Locally Grown Resource Guide (5/22)

Information on 2021 Alaska Certified Seed Potato Varieties

Matanuska Experiment Farm & Extension Center 2023 Classes

Zoom classes will be recorded and sent to anyone who has registered and unable to attend.

March 21, 12-1pm - Firewood Cutting Checklist for Harvesting Firewood – Presenter: Glen Holt, Alaska RREA Forester, UAF Cooperative Extension

Glen Holt, CES Outreach Forester, with the University of Alaska Fairbanks will lead a ZOOM presentation 1- hour with information on how to get the most out of a firewood cutting day in the woods safely and productively. He will provide you a checklist of wood cutting tools, and why to take them, so you can make the most of your valuable time cutting firewood for home heating. Print the checklist provided in this presentation, put it on the dashboard of your wood hauler, and there will be no-tool-left-behind.

***ZOOM Only***

Must Register
https://alaska.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpdeCprjgvE9yzoDHBKkmYX7ID9ti6xb0K

March 30, 5-6pm - Chicken University - Presenter: Steve Brown UAF AG/Hort & Natural Resources Agent

Join UAF Cooperative Extension Service Ag/Hort. Agent, Steve Brown, March 30, 2023 at 5pm at the Alaska State Fairgrounds Rebarchek Agricultural Park. A backyard flock is fun and a great way work towards Alaskan food security and sustainability. This class will enable a novice to start their first flock. Breed selection, incubation, nutrition, coop design, disease management, cold weather tips and even chicken psychology will be covered.

*** In-Person Only*** AGE LIMIT: 12 years old and older

Must Register
https://forms.gle/7VLsRZ9p5GzqFpoo6

April 1, 9am-12pm – Canning Fruit & Tomatoes - Presenter: Julie Cascio, CES, Home, Health & Family Development.

Canning fruits and tomatoes is the focus of this class. Using a boiling water canner, types of jars and lids, selection and
preparation of fruits, packing the jars, acidification of tomatoes, types of tomato products, like salsa will be discussed.

Participants will can fruit in jars using a boiling water canner.

Fee: $20.00.
Register at: bit.ly/matsuclasses

April 1, 1-5pm – Canning Fish in Jars - Presenter: Julie Cascio, CES, Home, Health & Family Development.

Interested in learning how to can fish? During this four-hour class on canning fish in jars, participants will go through the
process of canning salmon. This class provides information on heat processing low-acid food in jars, botulism, equipment
needed, types of pressure canners, and using a pressure canner. Steps in smoking fish, and preservation of smoked fish will also be discussed.

Fee: $20.00
Register at: bit.ly/matsuclasses

April 4, 12-1pm - Constructing an Effective Woodshed for Drying and Storing Your Firewood - Presenter: Glen Holt, Alaska RREA Forester, UAF Cooperative Extension.

CES Outreach Forester, Glen Holt, will show and discuss woodsheds, and other effective shelters to dry and season your home heating supply of firewood. An array of simple to more complex methods of woodshed and other structures will be showcased, reviewed and discussed to help firewood users dry and preserve their important home heating resource that can give us “Local Energy Security.”

***ZOOM Only***

Must Register
https://alaska.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIkceuppjwiHtIig0eVFbodiaP6jI1sTEQO

April 6, 12-1pm - Healthy Soils = Healthy Planet - Presenter: Dr. Caley Gasch, Soil Science Research Asst Prof.

Join Dr. Caley Gasch as she talks about some of the key functions of soil that are important for a safe and healthy
environment, but that we might take for granted (clean air and water, home for biodiversity, medium for growing
food/fiber/fuel

***This class will be held in person at the Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center in room 208 of Kerttula Hall as well as offered via Zoom***

Must Register
https://alaska.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAod-GtqjovH9Dmy_04yA_kZbhhiLw8XOrl

April 15, 9am-12pm – Dehydrating Food - Presenter: Julie Cascio, CES, Home, Health & Family Development.

Methods of dehydrating food, steps in drying fruits and vegetables, making fruit leather, equipment for the various methods, storing the dehydrated food, rehydrating and use of dried foods will be gone through in this class. Steps in making jerky and smoking fish will be reviewed.

Fee: $20.00.
Register at: bit.ly/matsuclasses

April 15, 1-5pm – Canning Meat & Vegetables - Presenter: Julie Cascio, CES, Home, Health & Family Development.

Preserving meat and vegetables in jars is the focus of this class. Heat processing low acid food, botulism, equipment needed, selection and preparation of the food, and use and care of a pressure canner will be gone through in this class. Participants will can meat, poultry or vegetables in jars using a pressure canner.

Fee: $20.00
Register at: bit.ly/matsuclasses

April 18, 11-12pm - Backyard Pollinators – Instructor Alex Wenninger, UAF, IPM Technician

Join us to learn more about the pollinators in your backyard. We'll cover some of the lifestyles of bees as well as how to
recognize some of our common bees and other pollinators in Alaska. We'll also cover some ways to attract pollinators and
how to be good pollinator stewards in your own gardens.

***This class will be held in person at the Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center in room 208 of Kerttula Hall as well as offered via Zoom***

Must Register
https://alaska.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIodO2trzgiHdPiw_98QBsiKzKX8pf24Q3l

April 20, 12-1pm - Composting Basics - Presenter: Dr. Caley Gasch, Soil Science Research Asst Prof.

Here are the basics of composting to allow you and your family, neighborhood, or community a chance to make a great soil amendment from garbage and how this actually helps the landfill. This class will be held in person at the UAF Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center in room 208 of Kerttula Hall as well as via Zoom. Please feel free to bring your lunch if you will be joining us at the farm. Please register through this link.

***This class will be held in person at the Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center in room 208 of Kerttula Hall as well as offered via Zoom***

Must Register
https://alaska.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvd-CoqzojHdOvriz-GcsXuMfyy__VBIEu

April 25, 12-1pm - Biomass and Firewood as a Local Energy Alternative - Presenter: Glen Holt, Alaska RREA Forester, UAF Cooperative Extension

CES Outreach Forester, Glen Holt, will show and review biomass and firewood resources in Alaska as a locally obtained and effective energy alternative. The Tok School and other facilities statewide that utilize biomass and firewood to obtain energy savings and energy security will be discussed. We will look at where that resource comes from, how it is processed, how it is utilized and how & why it is often more economical than other energy alternatives.

***ZOOM Only***

Must Register
https://alaska.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtc-upqTkuHtAFHS1rjvaM6sJIHONAUsuE

April 27, 3-4pm – Know Your Soil: Testing & Amending: - Presenters: Bob VanVeldhuizen, Soils Agronomist & Theresa Isaac.

Would you like to learn how we interpret a soils laboratory test to make recommendations for fertilizer in your garden? Are you just curious about your soil health in general? Join us and we will go over how a soil sample is taken for laboratory analysis, what the lab does to make the analysis report, go over a typical report, and explain all those numbers.

We will use publications like "Field Crop Fertilizer Recommendations for Alaska Vegetables" (UAF - Cooperative Extension Service, FGV-00643) to help determine the needed fertilizers. Learn what the numbers on the outside of a commercial fertilizer bag are and how to use them in determining the rate of application (how much fertilizer per 1000 square feet).
There will be examples of different types of soil, fertilizer, lime, perlite, vermiculite and compost.

*** In-Person Only ***

Must Register
https://forms.gle/nuhkqxoMyvmqe3aU8

 

UA is an AA/EO employer and educational institution and prohibits illegal discrimination against any individual: www.alaska.edu/nondiscrimination
Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to jrbird@alaska.edu or tmisaac@alaska.edu

 

Join us in December for our Holiday Open House! Fun for the entire family!