Summer Is Dead. Long Live Summers in Tok.

Winter is here. At 20 degrees most of the morning, I know this is just a taste of what is to come, however, I’m already shivering. There was frost on the ground this morning. The rhubarb in the backyard garden are drooping, the peas are bitter. Luckily, the sun is out and bright now to warm the greenhouse and the hoards of green tomatoes, but we should really bring those in to ripen in the basement.

And as yet another sign of summer: the big orange produce truck is here today but gone for the rest of the year, not to return until next summer. Yes, the produce truck is here, and while I’m a new and loyal convert to Gene’s veggie truck, he doesn’t have fruit or a few other items that the big truck carries so I think you can get a nice supply of produce by frequenting both places.

The produce truck folks said they MIGHT be here tomorrow (Wednesday) morning as well – depends on how their supplies hold out after today.

Today, I picked up sweet onions, a bag of apples, some nice-looking plums, some large tomotoes and two acorn squash. I almost bought a few jalapenos to make homemade salsa and am still contemplating going back for those, however, that means lots of chopping work ahead, and this cold weather is making me feel so lazy.

How is the pending winter making you feel? How have you prepared for a winter without easily accessible fresh fruits and veggies?

Tok Alaska Farmers Market

Farmers Market, Flea Market in Tok?

I know people think Tok is really small, too small for much of anything of interest. How wrong they are. But one thing that Tok doesn’t have is a flea market or farmers market, and I’m thinking that might be a good thing to have, don’t you?

Just got back from Denver where my friend’s neighborhood association puts together a weekly farmers market during the summer months. That’s right – NEIGHBORHOOD. I can’t imagine her neighborhood has more people than Tok’s population, even if it is a Denver neighborhood.

The market featured a few fresh produce stands but consisted mostly of local businesses selling their wares. There were several bakeries, a winery (Bonacquisti Wines trucks in grapes from Grand Junction area – I tried their Syrah Grenache, and it was tasty), several homemade soap makers, special vinegars, a jam maker, eco products, a massage therapist giving free 10 minute sessions, a coloring station for kids, a jewelry maker, and a Thai restaurant stand.

Highland Farmer’s Market…

Why can’t Tok have something like this? Folks could sell eggs, jams, baked goods, used books, excess from abundant vegetable gardens, essential oils, crafts, art. Local folks could play music. I know Delta Junction has one, but that’s quite a drive when we don’t have to leave here to get the same kind of thing.

The Big Orange Truck with California fruits and veggies will be here one more time this month. Wouldn’t it be fun to have everyone with something to sell set up their own tables and turn the lot next to the Husky into an impromptu marketplace? We’ve got so many sugar and snow snap peas and a ton of rhubarb that is still good. Heck, I could get really ambitious and make some rhubarb crisps. And we have several boxes of books we could sell or trade.

What do you think of a little flea/farmers market in Tok? Would you participate, and if so, what would you offer?

The Produce Tok Delivers to Tok

Listen to an interview with Leah Harmon of CV Farms.

There is only one more month to go on the CV Farms produce truck run so watch this blog for announcements of their arrival in August. The July produce was phenomenal. The peaches were out-of-this-world delicious and the cherries were great.

We also got plums which are almost ready to eat, a super sweet cantalope, amazing tomatoes, a healthy green bell pepper and good looking zucchini and yellow squash as well as a squat buttercup squash. I practically cried tears of joy seeing this exquisite produce.

The husband/wife team drive their semi from Montana to California to pick up the produce and then heads up to Alaska, making a number of stops. They used to mostly pass through Tok before, but have made it a definite stop this year, and I’m so grateful.

And now for some produce beauty shots…

After August, how are we going to get a nice fresh variety of produce in Tok? Open to all ideas!

Roasted Radishes, Tok Harvest

We had so many radishes this summer that I’ve been searching for ways to prepare them. Tonight, I decided to roast them along with some beets, a little onion, tossed in olive oil, salt, pepper and then right before taking them out of the oven, some soy sauce and roasted sesame seeds. Inspired by this recipe.

The nice thing about mixing the radishes with the beets is that the beets add sweetness while the radishes add savory spice.

We also harvested some sugar snow peas, lambsquarter, zucchini, spinach and swiss chard.

For dinner, we sauteed them together with onion, butter, fresh oregano and thyme and a dash of soy sauce. Delish!

How have you been preparing your home-grown produce?

Cooking and Baking in Tok

I’d love to lay claim to these two culinary creations, however, the first is my husband’s dish and the second was made by my awesome girlfriend while I was on the phone.

Introducing…Caribou Stroganoff! Caribou cooked over the fire pit, frozen, thawed, and sliced in a creamy sauce. The side dish? Lambsquarter steamed.

And a Rhubarb Crisp ala mode, rhubarb from our backyard garden. Crisp made with gluten-free flour blend that’s on sale at the Tok General Store.

I’m getting braver about baking and think I can muster up some rhubarb dishes and even some radish ones.

What have you been baking lately?

Fruit and Veggies Truck in Tok Thursday

This Thursday, the big orange truck will be parked next to The Husky Lounge again with more fresh fruit and vegetables so get there early! They might set up Wednesday afternoon depending on how they’re feeling so keep an eye out. If you don’t see them, don’t despair! They will definitely be there Thursday of this week.

Where else are you getting your farm fresh fruits and veggies?

And does anyone have some good recipes for radishes? They are piling up in our fridge!

Radishes Thrive in Tok!

I don’t know how they’ve done it, but my poorly planted radishes have really come through in our vegetable garden this summer. By poorly planted, I mean that I didn’t know how to put the practically-microscopic seeds into the ground and ended up clumping them together.

Despite their crowded digs, they are thriving and pushing out of the ground when plump and ready. I’ve already threatened to plant nothing but radishes next year although the snap peas are looking like they’ll produce a nice bounty in a few weeks, too.

The rest of what I’ve planted was choked mercilessly by the chickweed invasion although in the process of weeding one patch, I did identify the carrots straining to poke through and spent several hours yanking chickweed to let them breathe. So far, they are still growing.

But I can’t find any thyme, basil, sage, lavender, chives, onions, chard, or spinach as I continue to pull carpets of chickweed from the beds. I keep hoping to see some of their leaves poking through in a valient attempt at life.

What can I do next year to keep the evil chickweed at bay? Or should I just go with it and learn how to harvest chickweed?

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• Garden Notes: The first vegetables are here (simplycooking.wordpress.com)
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Got Rhubarb?

We interrupt this program for an advertisement for…free rhubarb!

We have been blessed with an abundant patch of rhubarb that is thriving despite the chickweed invasion in our vegetable garden. And I haven’t harvested any of it.

So rather than waste this amazing produce, I’d like to give it away to anyone in the area in need of some rhubarb.

Would you like some? Or do you know someone who would?

If so, please email me via this blog with your contact information so we can arrange having you stop by and taking whatever you can use. And maybe I might get the courage up to use some myself. Someone has already provided me with several tasty recipes. Maybe having someone passionate about rhubarb stop by is just what I need to get motivated!

We now resume our regularly scheduled program.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Rhubarb Muffins Two Ways (christie-corner.blogspot.com)
• Seasonal Spotlight: Rhubarb (thekitchn.com)

Tok/Tanacross Imagination Library Event This Saturday

Bring your young ones to the park Saturday, June 27 between 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for a Summer Solstice themed event with free (gently used) books, art activities, and other fun.

You’ll also be able to

Sign up your under-5 year olds for the Tok/Tanacross Imagination Library program to receive a free age-appropriate book every month in the mail; and

Donate your gently used, toddler-appropriate books that you don’t need any more for distribution to children in the community.

For more information: Carrie Beeman at 883-8080

Special thanks to our sponsors: Tok Community Clinic, Inc., Tok Community Umbrella Corporation, Best Beginnings, Rasmuson Foundation, ConocoPhillips, and Conversify.net.

And if you’d like to hang up a flyer in your establishment, feel free to print this one out! (PDF format)

flyer-IL-solstice