Farmers’ Market

Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Mike Navarre has declared this Harvest Moon Local Foods Week — a chance to explore and celebrate local food, including seafood and farming.

The Sept. 18-19 full moon is the Harvest Moon (the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox) and there is harvest indeed. This week is the time to get in touch with local food on all levels.

Level 1: Local food at home.

A “locavore” is someone who eats primarily locally grown and produced food. What do you eat at your table? Saskia Esslinger, author of the Williams Street Farmhouse blog and permaculture teacher, will be in town on Friday from noon to 1 p.m. at the college to talk about her experience with the year-long Alaska Local Food Challenge.

It’s inspiring to hear how Saskia and her family adapted to a life off packaged food. She will discuss how this challenge came about, why they decided to do it, how they planned for it, how it went, what they learned, and how they eat now. It is especially inspiring since the day after you hear her talk you can go to the Homer Farmers’ Market and start stocking up to do your own local food challenge.

And I mean stock up. There is so much produce down there right now that you could pickle and can and freeze for days and not make a dent in it. Start planning for the cabbage for your winter’s supply of sauerkraut, cucumbers for dill pickles, veggies and herbs for frozen stews or stock.

Head down there Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. and Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. to make your own food stores so you can break the cycle of eating imported food.

From 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. join dietitian and nutritionist Bette Seaman for her demo on “Eating Local Year Round” at Saturday’s Market.

Level 2: Local food in the community.

Saturday you will get two more chances to support local food in the community. First of all, the Taste of Homer event is from 4-10 p.m. out at Wasabi’s. It will showcase food and beverages from all around town, music from the Holy Santos Gang, even Homer Trolley rides to and from the Farmers’ Market parking lot all evening.

Get your tickets, support your local restaurants, and head out for an evening of fun and food.

On top of that, at the Taste of Homer there will be an auction to benefit the Farmers’ Market. Thanks to the restaurants and those hosting this event, now you too can show your support for the Market while enjoying the food extravaganza.

So get in the groove of the Harvest Moon Local Foods Week and eat local…a lot.

Kyra Wagner is the directo of Sustainable Homer and the Homer Farmers’ Market’s biggest fan.