Alaska has the shortest growing season in the United States, lasting roughly from May through September. Although farmers have a short growing season, the state has no shortage of farmers markets.
In fact, it has experienced a real growth spurt in recent years. In 2005, Alaska’s Division of Agriculture had 13 registered farmers markets, but that number now exceeds 55. The vitality of the operations could be attributed to the extraordinarily long hours of daylight during the summer growing season; however, it is also due to the extraordinary efforts put in by those who operate the marketplaces.
Matanuska Community Farmers Market
In 2023, three female farmers decided to start the Matanuska Community Farmers Market (MCFM) to service the Matanuska Valley, located northeast of Anchorage.
“We wanted to start and promote a market that was farm and food-specific and that facilitated collaboration between farmers, rather than a competitive feel,” Brandi Jo Nyberg, market manager and farmer, explained to Garden & Health.
“Both the vendors and consumers are so happy to finally have a farm and food-specific market in the area of Alaska with so many farms.”
Photo Courtesy Brandi Jo Nyberg
Indeed, the Mat-Su Valley is well-known for its bountiful farmland, particularly for growing super-sized vegetables — an Alaskan record 138-pound cabbage hails from there! With the assistance of the Alaska Farmers’ Market Association and grant funding via the Mat-Su Health Foundation, MCFM launched in 2023 with a wonderfully successful inaugural season. One hundred and seventy-five shoppers showed up at the first market; however, the market was attracting around 350 visitors by season’s end and surpassed 400 shoppers at an early 2024 market.
MCFM is held on Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. starting in mid-June through the end of September in the parking lot of the United Protestant Presbyterian Church (713 S. Denali St.) in downtown Palmer — also the city that hosts the Alaska State Fair.
Nyberg describes MCFM as truly being a farmers market because it is “run by farmers and for farmers and other local food producers.” The market focuses on providing the area what it had been lacking: access to “locally, sustainably, and naturally grown, produced, harvested, and foraged foods.” While the market doesn’t yet include crafts vendors, each week does offer a kid’s tent with fun, food/veggie-centered activities.
The Haines Farmers Market
The Haines Farmers Market (HFM) is located in another scenic region of Alaska, the Chilkat Valley, north of Juneau. According to local legend, the market originated sometime before 2011.
What can be verified is that the market is held every Saturday from the beginning of June straight through September from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. under the Paysons Pavilion (296 W. Fair Drive) at the Southeast Alaska Fairgrounds; Alaska is a large state and has more than one state fair. HFM has been popular enough over the years that several vendors have become year-round merchants at the Pavilion.
Photo Courtesy Haines Farmers Market
HFM’s mission is to “increase food security, improve local nutrition options, and increase sustainable business options for area producers and artisans.” The market embodies the definition of a community organization by representing a place for Chilkat Valley growers, chefs, and artisans to sell foods and goods.
It also provides vendors with resources, such as access to the Southeast Alaska Salt and Soil Marketplace, for those who want to sell their products online.
HFM also serves as a lively, safe gathering space for locals to get together and enjoy locally raised food and handmade crafts. It also gives visitors who have come to Chilkat Valley some outdoor adventures, with an introduction to what else the area has to offer.
Anchorage Farmers Market
Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, not surprisingly, boasts a large contingent of farmers markets. Well over a dozen, according to the Alaska Farmers Market Association. However, the Anchorage Farmers Market (AFM) stands out as it is the city’s only nonprofit, farmer-directed market, with its board of directors consisting of members and farmers.
Photo Courtesy Anchorage Farmers Market
AFM also has a long season in the Central Lutheran Church parking lot (1420 Cordova St.). It operates on Saturdays from mid-May into mid-October from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with June and July being the most robust times for vendor participation because it is the prime summer growing season.
One hundred percent of the produce, plants, and other items all come from within the state.
This selection adheres to the nonprofit’s bylaws that say the market aims to “further the health of the entire community by enhancing the viability of producing and marketing fresh Alaska-grown fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, plants, animal products, and to provide market capabilities for farmers to retail their products to the customer directly.”
