Sellers and vegetables | Clarion Peninsula
Under clouds and rain, dozens of people walked around Soldotna Creek Park on Saturday, purchasing freshly grown produce from local farmers and producers.
The Harvest Moon Local Food Festival is “the largest one-day farmers market and celebration of local food on the Kenai Peninsula,” according to organizers Kenai Local Food Connection.
Dozens of local groups were represented, tables piled high with fruit, vegetables, flowers and pots. Live music sounded from the park’s main stage and professionals answered questions, demonstrated techniques and handed out samples from two special show tents.
Around noon, Andrew Agosti showed a crowd how to make carrot gnocchi, topped with sage butter for a “fall flavor.”
He showed how to cut and cook carrots and then brought out a bright orange bag of puree. The mashed carrots were mixed with flour and egg, he said, to make a paste. From a small hole in the corner of a Ziploc bag, Agosti poured the carrot paste into boiling water, using a knife to separate the material into bite-sized pieces.
Within minutes, Agosti removed the then-floating gnocchi pieces. He quickly threw them into a skillet with sage butter and soon the crowd was enjoying the resulting dish.
In addition to buying produce and tasting in demo tents, many stalls also sold food, and a well-known stall full of food trucks and vendors had several specialty options made from local produce, as featured at the festival.
The Harvest Moon Local Food Festival is held annually towards the end of summer. For more information, visit facebook.com/KenaiLocalFood.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
Piles of beetroot are ready for sale during the Harvest Moon Local Food Festival at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, September 16, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Piles of rhubarb stalks are ready for sale during the Harvest Moon Local Food Festival at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, September 16, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Fresh vegetables are sold at a Wilderness Earth Farm stand during the Harvest Moon Local Food Festival at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, September 16, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Brandy Nelson shows off milk kefir in the demo tent during the Harvest Moon Local Food Festival at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, September 16, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
A tent hosts screenings of “Nourishing the Kenai” during the Harvest Moon Local Food Festival at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, September 16, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Andrew Agosti prepares carrot gnocchi on Saturday, September 16, 2023 in the chef’s tent of the Harvest Moon Local Food Festival at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Carrots are prepared for preservation at the Harvest Moon Local Food Festival fermentation station at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska on Saturday, September 16, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
A head of lettuce is cut apart in preparation for preservation at the Harvest Moon Local Food Festival fermentation station at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, September 16, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Andrew Agosti prepares carrot gnocchi on Saturday, September 16, 2023 in the chef’s tent of the Harvest Moon Local Food Festival at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
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