Is it hard to be a vegetarian in Alaska (Anchorage: appointed, co-op)

[danandcindy11801]

HI,

My husband and I are thinking about moving to Alaska. He lived there years ago and still dreams about it. Me...on the other hand...I am from the Virgin Islands and used to warm weather, sand, scuba and bikinis. I have NEVER lived in the snow. AGGGHHH We live in Phoenix right now. Anyways....my question is about being a vegetarian in Alaska. I have heard that Fruits and Vege are not so good there as they have to be shipped a long way. Forgive me for any dumb questions but do people grow their own vegetables....Are there farmers markets...what do local vegans or vegetarian do???

[Sib mom]

Hi My son lives in Willow. Mom and Dad are thinking about moving up this year to Talkeetna. Our son says there is a store called the Natural Pantry in Anchorage. Have not been there, but you can find it on the net. Still trying to find out more ourselves, as we are also both vegeterians.

[danandcindy11801]

I read on other posts that the fruits and veggies are expensive and kind of wilty looking because they have to travel such a long way but I have also read of gigantic vegetables grown in Alaska...so just wondering what the scoop is.

[Metlakatla]

There is no one answer that encompasses the entire state. Large vegetables grow in a certain part only. So it would all depend on where you are thinking of moving.

[Tressa]

Veggies and fruits are not like the fresh ones you can buy down in the lower 48's. There is times you can get really good varieties but in the most part they are not totally desirable. I moved up from the states years ago and was a big fan of veggies and fruits, now I eat very little due to the quality.
Potatos are not crisp they are more on the soft side, lettuce tends to have way too many brown spots and once you purchase the items you need to eat them quickly or they will go bad within in the firsts week.

Sorry to be gloom and doom on the veggies but once you've had good ones these up here suck.

[Metlakatla]

Yeah--I've got to totally agree with Tressa....though you can do some things to work around it. You can pick and freeze all the local berries that you can find, grow a big enough garden so that you can put a lot up for the winter. Berries are extremely good for you.

I think--that as far as buying vegetables in the store, most of the time you're better off buying frozen rather than fresh. I can't believe I just said that, but I think that for the most part it's a better way to go up here.

If you eat fish at all then you can put up a lot of that for the winter too.

Up here, you've got to be pretty proactive if you want to eat a healthy diet but it can be done.

[c.adam]

Think of it this way. You don't see vegetarianism within the native populations here in Alaska. It's just not practical. YES, berries and some vegetable matter is important, but it's not the only food. Consider the fuel costs, and if you're worried about fossil fuel usage/global warming, then realize vegetarianism could very well be contributing to Global Warming.

[Alaskan_Adventurer]

Greenhouses work pretty well here. That is something you may consider. Our berries really are the BEST. You can find raspberry patches, and fields of blueberries. Or you can do it the easy way and clean out a neighbors garden. Just blame it on the moose and leave evidence. A trampled fence, etc.

[Raven and Bear]

Sometimes I read posts that make me just shake my head. Re vegetarian diets contributing to global warming, we are ALL contributing to global warming, but that's another story.

There are so many reasons why the Native population as a group is not vegetarian, and those reasons are of course tied to tradition, available food sources in artic climates, the need for a high protein diet during long months of food and daylight deprivation, etc. I have to assume that the gal from Phoenix is not looking to move to AK and consume a traditional meat-laden native diet or begin shooting and butchering moose and other local "game" to feed her family. I hardly think vegetarianism contributes to global warming. Soybean and other high-protein vegetarian crops use less natural resources to cultivate than feeding and caring for livestock, not to mention the fossil fuels expended to run huge meat butchering and processing plants, etc. Likewise, the bulk of meat products purchased here in grocery stores did not originate in AK, hence, the shipping of meat products to AK uses fossil fuels as well.

ANYWAY, the question was about AK produce, and Tressa and Metlakatla answered that very well. I'll add that also being from "away", I am disappointed at both the high prices and low quality of fresh veggies and fruit here. The giant vegetables she refers to are not what you see in the stores; those are grown in the valley or other areas, but some of it can be bought at local farmer's markets in the summer. The price you pay for living here unfortunately, if you are in a suburban area without the available land or free time to devote to gardening, is that you will develop rickets. Okay, just kidding. But you will need to take supplements and find work-arounds if you are a vegetarian in AK. I have not found a good vegetarian restaurant in Anchorage, but maybe the other posters on this site know of some. Natural Pantry is good but expensive. In the winter produce availability here is especially bad, as it is $$$ and has lost most of its vitamin content by the time it gets here from the states. If you aren't careful, you end up eating less fresh produce, more carbs, and gain the Alaskan-twenty. Yikes...it's pretty easy to do! We do have a good berry-picking season, and the grocery stores carry produce year-round, just not as much variety and not as fresh and tasty as in the lower 48. Greenhouses are great too, again, if you have the land and the time for one. I think there is whole foods co-op here in Anchorage, too.

[Marylandkitten]

What about bananas? I can't live without my bananas. . . .o.0

Are they frozen and squishy? or are they brown and fuzzy by the time they get off the barge and onto the Safeway shelves!!! ...oh my poor bananas