds do last for several years, especially if they are kept cool and dry, so don’t throw your old seeds away.  If you are unsure if they are viable, you can put some in a damp paper towel in a plastic bag and check on it in a week.  Even better, share your seeds with some friends so you can all try something different.

This coming Tuesday, March 20th from 7-9pm there is a free seed exchange at the Cooperative Extension Service (1675 C Street) in Anchorage.  It is a great opportunity to share seeds and advice from other experienced gardeners. There will be mini workshops on starting and saving seeds and making your own seed tape.  If you live somewhere else, why not host your own seed exchange?  It is a great way to meet other passionate gardeners and spread the miracle of the seed!

Seed companies that do not sell Monsanto seeds.
Abundant Life Seeds
Amishland Seeds
Annapolis Valley Heritage Seed Company canada
Baker Creek Seed Co.
Berlin Seeds – they don’t have a website. Atleast I didn’t find one.
Botanical Interests
Bountiful Gardens
Diane’s Flower Seeds (she has veggies now, too)
Fedco Seed Co. - phasing out seminis seeds.

Fisher’s Seeds - 406-388-6052 They don’t have a website, but they will send you a catalog if you give them your address
PO Box 236, Belgrade, MT 59714
Garden City Seeds
Heirloom Acres Seeds -I’ve heard from several people thier seed germination is poor and so is thier customer service.
Heirlooms Evermore Seeds
Heirloom Seeds
High Mowing Seeds
Horizon Herbs
Irish-Eyes
Kitchen Garden Seeds
Lake Valley Seeds
Livingston Seeds
Local Harvest
Mountain Rose Herbs

Native Seeds  for the Arid Southwest
Natural Gardening Company
New Hope Seed Company
Organica Seed
Peaceful Valley Farm Supply
Pinetree
Renee’s Garden
Richters Herbs
Sand Hill Preservation Center
Seed Saver’s Exchange
Seeds of Change
Southern Exposure
Sow True
Territorial Seed Company *Tom Johns, the pres. of Territorial posted in the comments on my blog about Seminis being owned by Monsanto, and said customer service will provide a list of seeds they buy from Seminis, so you can avoid them. He also said that Seminis is providing less varieties every year (typical of Monsanto) and they are finding suitable replacements. So, don’t count them out completely.* (info from AdinaL)
Tiny Seeds
Tomato Fest - ask for bubble pack when ordering from them for seed viability
Trees of Antiquity
Underwood Garden Seeds
Uprising Seeds
Victory Seeds
Wildseed Farms
Wood Prairie Farm

Swimming in Salmon

It’s not really a bad problem to have; too much salmon.  I mean, 99% of the world would love to have that problem.  Especially since it is wild Alaskan salmon, the best in the world.  It’s like saying “I have too many mangos” or “I have too much ice cream.”  Only better because salmon is one of the worlds healthiest foods, full of omega-3 fats, vitamin B12, protein, and other great stuff that helps prevent cancer, while supporting cardiovascular health, improving mood and cognition, and benefiting our joints and eyes.

Yet somehow every spring when the snow starts melting and fishing season seems right around the corner, there is a panic to get rid of what is in the freezer to make room for fresh fish.

Salmon Pie

“Hey, you guys need any salmon?”  Matt asks a friend who is over for dinner.

“No, I was about to ask you the same question,” he answers.

Someone across the room pipes in, “I’ve got extra fish, who needs some?”  Uh, nobody, apparently.

“Yeah, I’m getting pretty sick of salmon.” someone else says.

Do I break it to them now that we are having salmon for dinner or wait?

It’s not that the salmon tastes bad.  We have found that with proper care, the fish holds up in the freezer fantastically, and there is absolutely no freezer burn.  My mother told me the other day that she just ate some salmon from 2010 and it was still perfect. Our care regime is this:

1. 

   Salmon Sausage

   Bleed the fish right after you kill it.

2. Gut it as soon as possible, within 6 hours.
3. Filet the fish without getting water on the flesh.  Water should never touch the filets.  This is key in preventing freezer burn.
4. Wrap the filets in plastic wrap, place in food saver bag and seal.
5. Freeze fast by turning freezer down, placing fish in bottom of freezer and not putting in too much at once.

We stocked up extra last summer because we were sure we would need it.  But then Matt got a caribou and we bought half a pig, and we butchered some chickens… so now we have to eat 2.5 filets of salmon a week before fishing season rolls around again.  That is about 2.5 pounds per week, each, or one serving a day.

Salmon Bacon

Somehow we keep coming up with new ways to eat it.  In the last month alone we’ve eaten salmon tacos, salmon enchiladas, salmon pie, salmon curry, salmon burgers, salmon cakes, salmon chowder, salmon sausage, salmon bacon for breakfast, salmon salad sandwiches for lunch, smoked salmon for appetizers, followed by mustard-crusted salmon.  I think I’m starting to grow scales!  But it is always tasty and I have to remind myself how lucky I am to have such an amazing food in abundance!

 

Lessons from Italy

Matt and I were fortunate enough to be able to steal away to Italy with Graysen in January.  We rented a flat in a great little neighborhood close to the center of Florence and spent our days wandering the streets, in and out of amazing museums, stunning cathedrals, and delicious restaurants.  I have to admit I was a little preoccupied by the food.  Having eaten all Alaskan for over 6 months, I was fascinated by Italy’s local food and the culture that supported it.

On the taxi ride from the airport, we noticed restaurants galore, and butchers, bakers, and green-grocers in welcoming little shops.  We couldn’t wait to get out there and try some food, so we dumped off our stuff and ran to the nearest pizzeria, only to learn they didn’t open until 7:30pm.  It was only 5!  Apparently, Florentines don’t go out to eat until late at night.  Probably because for much of the year it is too hot to eat early, or maybe because they don’t go to work until 10am.  We wandered around until we found a panini shop.  The ubiquitous snack, you could always find a panini at any time of the day.  The deli case had huge chunks of cured meats and various cheeses that they shaved off to order.  Meat, cheese, and bread.  So simple, and yet so amazing when the ingredients are just right.

Matt really got into the artisanal meats.  Each region makes unique products, so in the market there were tons of different kinds of salami, prosciutto, and other cured meats.  Matt’s head was spinning.  It would take years to try them all.  We ate it for breakfast, lunch, snack, and sometimes dinner.  We even tried to bring some home for our friends, but the customs agents didn’t like that so much.  :(

I have a weak spot for the sweets… biscotti, cannoli, gelato, and the grand-daddy of Italian desserts, tiramisu.  I mean, I am breast-feeding after all, I need my calories.  Unfortunately, these are the types of sweets that don’t transfer too well to whole wheat and honey.  Except a tasty honey-apple cake I had and maybe, just maybe I can make some Alaskan biscotti.  It’s just as well, my waistline didn’t fare too well with all those sweets!

Each region of Italy has its own specialties, and many of the restaurants still serve a very traditional menu with the local dishes.  Appetizers would be crostini, bruschetta, and a meat and/or cheese plate.  First course would be tomato bread soup, cabbage soup, or some kind of pasta with a simple, seasonal sauce.   Pasta with artichokes, pasta with broccoli, pasta with a ragu (meat sauce).  It wasn’t trying to be a whole meal, although oftentimes for us it was.  Seriously, who could eat more after that?

The second course consisted of some sort of meat, and you ordered your vegetables separately, if you wanted any.  So if you ordered beef stew, you got stewed meat on a plate, that’s it.  Only it was finished with a little olive oil and the best stew you’ve ever had in your life.  They took things you wouldn’t normally find in restaurants here, like wild boar or rabbit, and turned it into something extraordinary.  Matt’s favorite local specialty was Bistecca al Florentine… a huge t-bone steak served medium-rare.  Somehow we polished it off in no time!

We found a little Osteria down the street from our flat that served up amazing food at decent prices and became our regular spot.  An osteria is the Italian version of the bistro, not the hoity-toity American version, but the traditional version of a small, neighborhood place that serves up rustic, seasonal, home-made food.   They take every-day ingredients and turn them into something extraordinary.   There was an elderly gentleman that ate dinner at our osteria every night we did, and you could tell that this was his kitchen.  And for good reason… the staff was friendly and the food was amazing, especially the beef stew.

We cooked a lot at our flat, as well, taking advantage of the fresh, local ingredients and trying out local recipes that we tasted.  Like carbonara, a pasta flavored with lightly cured pork and finished with egg and cheese.  So simple and so good!  We tried different cuts of meat, fresh ravioli, and squid-ink linguini.

We returned home full of inspiration and ideas for our Alaskan food.  Matt pulled down his ham he was curing and found he had indeed made prosciutto!  We whipped up a batch of fresh pasta and made carbonara.  Darn good!!  So, when are we going to open up our own little osteria?

Food Strategies

It was Wednesday night and we were leaving early Friday morning for our annual New Years cabin trip to Caines Head out of Seward.  Normally one day would be plenty of time to get all of our food together and pack up, but as I started to plan our menu, I realized that there was no way I could bake bread and treats and make snacks and lightweight meals in one day while tending to Graysen.  Hmmmm, poor planning indeed.

At the cabin

To make matters worse, our friends couldn’t make it on the first day, so Matt and I would be hiking out by ourselves.  First adventure with the little one over a trail that can often be very icy, windy, and generally a bit treacherous.  Normally we carry out way too much food and spend a good part of our time there cooking in the warm cabin, but that requires many ingredients.  I would carry Graysen on my front and a small pack and Matt would carry everything else, so we didn’t have room for tons of food.

So, we split the difference.  I made zucchini-carrot bread to share and bought bread for our sandwiches.  We had dried soup mix for dinner the first night and had Margi and Scott bring out some of our caribou  for our traditional New Year’s fondu for the second night.  For snacks we brought some of our dried apples and Cliff bars. For breakfast, instant oatmeal and farmhouse eggs.

Even though we had just as much of (and shared) Alaskan food as store-bought, it was our first time buying groceries since June, and felt like a bit of a let-down.  I knew if I had been prepared enough, we could have done it all Alaskan.  It would have taken an extra loaf of bread in the freezer, maybe some home-made granola bars stashed away or some frozen pasta.

Before Graysen was born, we stashed a lot of food in the freezer and it kept us eating Alaskan in the first weeks.  I’m now realizing this is going to have to be a regular part of my routine…. make extra to freeze for a busy day.  This is also a good way to turn produce that might start to spoil in the cold storage into a ready meal for the “hunger-season” in spring.  Which also happens to be the busy season in the garden.  Conveniently, our freezers that were jam-packed this fall now have a bit of space in them.  And we have more time to cook right now!

Our trip to the cabin was splendid.  Graysen was a trooper, sleeping most of the way including the climb over the icy rock.  It took some time to get the cabin heated up and I was thankful for some hot tea and pre-made sandwiches to refuel my body.  Soup mix never tasted so good as it did that night.  We had a great New-Year’s celebration with our friends the next day, complete with fondu, carrots, popcorn, and champagne that Levi carried out for us.  And we were really glad we had some extra soup mix and pasta when the four of us had to stay in the cabin an extra night because the waves were crashing over the ice-covered rock on the beach!

Chinook: A Birth Story

He arrived on the winds of a chinook, a warm winter storm that matched the intensity of his birth.  A ruckus of ravens foretold of his coming as they congregated in the changing winds.

The day started out peaceful enough, calm and grey outside, and here at the Williams Street Farmhouse, I awoke with much awaited mild contractions.  I was two weeks to the day past my due date, and if I wanted to give birth at home with my midwife as planned, I had to go into active labor before midnight or she would have to turn my care over to a doctor.  Matt and I actively worked on getting my labor started all week… walking stairs, eating spicy foods, cleaning the house, making love, all the things that were supposed to help, but he seemed perfectly content to hang out in my warm safe belly.

I called my midwife, Suzy, with the good news… five minutes apart and lasting 40 seconds.  She told me to check back in a few hours.  I called my mom and good friend Margi who were going to help with the birth and they came right over to help me prepare.  As we ate breakfast and chatted, my contractions dropped off.  My mom left for an appointment and Margi and I went on a walk.  Suzy came to check me out and set up.  We were considering playing a game to make the wait go by faster and several friends dropped by to lend support.  Suzy left and told us to call her back when it didn’t feel like a party anymore.

A bit frustrated with the lack of progress, and knowing I would likely have a long night ahead of me, I laid down for an afternoon nap.  As I lay in half sleep, I rubbed my belly and explained to the baby it was time to come out.  I woke up around 5pm with an intense contraction.

I sat on the rug in front of the wood stove and tried to ride the waves of the contractions with as much grace and ease as I could muster.  Margi and my mom came back and soon we decided we should probably get Suzy back as well.  It certainly no longer felt like a party. The rain picked up outside and the wind started to blow as my contractions got more and more intense.  I was so relieved when Suzy finally made it and said that Stella, her apprentice, was on her way.

Suzy checked me and found I was 7 centimeters dilated… only 3 more to go, but unfortunately those were the toughest.  I labored in the bathtub, on the toilet, and in my bed, with great assistance from my team.  I let out low moaning noises (and sometimes less composed shrieks), squeezed whoever’s hand I could grab, and looked deep into Matt’s eyes for energy to get me through each contraction.  I kept telling myself I only needed to get through ten more.  Luckily I didn’t have enough concentration to count past one. Finally, when it felt like I was about to split in two, Suzy asked if I wanted her to break my water to take some of the pressure off.  ”YES!” I cried, and felt an enormous relief.  Just a few more contractions and I was ready to push.  It was just five minutes before our midnight deadline!

This was where the real work began.  On the wave of each contraction I pushed with all my might.  The winds raged outside, shaking the house.  After an hour  I started feeling discouraged… nothing seemed to be happening.  Suzy sent me to the shower.  My legs felt weak.  They were shaking uncontrollably, like on the top of a challenging rock climb. Falling was not an option, there was nowhere to go but up!

I moved to the toilet for a few pushes.  Matt was right there with me the whole time, giving me strength.  He told me I was making progress because there was fluid coming out each time I pushed.  I returned to the bed to push with renewed vigor.  I used muscles I didn’t know I had and strength that seemed to come from the core of my being.

Everyone in the room was busy… holding my hands or my legs, recording notes, giving me honey or arnica, or taking the baby’s heart tones.  The heart tones stayed strong throughout the labor, and I knew we had a healthy, strong baby.

“You’ve birthed a lock of hair,” Suzy cried!  ”You’re doing it!  Keep pushing!”  My progress gave me renewed energy…almost there, and boy, was I ready for this to be over!  A few more pushes and the baby’s head was out.  There was concern at the bottom of the bed and the look on my mom’s face spelled trouble.  The umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s head and arm.  Suzy expertly unwrapped the cord and gave me the go-ahead to push the baby the rest of the way out.

Suddenly, it was over and my baby was on my chest, covered by a blanket.  I could hardly believe it!  ”Is it a boy or a girl?” I asked.  Nobody had checked.  I lifted the blanket to take a peek.  ”A boy!” I cried.  Figures… we had a girls name picked out but couldn’t decide on a boy’s name!

Graysen on his birthday!

He was beautiful.  A big mop of dark hair and perfect features.  His hands were HUGE, just like his dad’s!  His little lungs let out a healthy wail.  He slipped around on my bare chest as we became acquainted.  How did the bump in my belly become this perfect little human?  And how in the world did I find the strength I needed to get him out?

Outside, the winds had calmed and the rain had transformed the landscape into a different world.  And inside our warm, cozy home, Matt and I also knew our lives had been permanently altered by the arrival of our son!

Challenges

A friend of mine suggested I might be glossing over the challenges we have been facing in my blog posts about eating local.  I admit, I do have a tendency to only want to show the positive side of things.  After all, nobody wants to hear me complain about how tough it is when this is a completely voluntary challenge.  However, since it is a challenge, it can be, well, challenging at times.  Since we are already five months into this, maybe it’s time for a reality check.

One of the biggest challenges so far has just been the learning curve.  Even though we have been moving toward this lifestyle for a few years now, there is still so much more to learn.  That was compounded by starting in the summer, which is usually our busy season anyway.  We expanded the area and variety in our garden and so we not only had to keep on top of that, we had to figure out how to process and preserve our bounty.  At the same time, we were trying to figure out how to make tasty bread from 100% whole wheat flour, what to fix for lunch besides leftovers quesadillas, and how to bake with honey instead of sugar.

Another big challenge for me, personally, has been starting this endeavor while pregnant for the first time.  I tire more quickly and have to make sure I am taking care of myself.  That isn’t easy for someone as independent-minded and bull-headed as me.  I have to stop and rest, take naps, and eat really well… especially a lot of protein.  In the beginning we had a lot of salmon and goat milk, but no nuts and very little meat until Matt got the caribou in the fall.  I used to never eat meat outside of the home unless I knew exactly where it came from, but I found myself seeking out meat at BBQs or meals out with friends.  Now we have a variety of meats in the freezer…. caribou, pork, chicken, shrimp, scallops, and, of course, salmon!

jack jack hugging my healthy belly

There were also things the midwife recommended, like cranberry juice for urinary tract health, that didn’t exactly fit into the challenge, but were more like medicine than food, so we let them slide.  In general, we found that my diet has been very healthy for growing a baby, and there wasn’t anything nutrition-wise that I couldn’t get from our local foods.  I think that if I had more access to sugar and junk food, I wouldn’t have resisted so well.

Now that the holiday season is upon us, I find myself missing sugar so much more.  While honey is a wonderful, healthy alternative to refined sugar in many sweets, it just won’t do in others.  I really love to bake this time of year and to share my goods with others, but my options of what I can bake are limited, and with honey being so much more expensive than sugar, I think twice about whipping up some cookies. (Sorry!)

Caffeine and chocolate are more of a challenge to give up than I anticipated.  I had to lessen my caffeine intake for the baby anyway, but some days I just can’t get myself moving, and I really miss the ritual of making and smelling coffee in the morning.  It is too deeply engrained in the pleasure-sensors in my brain.  I am milking my decaf coffee supply along by only having it on the weekends, and drinking herbal tea during the week (chamomile, mint, or raspberry leaves.)  Similarly, I eat my chocolate stash one square at a time, savoring each morsel.  This is probably how these luxury items should be enjoyed…. sparingly.  It really makes them seem all that much more special.

Overall, I don’t feel deprived by the things that I miss.  We don’t live in a vacuum, so they are sometimes available when we are with family and friends.  But I do feel my habits slowly shifting from things that I once thought were essential. I wonder if I will ever get over coffee and sugar or if I even want to, but I know it is good to lessen their grip in my life.  Now that I finally have a good recipe for pumpkin bread that uses honey and whole wheat, I don’t need to go back to using sugar and white flour.  Over the next 7 months, I’m sure this will happen with more things.  I just have to stay patient and not give in on the first craving or when my pumpkin bread falls flat the first time!

****************************************************

Pumpkin Bread

• 2.5 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp each baking soda, cinnamon, ginger
• 1/2 tsp each nutmeg, cloves, salt
• 1 cup cooled, drained pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup butter

Combine wet and dry ingredients separately first, then together.  Pour into greased loaf pan and bake at 325 for approximately 50 minutes.

 

Nesting

Winter is officially here, blanketing the garden and turning our attention inside.  There is a fire in the wood stove and the last pot of applesauce is stewing, filling the house with a wonderful aroma.  Pumpkins decorate the dining room, the cold storage and freezers are bulging, begging to be made into the next delicious meal.  We’ve had some good ones lately… roasted squash stuffed with sausage and kale, home-made linguine tossed with caramelized onions and cabbage and salmon sausage, samosas filled with spicy ground caribou.  Mealtime is no longer a chore, but an exploration of flavors, an artistic endeavor.  It is truly the season of wonderful bounty, a time to give thanks for all the earth has given us.

Right now this season feels extra special to us, not only because we have worked so hard to put away as much Alaskan bounty as possible for the winter, but also because we are preparing for the birth of our first child.  Along with sorting out a dizzying selection of cloth diapering options and wrapping up loose house projects, Matt and I are enjoying spending couple time together and watching in amazement as my belly grows bigger and bigger.  I know that women around the world do this all the time, but experiencing this little life grow inside me has been nothing short of a miracle.  And we haven’t even gotten to the birth part yet.  How similar and yet different it is from tending the garden…. we planted a seed, gave it lots of good food and water and watched it grow.  And then the kicking started!

Even though we cannot possibly understand how our lives will change, we are slowly feeling more ready for the adventure of parenthood.  Of course, I still have some things I really want to get done before the baby comes, but that doesn’t seem like the most important thing right now.  As we slow our lives down for the winter and catch our breath, we have the luxury of contemplating the magic in our lives.

Food Numbers

The harvest tallies, as well as everything we’ve purchased and foraged are in!  We didn’t quite make our goal of pulling a ton of food out of the garden this year, but we doubled our production at 1622 pounds.  It was a rather cloudy summer, and not all our garden spaces were at max fertility so some crops struggled.  But we put in a lot of new garden space, and I’m confidant we can reach that goal next year. Our portion of the harvest was 1212 pounds, which includes food we ate, gave away, and fed to others.  Some of our biggest successes were almost 140 pounds of winter squash, 72 pounds of onions, 75 pounds of kale, 128 pounds of potatoes, and 39 pounds of raspberries!  We also harvested 20 pounds of chicken for the freezer and about 40 dozen eggs over the last 4 months.

I plugged our harvest numbers into a spreadsheet that calculated the  value of the produce, in part because I wanted to validate all the time I spent on the garden!  At grocery store prices, the value was still an astounding $5,460!  Subtract about $270 for seeds, starts, and chicken feed, and we are still over 5K!  I didn’t keep good track of the time I spent in the garden, but I think it would average out to about 20 hours/ week, which means I pulled in about $10/ hour!  Not bad!!

We didn’t spend as much time foraging this year as we would have liked, but we still managed to pull in 562 pounds, at a value of $6,506!  The costs of these pursuits was about $570, mostly in gas to get us where the goods were.  Fishing, hunting, and berry-picking are so much a part of life up here in Alaska, that sometimes we forget how valuable they are, and how lucky we are to have such abundant resources!  For people who feel sorry for us trying to do this challenge in Alaska, I say we are really at an advantage in what we can harvest from our public lands.

We double-dipped this year,fishing both the Copper and Kenai Rivers, for a total of 224 pounds, which is worth over $4,000 but only cost us approximately $240 in gas, permits, and vacuum bags.  We’ve already shared some of this excellent catch with family and friends!

Matt also drew a caribou permit this year and shot a large bull off of the Delta River, north of the Denali Highway.  We were lucky to have my dad, who has been hunting in Alaska for 60 years, show us how to butcher it properly.  My mom helped with the packaging, but it still took the four of us two days to get all 150 pounds in the freezer.  Using beef prices, the meat would be worth about $1,500, but I think it is worth much more than that!  We also made some excellent, rich stock from the bones and rendered some of the lard for cooking.

Boletes

We city-foraged over 100 pounds of apples and 50 pounds of crabapples from other people’s yards, as ours aren’t producing yet.  It’s amazing how much is out there that usually just goes to waste.  Some of those apples are in our cold storage, as well as many jars of applesauce and several big bags of dried apples, great for snacks!  We pulled 6 pounds of bolete mushrooms out of Far North Bicentennial Park on one hike, and picked 11 pounds of blueberries and six pounds of cranberries.

We spent about $434 and bartered for about $300 worth of additional food.  Most of that was “treats” like shrimp, scallops, black cod, chorizo, and salami.  We also bought tomatoes from Bells Nursery, cream from Matanuska Creamery to make butter, and half a small pig.  We bartered for grain and cheese by organizing bulk orders for other members of the group and for our weekly goat milk by being the Anchorage drop-off point and coordinator.

In total, we’ve spent about $1,274 in the past 4 months.  That doesn’t include any of the infrastructure such as the new freezer we had to buy or the cold storage room Matt built in the garage.  According to Alaska.com, the average grocery bill for a family of 4 in Anchorage is $107/week, so for the two of us, probably $70/ week.  So far we’ve spent about $80/week, but we are really well-stocked for the winter ahead.  If we didn’t have to buy another thing for the rest of the year, it would be about $24/week, almost 1/3rd of the average!!  Plus, we are eating much healthier food than we could get for $70/week!

That leads us to the final question…. do we have enough food to last us through spring?  Or will we be buying up and eating exclusively potatoes and carrots by the time the first greens come up in the garden?  Only time will tell….

Many Hands Make Light Work

I absolutely love this time of year.  The sun lights up the golden leaves on the trees and fills the house with light during the day, and the chilly, dark nights encourage us to go inside, light a fire, and read a book.  It’s time to catch our breath, and breathe deeply the fresh air.  It somehow seems more acceptable to go to bed early and sleep in a bit.

In the kitchen, it’s time to take stock of the harvest, and there is finally time to enjoy cooking our tasty bounty.  Nothing satisfies after a day of working in the garden like a hearty soup or a stew that has simmered all day.  It tastes even better when shared with friends.

In the garden, we are just finishing raking in the harvest… the fruits of our long months of labor.  We pulled in the winter squash, zucchini, green beans, and outdoor tomatoes before the first frost, cataloging our successes and salivating at the thoughts of all the wonderful winter meals to come. After the first frost we pulled in the potatoes and chard.  This past weekend we brought in the last of the root vegetables, turnips, carrots, parsnips, sunchokes as well as the kale, hops, herbs, horseradish, and remaining broccoli.

Margi harvesting. And texting.

Lucky for me, I had an amazing army of friends turn out in the sunshine to help me.  It might be the hormones, but I was really touched by all the busy people that stopped by to help.  My vision with this garden has always been that it would involve a wider community of people, and on Saturday, that vision came true.  It was amazing how a huge list of garden chores suddenly became doable, and instead of a lot of work, it seemed like a lot of fun.

Last night we hosted a Permaculture potluck here at the Farmhouse.  A network of people sharing ideas and inspirations with each other and striving for functional interconnection.  We began the meeting each sharing a success and a challenge from the summer, and as we went around, I noticed that many of the success were events where multiple people were involved, whereas the challenges happened when people were trying to do something on their own.  It was a great reminder for us all to reach out when overwhelmed by a big project or too many little projects.

On a similar note, the Bioneers conference is this weekend in San Rafael, Anchorage, and many other cities around the nation.  Climate chaos, peak oil, and social injustice may seem like insurmountable issues, but this weekend we get to hear about real people making real change in their communities and around the world.  Inspiring and uplifting, I always finish the weekend with renewed energy to do my part, however small it may be.  If we all chipped in, imagine what a different world this would be!

 

Food Appreciation

Matt bringing in the cake

I celebrated my birthday yesterday in the best possible way… sharing food with friends.  I spent the whole afternoon cooking…. beef stew in red wine, made the Julia Child way with Alaskan beef, homemade red wine, caribou stock, and freshly dug potatoes and carrots.  A leek and goat-cheese galette, french onion dip made with yogurt cheese for the crisp carrot sticks, and garlic butter and bruschetta that went on baguette’s my brother brought.  Guests brought imported wine, beer, cheese, and fantastically non-local desserts…. browned butter shortbread and a chocolate-almond tart with citrus flavorings.

My favorite gifts were local and non-local food items… blueberry jam, honey-butter, decaf coffee, chocolate, imported cheese, oranges, and nectarines.  I know how much work goes into making things like jam and honey-butter, and I really appreciate these efforts.  And when you can’t have fruit, coffee and chocolate at every whim, somehow you also appreciate the specialness of these items as well.  This morning I savored every bite of my sweet, plump, juicy nectarine.  I studied the label carefully to figure out where it came from and appreciated its journey from tree to my mouth.  It was a delight and a treat that I would not realize it I were not going without.

Many people participating or observing the Alaska Food Challenge have expressed guilt or frustration at the non-local foods that they are unable/unwilling to give up.  That’s not the point of this challenge!  The point is to celebrate in the abundance of the local food that we are eating and to make us think twice before buying or eating foods that come from afar.  Sometimes if we just hold off on buying those items, even just for a little while, we open up the space for alternatives to appear that we might not have thought of. You might find that kale chips satisfy the salty/crunchy craving, pie crust can be made from wholewheat flour, and yogurt cheese makes fantastic french onion dip.

lunch

My mom brought me back some dutch cheese with cumin seeds from her recent trip to Holland.  Creamy and smooth, delicate yet fully flavored, I shave it off, savoring each bite.  You can buy cheese similar to this in Anchorage, but it’s not really the same as this, hand-delivered with love.  I eat it with my whole-wheat sourdough bread, local tomatoes, and boiled eggs and think about how in this day and age of globalisation and, free trade, and cheap transportation, maybe our nation has lost appreciation for the simple pleasure of good food.