Quick Bites: Bushes Bunches expands, food security, and cooking classes

Landmark farm stand continues to expand inventory

Bushes Bunches, the long-running farm stand outside Palmer on the Old Glenn Highway, has beefed up its spring assortment of locally grown and produced goods by partnering with Alaska Meat Packers. The Palmer-based operation – and only USDA certified meat-processing facility in Southcentral Alaska – will be supplying Bushes Bunches with its full line of Alaska grown and harvested meats. From steaks to pork chops and bison to beef marrow bones, it can now be found among the fresh produce, eggs, and dairy products available at the store.

Also in stock are baked goods from a variety of local microbakeries, like Rustic Bakes Sourdough, First Colony Farms, and Munchy Moose. Cold Snap Coffee’s bagels are also available, as are salsas and hot sauces from Gut Instincts Sauce Co. in Meadow Lakes.

Agriculture workshop highlights importance of food security

The State Fair grounds is the site for Saturday’s free event hosted by Alaska Farmland Trust, Alaska Pacific University, and UAF Cooperative Extension Service. A series of presentations and hands-on activities will help attendees better understand the big picture of food and farming in Alaska and help build skills in self-sufficiency and generating income with what you grow.

Individual sessions include seed starting, food preservation and canning, sourdough, access to land, meat rabbits, poultry, small business support, food as medicine, and more. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., but all-day attendance is not required.

Interested people can find out more by contacting organizer Abby Austin by phone at 907-707-4083, or by email at abbyaustin@akfarmland.com.

Grape Tap cooking class still has openings

Kristin Cook, chef and owner of the Grape Tap, has announced that openings remain for her instructional session on April 30. The class runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and features three popular items off the restaurant’s menu: Grape Tap spiced nuts; sesame ahi with rice cake; and deconstructed lemon cheesecake.

Reservations are also being taken for next month’s cooking classes, currently scheduled for May 5, 7, 12, 13, 21, 27, and 28. Menu items will be announced soon.

Participants will prepare and eat their own dishes. The fee is $125 and includes a glass of wine. Interested people can call 907-376-8466 to reserve their place in either the remaining April class or any of the May sessions.

Butte farm taking subscriptions for vegetables

Pyrah’s Pioneer Peak Farm has opened registration for summer subscriptions to its popular vegetable boxes. Starting at the beginning of July and running into September, the program offers subscribers a box full of farm fresh produce for 10 consecutive weeks.

Fruit and vegetables will vary from week to week, depending on what is ready to harvest. Among the variety that will come available over the course of the 10-week program are broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, various lettuces and cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, spinach, turnips, snow peas, beans, potatoes, carrots, zucchini and yellow squash, apples, strawberries, raspberries, and herbs like dill, cilantro, basil, and mint.

Each week’s bounty will be packed in a recyclable plastic box that is returned the following week to avoid unnecessary waste. Boxes can be picked up at the farm or at one of the other delivery locations in Palmer, Wasilla, Eagle River, Anchorage, and Valdez. Prices for the subscription are $260 for a regular box or a $510 for a large box.

Gardening webinar to focus on root maggots

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension continues its series of gardening workshops with a May 19 virtual presentation by Joey Slowik, integrated pest management technician at the Matanuska Experiment Farm. The online event will share the findings of recent research on root maggots, a difficult pest for many home gardeners. Options for controlling these pests will also be discussed.

The one-hour webinar begins at noon. Interested people can register online at https://bit.ly/RootMaggots. For more information, contact Molly Johansson by phone at 907-786-6313, or by email at mjohansson@alaska.edu.

Meal service offers home-cooked dinners to busy families

Life can move fast, and somewhere between work, kids, and commitments, making sure you are eating wholesome meals can be a challenge. Pyrah’s Pioneer Peak Farm’s popular HomeCookin program has openings for subscriptions that take the pressure off meal time.

The service delivers delicious, throughfully prepared dishes that taste like they came straight from your own kitchen, only without the hours of planning, shopping, and preparation. Each weekly subscription – for individuals or families – provides four meals, picked up two at a time, at one of four area locations. Each pickup has a ready-to-eat dinner and a second one for the following night that requires minimal preparation.

Interested people can visit www.pppfarm.net/home-cookin to find out more.