Wednesday, July 29, 2026
One question I have been very interested in since starting work with AFMA in October is how much fresh food a person could procure at our Anchorage farmers markets if…that was always the first place they shopped, if they visited every market every week, and if they shifted to seasonal eating as a way of life. This summer, Anchorage has 11 farmers markets and I spent Wednesday visiting all three of our Wednesday markets. They include: Wednesday Market at Dimond Center 10a-4pm, APU Farmers Market 3-6pm, and Fire Island Summer Market 3-7pm. In case you are curious, the rest of the Anchorage farmers markets are on the weekends with the exception of Grow North Farm Market on Thursdays.
So…here’s my Wednesday loop!
First up, Wednesday Market at Dimond Center. I pulled up to the market just as it was opening and already there were a few folks shopping. “Look Mama, rainbow chard” were the first words I heard and then a smile from a mom who said “home school without needing to say home school”- ie her kids know their veggies. I too was excited about the rainbow chard, and the largest bok choy I’ve ever seen (somehow for sale for only $4), and the first carrots I’ve seen this season. Stockwell Farm was the only stand there, and owner Vern has been farming the land since 2001. This season has been the hardest he’s had in those 25 years- late spring, high winds, and a cold July. The market sits within view of the Walmart parking lot which brings to mind all my questions about how to support American consumers to shift their shopping habits and stop first at Vern’s stand before heading into the big box store. I’d say the strawberries and cherry tomatoes- as sweet as anything I’ve ever eaten- are a good place to start. And he accepts WIC and Seniors benefits to help them be affordable for all. Thanks to Vern for driving in from Palmer and setting up the stand every Wednesday of the summer.
Next, APU Farmers Market on the APU campus. This is an afternoon market, on the way home from work for anyone already on the APU or UAA campus, and anchored by the APU Spring Creek Farm. It’s a lovely setting- grass with trees, a kids summer camp in the background, and plenty of easy parking. On the Wednesday I visited, there were 3 farm stands- one with flowers and two with produce. Produce was offered by Spring Creek Farm and by grower Nancy Tone- farm and food advocate who serves as the Spenard Farmers Market Manager. Nancy called this summer a ‘fickle year’ and brought up the cost of living and Cyclospora outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in central Mexico (incidentally Taylor Farms produce is available at Walmart). She said a scare like that could either drive folks to shop at their local farmers markets or drive the price of greens down so much that it is hard to compete (the piles of $1.75 lettuce on discount at Fred Meyers had her worried). As I lingered, Spring Creek Farm ran out of kale, and I overheard a young man call his wife to see if sorrel would be an acceptable substitute. The answer was yes and resulted in a lovely chat about the lemony taste of sorrel and a free sample. Here’s hoping we’ll all lean in- like that new sorrel lover- and support our farmers offering us a clear alternative to the industrial food system along with trusted farming methods and a smile.
Finally, Fire Island Summer Market at the Airport Heights location. No better way to spend a summer evening than this! Live music, kids activities, women from FIG (Fresh International Gardens which supports refugee farmers in Anchorage) selling hot food and produce, an ice cream booth, and local food activist and grower Theresa Brown chatting with a line of market shoppers about her herbs and medicinals. I ran into friends and got to see firsthand a three-generation gathering at the market- they had walked down for dinner and left with produce for the week. Theresa’s take on this year- the weather, the economy, the Cyclospora outbreak- was optimism and necessary pivots. That’s the name of the game in farming she says- “you can’t predict much, and you don’t always want to be disappointed, so be ready to pivot.” The rainy July has left her strawberries less robust than usual and her rhubarb harder to sell, so she’s baking strawberry rhubarb pies and making jam. She’s drying herbs to sell this winter and offering recipe cards for shoppers ready to include lots of chives in their meals this month. And she and Nancy both are doubling SNAP dollars for shoppers at their stands.
Our role as customers is to follow the path Vern, Nancy, and Theresa lay for us- to buy what they have, pivot to try new things, and show up- just like they do- week after week. That way we can be in this together, and the connection, community, and hope that brings counts for so much!