Jo’s Table Alaska

Lions Mane, Oyster, Black Pearl, Chestnut, King Oyster, And Pioppino?  What these are mushrooms? Yes! And all grown in a small Interior Alaska community of Ester.

Boreal Woods is Interior Alaska's only year-round mushroom farm, growing a wide variety of gourmet and medicinal mushrooms for the Fairbanks community. Meet Matthew Meares who started this venture as a family project with his two young sons. His interest in year around farming and a desire to provide healthy nutritious food year has led him to produce 10-15 varieties of mushrooms. 

Matt is a young, energetic and forward thinking farmer, who has taken mushroom growing to new levels in a vertical farm in a large building on his property in Ester Alaska.  The mushrooms he grows are beautiful, different than  those found in grocery stores and good for you.  

Visit borealwoods.com for additional information. Or jostablealaska.com for blogpost.

The ever evolving Plant Kingdom.  An established greenhouse under new hands, venturing in expansion and new directions but keeping the essence of the much loved greenhouse intact.  Its a place to find flowers, vegetables, perennials, shrubs along with joy, peace and tranquility, and soon coffee!  

Stephanie Bluekens is a young dynamic entrepreneur who has jumped in with great enthusiasm and focus to take over the greenhouse.  She is a mom, a role model for all young entrepreneurs, and to my delight, a passionate supporter of addressing food security and sustainability in Interior Alaska by teaching rural Alaska small towns to grow their own vegetables, as fresh produce is not always available there. This is a much needed effort.

Plant Kingdom continues to evolve, and diversify so it attracts people to visit and relax, attend events, and participate in Easter Egg Hunts and Scavenger Hunts.  A beautiful sprawling setting that has become well known for weddings and special evets.

This summer, if you are in Interior Alaska, please visit Plant Kingdom.

www.theplantkingdom.com

On this episode I speak with Mike Priebe, who started hay farming a few years ago and is passionate about addressing the food security issue in Alaska.  He is part of the conversation that will help other farmers, and supporting entities to share ideas, resources, knowledge so together everyone can succeed.

Community Gardens are a place to garden, grow food, flowers and engage with other fellow gardeners. Community Gardeners grow food for their own needs, or to distribute to food banks, neighbors, families and to friends.  Its a place where gardeners come together to connect with the soil, people, find joy and peace. 

On this episode we talk with Wendy Anderson who has managed the Fairbanks Community Gardens for nearly two decades! Listen to her journey and what makes community gardens and the people working the plots thrive. 

Community gardens have a place in all cities, towns and even in rural villages. They are simple in their approach, and encourage grow your own philosophy.  Eating healthy nutritious food starts growing your own food and it can be done in a plot at community gardens.

Managing, the oldest established Tanana Valley Farmers market in Alaska that showcases Alaska Grown produce and running his own farm, Goosefoot Farm, that focuses on diversified produce. Brad St. Pierre certainly has his hands full.  Can one person do it all?  Brad St. Pierre can and does so with passion, enthusiasm and good humor.

Solving food security, supporting farmers and encouraging consumers to eat differently, seasonally, and to eat healthy nutritious food is all part of what Brad St Pierre does every day.  He works hard to manage the Tanana Valley Farmers market and helps others start new farms, foster vibrant farmers market throughout Alaska through his work with Alaska Farmers Market Association. Join me as I speak with Brad and his work in supporting Interior Alaska Agriculture.

Running and successfully managing not one but two enormous interior Alaska Greenhouses and Nursery, Tacks Greenhouse and Plant Kingdom, Cyndie Warbelow is a horticulturist, a phenomenal gardener, a legend, a shrewd businesswoman and an author of a best selling book on Alaskan Perennials.

Her passion for gardening and helping hundreds of people grow their own flowers and vegetables and teaching us all about perennials is so infectious.  Her enthusiasm for all things that she grows makes one want to start gardening and growing right away.  

On this episode I'm speaking with Tom Gross, who takes us through the journey of his life and brings us finally to where he always needed to be.  We walk with him through growing up in a large family, college, military, tree cutting and land clearing business, opera, and now running a meat retail shop.  Throughout his journey, one sees the solid foundational pillars of hard work, dedication, passion and overcoming challenges with grace, faith, support and friendships. 

He is the man with the Midas touch.  Everything he undertook, he excelled in. He is a community benefactor, supports local ranching, farmers and Alaska honey producers.  It's a journey that has brought him immense joy and many challenges.  He's is taking us with him in this incredible journey of hard work and passion. So, come along!

On this episode we talk with Callen Christensen who runs Alaska's only Chaga Cooperative. Chaga is becoming more mainstream.  There is awareness and use of it that is increasing.  However, this poses challenges as accurate information, benefits, problems and sustainability need to be upfront as more people "try it out".  People are drawn to it, whether its for health benefits or for actual interest in foraging. Chaga is complex and its efficacy not researched in US.  While Chaga is used effectively in other northern European countries to treat various ailments and diseases, in US, not so much, as there are no studies supporting its use and benefits. So, let's look at what Chaga really is and how one can responsibly forage, distribute and use it. 

Updated Comment:  The interview may lead one to deduce that Callen is saying a subsidy to bring commercial fertilizer is the way to go.  Not true! The subsidy he would like to see is for small farms that grow high quality food using organic ways. He would like to see the government subsidizing local production of organic fertilizer, such as a composting program. 

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Food Security and Hunger.  Join me as we learn how a local Community Food Bank collects and distributes millions of pounds of food, annually,  to individuals and to the community.  Food security is a big concern in Fairbanks, Alaska where growing season is short and 90-95% of the food is shipped or barged in from out of the state. In this episode, meet the two women who have created a very successful program to address the food needs for individuals and for the community in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Local farmers, crafters and the shoppers under one roof. All year around in Alaska

How is this one person bringing a diverse and large community of makers, creators, producers and growers and shoppers together under one roof.  We are talking with a visionary who has created a hub for all local growers and creators.

It's all about local connections and bringing makers, creators and shoppers together. On this episode we are talking about the fairly new and extremely successful effort by one person to connect Alaskan people with those who grow vegetables, flowers, create art and provide multitude of products to interior Alaska shoppers.

This is a hub for local entrepreneurs. And one person is driving this effort, quite successfully.