Vendors and vegetables | Peninsula Clarion
Under clouds and rain on Saturday, dozens of people gathered at Soldotna Creek Park, purchasing freshly grown produce from local farmers and growers.
The Harvest Moon Local Food Festival is “the largest one-day farmers market and celebration of local food on the Kenai Peninsula,” says a release from organizers Kenai Local Food Connection.
Dozens of local groups were represented, tables filled with fruits, vegetables, flowers and jars. Live music blared from the park’s main stage, and professionals answered questions, demonstrated techniques and passed around samples from two special performance tents.
Around noon, Andrew Agosti showed the crowd how to make carrot gnocchi, topped with sage butter for a “taste of fall.”
He demonstrated how to cut and boil carrots, then produced a bag of bright orange puree. Carrot puree was mixed with flour and eggs, he explained, to make a paste. From a small hole in the corner of a zip-top bag, Agosti poured the carrot paste into boiling water, using a knife to separate the material into bite-size pieces.
In a few minutes, Agosti recovered the pieces of gnocchi then floating. He quickly tossed them into a pan with sage butter, and soon the crowd was enjoying the resulting dish.
Beyond purchasing produce and tasting in the demonstration tents, numerous booths sold food, and a familiar stable of food trucks and vendors presented several special options using local produce, like those on display at festival.
The local Harvest Moon food festival takes place every year towards the end of summer. For more information, visit facebook.com/KenaiLocalFood.
Contact reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
Stacks of beets are ready for sale during the Harvest Moon Local Food Festival at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska, Saturday, September 16, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Stacks of rhubarb stalks are ready for sale during the Harvest Moon Local Food Festival at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska, 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, Saturday, September 16, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Brandy Nelson demonstrates milk kefir under the demonstration tent during the Harvest Moon Local Food Festival at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska, 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, Saturday, September 16, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Andrew Agosti prepares carrot gnocchi at the Harvest Moon Local Food Festival chef’s tent at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska, Saturday, September 16, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Carrots are prepared for preservation at the fermentation station at the Harvest Moon Local Food Festival at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska, Saturday, September 16, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
A head of lettuce is cut up for storage at the fermentation station at the Harvest Moon Local Food Festival at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska, Saturday, September 16, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Andrew Agosti prepares carrot gnocchi at the Harvest Moon Local Food Festival chef’s tent at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska, Saturday, September 16, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
