The ANB Hall was packed with shoppers during the first 2014 farmers’ market. Photo by Greta Mart.
The Sitka Farmers’ Market is back. Now in its seventh year, the summer market is held every other Saturday morning – rain or shine – until the beginning of September. 400 or so shoppers walked through the entrance to the Alaska Native Brotherhood Founders Hall during the market’s first hour on June 28, according to a volunteer stationed at the door. Other shoppers took advantage of the party sunny weather to grab a bite at one of the food booths set up in the ANB parking lot.
“If you asked me what’s the most important thing to say about the Sitka Farmers’ Market is that it’s locally harvested food, that is our main drive is to get locally-grown food and locally-made items from our great artists and our wonderful farmers,” said Debbie Brincefield, co-manager of the Sitka Farmers Market.
“And the number two thing you need to know is to get there early! It’s from ten to one…by eleven o’clock the produce is gone.”
The market is a project of the Sitka Local Foods Network and this year, for the first time, the Network’s board decided to hire two people to share the job of running the market. Brincefield is in charge of public relations and Ellexis Howey works with the vendors.
Brincefield said she was introduced to the market – and to the co-manager’s job – by Sitka Local Food Network members Maybelle Filler and Lisa Sadleir-Hart. And for her, the job is very personal.
“I just wanted to be associated with these two very strong, successful, healthy women. I have surrounded myself by people who are eating healthy and I’ve lost 77 pounds. I’m working on a daily effort to eat better, live better so I can be around for my grandchildren,” said Brincefield.
Much of the produce sold at the market is grown in the communal garden and greenhouse at St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm, behind St. Peter’s By the Sea Episcopal Church. This week, Lisa Sadleir-Hart explained the market’s beginnings.
“It came together out of a health summit – we have an annual health summit and set priorities for our community – and in 2008, there were several priorities focused on food.”
Local backyard farmers bring in their harvests to sell too. Lori Adams is among the vendors at this year’s market. She owns Down to Earth U Pick It on Sawmill Creek Road, a spacious garden open to the public during the summer. She said she uses the market as a way to advertise her u pick it operation, and the book she wrote about growing vegetables in Sitka.
“I take a little bit of produce. I also make a value added product called a gift basket so I always take one to the farmer’s market so people can see what we’re producing out here. And then everybody can sign up to win the basket, and at the end of the day, one person gets it.”
Sitka’s Farmers Market is about more than locally-grown produce. It’s got seafood, arts and crafts, black cod tips you can eat right then and there, and even…
“…barley cereal, barley flour, we’ve got some roasted barley tea, barley cous-cous as well as some pancake mix,” said Sadleir-Hart.
Thanks to a farmer in Delta Junction.
For more information about the summer schedule of the Sitka Farmers’ Markets, visit the Sitka Local Foods Network online.
